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Tennessee Interurbans and Streetcar Railroads

(Please note that the photos here do not depict Tennessee interurbans.)

In some ways it is rather strange how the interurban industry developed state to state. For instance, Tennessee interurbans were quite rare with only a few small systems that sprang up around Nashville despite the fact that the state was home to several cities of notable size such as Memphis, Chattanooga, Bristol, Knoxville, and Jackson. In comparison, nearby West Virginia also located in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, was home to a few hundred miles of interurbans, which served many smaller towns like Wheeling, Clarksburg, Parkersburg, Huntington, Lewisburg, Morgantown, and others. Why did a smaller state develop much more extensively than a larger one? It's hard to say although this was the general consensus for all southern states. Only the northern states in the region like Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia had any kind of extensive network.

To a greater extent, however, Tennessee was home to more interurban mileage than many other southern states, some of which had no systems of any kind (aside from a few street railways). The companies which did operate in the state, however were not very successful. All but the Nashville-Franklin Railway (which lasted until World War II) were abandoned and gone by the early-mid 1930s, as the Great Depression was hard on the industry in general. In any event, the information below includes short paragraph descriptions of most Tennessee interurbans and streetcar railroads.

Chattanooga Traction Company: The Chattanooga Traction Company served the Chattanooga area from around the turn of the 20th century to 1940 at which time bus operations, operated by the Southern Bus Company, replaced streetcars. However, rail service continued until 1946 due to the war.

Memphis Street Railway: The Memphis Street Railway was created in March of 1895 through the merger of several smaller systems including the Memphis & Raleigh Springs Railroad, Easte End Street Railway, Citizens Street Railroad and City & Suburban Railway. At its peak the interurban operated nearly 77 miles of trackage, 51 one of which was double-track. Service lasted until the 1940s when operations were abandoned in favor of buses.

Chattanooga Railway & Light Company: The Chattanooga Railway & Light Company also serve Chattanooga beginning operations in 1909 from several smaller operations. It was purchased by the Tennessee Electric Power Company in 1922 and streetcar service survived until 1940 when it was replaced by buses.

Knoxville Street Railway: The Knoxville Street Railway was the first of many interurbans to serve the city beginning operations in 1876 as a horse-powered operation. It was renamed the Knoxville Traction Company in 1897 and again in 1904 as the Knoxville Power & Light Company. The operation changed hands twice more as the Tