# List of North Carolina railroads

The following railroads operate in the U.S. state of North Carolina.

## Common freight carriers

* Aberdeen, Carolina and Western Railway (ACWR)
* Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad (AR)
* Alexander Railroad (ARC)
* Atlantic and Western Railway (ATW)
* Blue Ridge Southern Railroad (BLU)
* Caldwell County Railroad (CWCY)
* Cape Fear Railways (CF)
* Carolina Coastal Railway (CLNA)
** (Operates the Nash County Railroad)
* Chesapeake and Albemarle Railroad (CA)
* Clinton Terminal Railroad (CTR)
* CSX Transportation (CSXT)
* Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (GSM)
* High Point, Thomasville and Denton Railroad (HPTD)
* Kinston and Snow Hill Railroad (KSH)
* Laurinburg and Southern Railroad (LRS)
* Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) including subsidiaries Camp Lejeune Railroad (CPLJ) and State University Railroad (SUR)
** (Operates the North Carolina Railroad) (NCRR)
* North Carolina and Virginia Railroad (NCVA)
* R.J. Corman Carolina Lines (RJCS)
* Thermal Belt Railway (TBRY)
* Virginia Southern Railroad (VSRR)
* Wilmington Terminal Railroad (WTRY)
* Winston-Salem Southbound Railway (WSS)
* Yadkin Valley Railroad (YVRR)

## Passenger carriers

North Carolina passenger rail :
Legend :
Key :
This diagram: viewtalkedit :
* Amtrak (AMTK)
* Charlotte Trolley
* Craggy Mountain Line
* Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
* Handy Dandy Railroad
* New Hope Valley Railway
* North Carolina Transportation Museum
* Lynx Blue Line
* Red Springs & Northern Railroad
* Tweetsie Railroad

## Defunct railroads

| Name | Mark | System | From | To | Successor | Notes |
| Aberdeen and Asheboro Railroad | | NS | 1897 | 1912 | Raleigh, Charlotte and Southern Railway |
| Aberdeen and Briar Patch Railway | ABPR | | 1983 | 1987 | Aberdeen, Carolina and Western Railway |
| Aberdeen and West End Railroad | | NS | 1889 | 1897 | Aberdeen and Asheboro Railroad |
| Air Line Railroad in South Carolina | | SOU | 1868 | 1870 | Atlanta and Richmond Air–Line Railway |
| Albemarle and Pantego Railroad | | NS | 1887 | 1891 | Norfolk and Southern Railroad |
| Albemarle and Raleigh Railroad | | ACL | 1883 | 1894 | Wilmington and Weldon Railroad |
| Alma Railway | | | | 1911 | Maxton, Alma and Southbound Railroad |
| Appalachian Railway | | | 1908 | 1935 | N/A |
| Asheboro and Montgomery Railroad | | NS | 1896 | 1897 | Aberdeen and Asheboro Railroad |
| Asheville and Craggy Mountain Railway | | SOU | 1889 | 1941 | Southern Railway |
| Asheville Southern Railway | | SOU | 1905 | 1941 | Southern Railway |
| Asheville and Spartanburg Railroad | | SOU | 1881 | 1902 | Southern Railway – Carolina Division |
| Atlanta and Charlotte Air Line Railway | | SOU | 1877 | 1996 | Norfolk Southern Railway |
| Atlanta, Knoxville and Northern Railway | | L&N | 1896 | 1905 | Louisville and Nashville Railroad |
| Atlanta and Richmond Air–Line Railway | | SOU | 1870 | 1876 | North Carolina Air–Line Railway |
| Atlantic and Carolina Railroad | | | 1914 | 1948 | N/A |
| Atlantic Coast Line Railroad | ACL | ACL | 1898 | 1967 | Seaboard Coast Line Railroad |
| Atlantic and Danville Railway | AD | N&W | 1889 | 1962 | Norfolk, Franklin and Danville Railway |
| Atlantic and East Carolina Railway | AEC | SOU | 1939 | 2003 | Norfolk Southern Railway |
| Atlantic and French Broad Valley Railroad | | SOU | 1881 | 1882 | Carolina, Cumberland Gap and Chicago Railway |
| Atlantic and North Carolina Company | | NS | 1905 | 1906 | Norfolk and Southern Railway |
| Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad | ANC | NS | 1852 | 1989 | North Carolina Railroad |
| Atlantic, Tennessee and Ohio Railroad | | SOU | 1855 | 1894 | Southern Railway |
| Atlantic and Western Railroad | | | 1889 | 1927 | Atlantic and Western Railway |
| Atlantic and Yadkin Railway | | SOU | 1899 | 1950 | Southern Railway |
| Beaufort and Morehead Railroad | BMH | | 1937 | 1998 | North Carolina Railroad |
| Beaufort and Morehead Railway | BMH | | 1991 | 2002 | Carolina Rail Services |
| Black Mountain Railway | | ACL/ L&N | 1910 | 1955 | Yancey Railroad |
| Blue Ridge and Atlantic Railway | | SOU | 1901 | 1909 | Tallulah Falls Railway |
| Bonlee and Western Railway | | | 1908 | 1932 | N/A |
| Caldwell and Northern Railroad | | SOU | 1893 | 1910 | Carolina and Northwestern Railway |
| Cape Fear and Northern Railway | | SCL | 1898 | 1903 | Durham and Southern Railway |
| Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Railway | | ACL, SOU | 1879 | 1898 | Atlantic and Yadkin Railway, Wilmington and Weldon Railroad |
| Carolina Railroad | | NS | 1912 | 1931 | N/A |
| Carolina, Atlantic and Western Railway | | SAL | 1914 | 1915 | Seaboard Air Line Railway |
| Carolina Central Railroad | | SAL | 1880 | 1901 | Seaboard Air Line Railway |
| Carolina Central Railway | | SAL | 1873 | 1880 | Carolina Central Railroad |
| Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway | CC&O | ACL/ L&N | 1908 | 1990 | CSX Transportation |
| Carolina Coast Railroad | | NS | 1903 | 1906 | Norfolk and Southern Railway |
| Carolina, Cumberland Gap and Chicago Railway | | SOU | 1882 | 1895 | N/A | Sold at foreclosure; no property in North Carolina |
| Carolina and Georgia Railway | | | 1919 | 1927 | Tennessee and North Carolina Railway |
| Carolina, Glenanna and Pee Dee Railway and Development Company | | ACL/ N&W | 1905 | 1907 | Carolina Valley Railway |
| Carolina Narrow-gauge Railroad | | SOU | 1872 | 1873 | Chester and Lenoir Narrow Gauge Railroad |
| Carolina and Northeastern Railroad | | | 1917 | 1931 | Carolina and Northeastern Railway |
| Carolina and Northeastern Railway | | | 1931 | 1934 | N/A |
| Carolina Northern Railroad | | SAL | 1899 | 1905 | Raleigh and Charleston Railroad |
| Carolina and Northwestern Railway | CRN | NS | 1994 | | Caldwell County Railroad | Line from Hickory to Lenoir purchased by Caldwell County Economic Development Commission; Leased to CWCY. |
| Carolina and Northwestern Railway | CRN | SOU | 1982 | 1988 | Southern Railway |
| Carolina and Northwestern Railway | CRN | SOU | 1897 | 1974 | Norfolk Southern Railway |
| Carolina Rail Services | CRIJ | | 1986 | 2005 | Morehead and South Fork Railroad |
| Carolina Southern Railway | | | 1926 | 1961 | N/A |
| Carolina and Tennessee Southern Railway | | SOU | 1902 | 1944 | N/A |
| Carolina Valley Railway | | ACL/ N&W | 1907 | 1909 | Piedmont Railway |
| Carolina and Yadkin River Railway | | ACL/ N&W | 1912 | 1923 | High Point, Thomasville and Denton Railroad |
| Carthage Railroad | | | 1886 | 1920 | Randolph and Cumberland Railway |
| Carthage and Pinehurst Railroad | | NS | 1907 | 1922 | N/A |
| Carthage and Western Railroad | | | 1893 | | |
| Cashie and Chowan Railroad and Lumber Company | | | 1883 | | |
| Cashie and Roanoke Railroad | | | 1887 | 1893 | Wellington and Powellsville Railroad |
| Chapel Hill Iron Mountain Railroad | | SOU | 1873 | 1879 | State University Railroad |
| Charleston, Cincinnati and Chicago Railroad | | ACL/ L&N, SOU | 1886 | 1893 | Ohio River and Charleston Railway |
| Charlotte, Columbia and Augusta Railroad | | SOU | 1869 | 1894 | Southern Railway |
| Charlotte and South Carolina Railroad | | SOU | 1847 | 1869 | Charlotte, Columbia and Augusta Railroad |
| Chatham Railroad | | SAL | 1861 | 1871 | Raleigh and Augusta Air Line Railroad |
| Cheraw and Coalfields Railroad | | ACL | 1867 | 1868 | Cheraw and Salisbury Railroad |
| Cheraw and Darlington Railroad | | ACL | 1882 | 1898 | Atlantic Coast Line Railroad |
| Cheraw and Salisbury Railroad | | ACL | 1868 | 1882 | Cheraw and Darlington Railroad |
| Chester and Lenoir Narrow Gauge Railroad | | SOU | 1873 | 1897 | Carolina and Northwestern Railway |
| Chowan River Railway and Baltimore Steamboat Company | | ACL | 1883 | 1886 | Chowan and Southern Railroad |
| Chowan and Southern Railroad | ACL | | 1886 | 1889 | Norfolk and Carolina Railroad |
| Cliffside Railroad | CLIF | | 1905 | 1987 | N/A |
| Clinchfield Railroad | CRR | ACL/ L&N | 1924 | 1983 | Seaboard System Railroad |
| Clinton and Faison Railroad | | ACL | 1881 | 1885 | Clinton and Warsaw Railroad |
| Clinton and Warsaw Railroad | | ACL | 1885 | 1888 | Wilmington and Weldon Railroad |
| Dan Valley and Yadkin River Railroad | | SOU | 1879 | 1880 | North Carolina Midland Railroad |
| Dan Valley and Yadkin River Narrow Gauge Railroad | | SOU | 1881 | 1883 | North Carolina Midland Railroad |
| Danville, Mocksville and Southwestern Railroad | | SOU | 1880 | 1899 | Danville and Western Railway |
| Danville and New River Railroad | | SOU | 1873 | 1890 | Danville and Western Railway |
| Danville and Western Railway | D&W | SOU | 1891 | | |
| Dismal Swamp Railroad | | | 1896 | 1941 | N/A |
| Dover and South Bound Railroad | | | 1905 | 1930 | N/A |
| Dunn-Erwin Railway | DER | | 1987 | 1989 | Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad |
| Durham and Charlotte Railroad | | NS | 1893 | 1912 | Raleigh, Charlotte and Southern Railway |
| Durham and Northern Railway | | SAL | 1887 | 1901 | Seaboard Air Line Railway |
| Durham and Roxboro Railroad | | N&W | 1885 | 1887 | Lynchburg and Durham Railroad |
| Durham and South Carolina Railroad | | NS | 1905 | 1993 | New Hope Valley Railway |
| Durham and Southern Railway | DS | SCL | 1904 | 1981 | Seaboard Coast Line Railroad |
| Durham Union Station Company | | N&W/ SAL/ SOU | 1904 | 1965 | N/A |
| Duval Transportation of the Carolinas | | | 1987 | 1987 | Mid Atlantic Railroad |
| East Carolina Railway | | ACL | 1898 | 1965 | N/A |
| East Carolina Land and Railway Company | | ACL | 1887 | 1894 | Wilmington, Newbern and Norfolk Railroad |
| East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad | ETWN | | 1866 | 1950 | N/A |
| Edenton and Norfolk Railway | | NS | 1888 | 1902 | Suffolk and Carolina Railway |
| Egypt Railway | | NS | 1892 | 1910 | Sanford and Troy Railroad |
| Elizabeth City and Norfolk Railroad | | NS | 1870 | 1883 | Norfolk Southern Railroad |
| Elizabeth City and Western Railroad | | NS | 1899 | 1902 | Suffolk and Carolina Railway |
| Elkin and Alleghany Railroad | | | 1920 | 1931 | N/A |
| Elkin and Alleghany Railway | | | 1907 | 1919 | Elkin and Alleghany Railroad |
| Florence and Fayetteville Railroad | | ACL | 1862 | 1881 | Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Railway |
| Franklin County Railroad | | | 1985 | 1990 | | LRS subsidiary; operated ex-SAL Franklinton-Louisburg branch (originally Louisburg Railroad); to NCDOT after shutdown, trail lease/rail bank |
| French Broad Railroad | | | 1919 | 1925 | N/A (leased the Madison County Railway) |
| Georgia, Carolina and Northern Railway | | SAL | 1887 | 1901 | Seaboard Air Line Railway |
| Georgia and North Carolina Railroad | | L&N | 1871 | 1887 | Marietta and North Georgia Railway |
| Glendon and Gulf Mining and Manufacturing Company | | NS | 1891 | 1896 | Durham and Charlotte Railroad |
| Goldsboro Union Station Company | | ACL/ NS/ SOU | 1908 | 1968 | N/A |
| Graham County Railroad | GC | | 1905 | 1984 | N/A |
| Great Smoky Mountains Railway | GSM | | 1988 | 1999 | Great Smoky Mountains Railroad |
| Greensville and Roanoke Railroad | | ACL | 1834 | 1855 | Petersburg Railroad |
| Greenville and French Broad Railroad | | SOU | 1855 | 1874 | Spartanburg and Asheville Railroad |
| Gumberry and Jackson Railroad and Lumber Company | | | 1887 | 1896 | Northampton and Hertford Railroad |
| Halifax and Weldon Railroad | | ACL | 1834 | 1837 | Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad |
| Hendersonville and Brevard Railway, Telegraph and Telephone Company | | SOU | 1891 | 1897 | Transylvania Railroad |
| High Point and Randleman Railroad | | SOU | 1883 | 1887 | High Point, Randleman, Asheboro and Southern Railroad |
| High Point, Randleman, Asheboro and Southern Railroad | | SOU | 1887 | | | Still exists as a lessor of the Norfolk Southern Railway |
| Hoffman and Troy Railroad | | | 1883 | | |
| Howland Improvement Company | | NS | 1903 | 1905 | Atlantic and North Carolina Company |
| Jackson Springs Railroad | | NS | 1901 | 1907 | Aberdeen and Asheboro Railroad |
| Kinston Carolina Railroad | | NS | 1918 | 1929 | N/A |
| Kinston and Carolina Railroad | | NS | | 1909 | Kinston–Carolina Railroad and Lumber Company |
| Kinston–Carolina Railroad and Lumber Company | | NS | 1910 | 1918 | Kinston Carolina Railroad |
| Kinston and Snow Hill Railroad | | NS | | 1913 | Carolina Railroad |
| Lawndale Railway and Industrial Company | | | 1903 | 1943 | N/A |
| Linville River Railroad | | | 1896 | 1899 | Linville River Railway |
| Linville River Railway | | | 1899 | 1940 | N/A (owned by East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad) |
| Louisburg Railroad | | SAL | 1881 | 1901 | Raleigh and Gaston Railroad |
| Louisville and Nashville Railroad | L&N, LN | L&N | 1905 | 1983 | Seaboard System Railroad |
| Lower Creek and Linville Valley Transportation Company | | SOU | 1891 | 1893 | Caldwell and Northern Railroad |
| Lynchburg and Durham Railroad | | N&W | 1887 | 1896 | Norfolk, Lynchburg and Durham Railroad |
| Madison County Railway | | | 1910 | 1925 | N/A |
| Marietta and North Georgia Railway | | L&N | 1887 | 1895 | Atlanta, Knoxville and Northern Railway |
| Maxton, Alma and Southbound Railroad | MA&S | | 1911 | 1937 | N/A |
| Mid Atlantic Railroad | MRR | | 1987 | 1995 | Carolina Southern Railroad |
| Midland North Carolina Railway | | ACL | 1873 | 1884 | Wilmington and Weldon Railroad |
| Milton and Sutherlin Railroad | | | 1876 | 1894 | N/A |
| Moore Central Railroad | | | 1945 | 1948 | N/A |
| Moore Central Railway | | | 1924 | 1945 | Moore Central Railroad |
| Moore County Railroad | | | 1893 | 1904 | N/A |
| Mount Airy Railroad | | SOU | 1879 | 1879 | Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Railway |
| Mount Airy and Eastern Railway | | | 1899 | 1910 | Virginia and Mount Airy Railway |
| Mount Airy and Ore Knob Railroad | | SOU | 1871 | 1879 | Mount Airy Railroad |
| Mount Hope Valley Railroad | | NS | 1904 | 1905 | Durham and South Carolina Railroad |
| Norfolk and Carolina Railroad | | ACL | 1889 | 1900 | Atlantic Coast Line Railroad |
| Norfolk, Franklin and Danville Railway | NFD | N&W | 1962 | 1983 | Norfolk and Western Railway |
| Norfolk, Lynchburg and Durham Railroad | | N&W | 1896 | 1896 | Norfolk and Western Railroad |
| Norfolk, Roanoke and Southern Railroad | | N&W | 1896 | 1896 | Norfolk and Western Railroad |
| Norfolk Southern Railroad | NS | NS | 1910 | 1942 | Norfolk Southern Railway |
| Norfolk Southern Railroad | | NS | 1883 | 1891 | Norfolk and Southern Railroad |
| Norfolk and Southern Railroad | | NS | 1891 | 1906 | Norfolk and Southern Railway |
| Norfolk Southern Railway | NS | NS | 1942 | 1982 | Carolina and Northwestern Railway |
| Norfolk and Southern Railway | | NS | 1906 | 1910 | Norfolk Southern Railroad |
| Norfolk and Western Railroad | | N&W | 1892 | 1896 | Norfolk and Western Railway |
| Norfolk and Western Railway | N&W, NW | N&W | 1896 | 1998 | Norfolk Southern Railway |
| North Carolina Railroad | | SOU | 1849 | | | Still exists as a lessor of the Norfolk Southern Railway |
| North Carolina Air–Line Railway | | SOU | 1877 | 1877 | Atlanta and Charlotte Air Line Railway |
| North Carolina Connecting Railway | | | 1905 | 1907 | Roanoke River Railway |
| North Carolina Midland Railroad | | SOU | 1880 | | | Still exists as a lessor of the Norfolk Southern Railway |
| North Carolina Mining, Manufacturing and Development Company | | ACL/ N&W | 1903 | 1905 | Carolina, Glenanna and Pee Dee Railway and Development Company |
| North Carolina Ports Railway Commission | NCPR | | 1979 | 2002 | North Carolina State Ports Authority |
| North and South Carolina Railroad | | SOU | 1899 | 1940 | N/A |
| North and South Carolina Railway | | SAL | 1910 | 1914 | Carolina, Atlantic and Western Railway |
| North Western North Carolina Railroad | | SOU | 1868 | 1894 | Southern Railway |
| Northampton and Hertford Railroad | | | 1891 | 1908 | Northampton and Hertford Railway |
| Northampton and Hertford Railway | | | 1909 | 1917 | Carolina and Northeastern Railroad |
| Ohio River and Charleston Railway | | ACL/ L&N, SOU | 1894 | 1902 | South Carolina and Georgia Extension Railroad, South and Western Railway |
| Oxford and Clarksville Railroad | | SOU | 1885 | 1894 | Southern Railway |
| Oxford and Coast Line Railroad | | SAL | 1891 | 1906 | Seaboard Air Line Railway |
| Oxford and Henderson Railroad | | SOU | 1871 | 1894 | Southern Railway |
| Palmetto Railroad | | SAL | 1883 | 1895 | Palmetto Railway |
| Palmetto Railway | | SAL | 1895 | 1901 | Seaboard Air Line Railway |
| Pee Dee Valley Railway | | ACL | 1909 | 1910 | Rockingham Railway |
| Petersburg Railroad | | ACL | 1831 | 1898 | Atlantic Coast Line Railroad |
| Piedmont Railroad | | SOU | 1862 | 1894 | Southern Railway |
| Piedmont Railway | | ACL/ N&W | 1909 | 1912 | Carolina and Yadkin River Railway |
| Piedmont and Northern Railway | P&N | | 1914 | 1969 | Seaboard Coast Line Railroad | Electric until 1954 |
| Pigeon River Railway | | | 1906 | 1931 | N/A |
| Pittsboro Railroad | | SAL | 1885 | 1899 | Raleigh and Augusta Air Line Railroad |
| Portsmouth and Roanoke Railroad | | SAL | 1833 | 1846 | Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad |
| Raleigh and Augusta Air Line Railroad | | SAL | 1871 | 1901 | Seaboard Air Line Railway |
| Raleigh and Cape Fear Railway | | NS | 1898 | 1905 | Raleigh and Southport Railway |
| Raleigh, Charlotte and Southern Railway | | NS | 1911 | 1913 | Norfolk Southern Railroad |
| Raleigh and Charleston Railroad | | SAL | 1906 | 1941 | N/A |
| Raleigh and Eastern North Carolina Railroad | | NS | 1903 | 1903 | Raleigh and Pamlico Sound Railroad |
| Raleigh and Gaston Railroad | | SAL | 1835 | 1901 | Seaboard Air Line Railway |
| Raleigh and Pamlico Sound Railroad | | NS | 1903 | 1906 | Norfolk and Southern Railway |
| Raleigh and Southport Railway | | NS | 1905 | 1912 | Raleigh, Charlotte and Southern Railway |
| Raleigh and Western Railway | | NS | 1893 | 1908 | N/A | Leased the Egypt Railway |
| Randolph and Cumberland Railroad | | | 1906 | 1907 | Randolph and Cumberland Railway |
| Randolph and Cumberland Railway | | | 1907 | 1924 | Moore Central Railway |
| Richmond and Danville Railroad | | SOU | 1866 | 1894 | Southern Railway |
| Richmond, Petersburg and Carolina Railroad | | SAL | 1892 | 1900 | Seaboard Air Line Railway |
| Roanoke Railroad | | SAL | 1847 | 1849 | Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad |
| Roanoke River Railway | | | 1907 | 1919 | Townsville Railroad |
| Roanoke and Southern Railway | | N&W | 1887 | 1896 | Norfolk, Roanoke and Southern Railroad |
| Roanoke and Tar River Railroad | | SAL | 1885 | 1911 | Seaboard Air Line Railway |
| Roanoke Valley Railroad | | | 1855 | 1863 | N/A |
| Rockingham Railroad | RKG | ACL | 1910 | 1968 | N/A |
| Rockingham Railway | | ACL | 1910 | 1910 | Rockingham Railroad |
| Roxboro Railroad | | N&W | 1881 | 1887 | Lynchburg and Durham Railroad |
| Roxboro and Narrow Gauge Railroad | | N&W | 1879 | 1881 | Roxboro Railroad |
| Rutherfordton, Marion and Tennessee Railway | | ACL/ L&N, SOU | 1881 | 1886 | Charleston, Cincinnati and Chicago Railroad |
| Sanford and Glendon Railroad | | NS | | 1910 | Sanford and Troy Railroad |
| Sanford and Troy Railroad | | NS | 1910 | 1912 | Raleigh, Charlotte and Southern Railway |
| Seaboard Air Line Railroad | SAL | SAL | 1946 | 1967 | Seaboard Coast Line Railroad |
| Seaboard Air Line Railway | | SAL | 1900 | 1945 | Seaboard Air Line Railroad |
| Seaboard Air Line System | | SAL | 1893 | 1900 | Seaboard Air Line Railway |
| Seaboard Coast Line Railroad | SCL | | 1967 | 1983 | Seaboard System Railroad |
| Seaboard and Raleigh Railroad | | ACL | 1873 | 1883 | Albemarle and Raleigh Railroad |
| Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad | | SAL | 1846 | 1911 | Seaboard Air Line Railway |
| Seaboard System Railroad | SBD | | 1983 | 1986 | CSX Transportation |
| Smoky Mountain Railway | SMN | | 1905 | 1927 | N/A |
| South Carolina and Georgia Extension Railroad | | SOU | 1898 | 1902 | Southern Railway – Carolina Division |
| South and Western Railroad | | ACL/ L&N | 1905 | 1908 | Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway |
| South and Western Railway | | ACL/ L&N | 1901 | 1906 | South and Western Railroad |
| Southeastern Railroad | | ACL | 1897 | 1900 | Atlantic Coast Line Railroad |
| Southern Railway | SOU | SOU | 1894 | 1990 | Norfolk Southern Railway |
| Southern Railway – Carolina Division | | SOU | 1902 | 1996 | Norfolk Southern Railway |
| Spartanburg and Asheville Railroad | | SOU | 1874 | 1881 | Asheville and Spartanburg Railroad |
| Statesville and Western Railroad | | SOU | 1887 | 1894 | Southern Railway |
| Suffolk and Carolina Railway | | NS | 1884 | 1906 | Norfolk and Southern Railway |
| Tallulah Falls Railway | TF | SOU | 1909 | 1961 | N/A |
| Tennessee and North Carolina Railroad | | | 1903 | 1920 | Tennessee and North Carolina Railway |
| Tennessee and North Carolina Railway | | | 1920 | 1951 | N/A |
| Town Creek Railroad and Lumber Company | | | 1905 | 1911 | Wilmington, Brunswick and Southern Railroad |
| Townsville Railroad | | | 1919 | 1933 | N/A |
| Transylvania Railroad | | SOU | 1899 | | |
| Tuckaseegee and Southeastern Railway | | | 1920 | 1945 | N/A |
| Virginia and Carolina Railroad | | SAL | 1883 | 1892 | Richmond, Petersburg and Carolina Railroad |
| Virginia–Carolina Railway | | N&W | 1911 | 1919 | Norfolk and Western Railway |
| Virginia and Carolina Southern Railroad | | ACL | 1903 | | |
| Virginia and Mount Airy Railway | | | 1920 | | N/A | Never operated |
| Warrenton Railroad | WAR | | 1876 | 1985 | N/A |
| Washington and Plymouth Railroad | | NS | 1901 | 1904 | Norfolk and Southern Railroad |
| Washington and Vandemere Railroad | | ACL | 1903 | 1944 | Atlantic Coast Line Railroad |
| Weldon and Roanoke Rapids Electric Railway | | | 1907 | 1917 | Carolina and Northeastern Railroad |
| Wellington and Powellsville Railroad | | | 1893 | 1926 | Carolina Southern Railway |
| Western Railroad | | ACL, SOU | 1852 | 1879 | Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Railway |
| Western North Carolina Railroad | | SOU | 1855 | 1894 | Southern Railway |
| Wilmington Railway Bridge Company | | ACL/ SAL | 1866 | 1956 | Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, Seaboard Air Line Railroad |
| Wilmington, Brunswick and Southern Railroad | | | 1907 | 1945 | N/A |
| Wilmington and Carolina Railroad | | ACL | 1870 | 1870 | Wilmington, Columbia and Augusta Railroad |
| Wilmington, Chadbourn and Conway Railroad | | ACL | 1887 | 1895 | Wilmington and Conway Railroad |
| Wilmington, Chadbourn and Conwayboro Railroad | | ACL | 1883 | 1887 | Wilmington, Chadbourn and Conway Railroad |
| Wilmington and Charlotte Railroad | | SAL | 1855 | 1855 | Wilmington, Charlotte and Rutherford Railroad |
| Wilmington, Charlotte and Rutherford Railroad | | SAL | 1855 | 1873 | Carolina Central Railroad |
| Wilmington, Columbia and Augusta Railroad | | ACL | 1870 | 1898 | Atlantic Coast Line Railroad |
| Wilmington and Conway Railroad | | ACL | 1895 | 1896 | Wilmington, Columbia and Augusta Railroad |
| Wilmington and Manchester Railroad | | ACL | 1847 | 1870 | Wilmington and Carolina Railroad |
| Wilmington and Newbern Railroad | | ACL | 1897 | 1897 | Wilmington and Weldon Railroad |
| Wilmington, Newbern and Norfolk Railroad | | ACL | 1893 | 1897 | Wilmington and Newbern Railroad |
| Wilmington, Onslow and East Carolina Railroad | | ACL | 1885 | 1893 | Wilmington, Newbern and Norfolk Railroad |
| Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad | | ACL | 1834 | 1855 | Wilmington and Weldon Railroad |
| Wilmington and Tarboro Railroad | | ACL | 1861 | 1873 | Seaboard and Raleigh Railroad |
| Wilmington and Weldon Railroad | | ACL | 1855 | 1900 | Atlantic Coast Line Railroad |
| Winston-Salem and Madison Railroad | | SOU | 1879 | 1880 | North Carolina Midland Railroad |
| Winston-Salem and Mooresville Railroad | | SOU | 1878 | 1880 | North Carolina Midland Railroad |
| Winston-Salem Terminal Company | | ACL/ N&W/ SOU | 1922 | 1972 | Norfolk and Western Railway, Southern Railway, Winston-Salem Southbound Railway |
| Winton Railroad and Lumber Company | | | 1889 | | |
| Yadkin Railroad | | SOU | 1871 | | | Still exists as a lessor of the Norfolk Southern Railway |
| Yancey Railroad | YAN | | 1955 | 1982 | N/A |

### Electric railways

* Asheville and East Tennessee Railroad
* Asheville Electric Company
* Asheville Loop Line Railway
* Asheville Street Railway
* Carolina Power and Light Company
* Charlotte Electric Railway, Light and Power Company
* Cumberland Railway and Power Company
* Durham Traction Company
* Fayetteville Street Railway
* Fries Manufacturing and Power Company
* North Carolina Public Service Company
* Piedmont and Northern Railway (P&N)
* Piedmont Traction Company
* Salisbury and Spencer Railway
* Tidewater Power Company
* Wilmington Sea Coast Railroad

### Private carriers

* Blackwood Lumber Company
* Butters Lumber Company
* Experimental Railroad
* Whiteville Lumber Company

### Not completed

* Cincinnati and Charleston Railroad
* Louisville, Cincinnati and Charleston Railroad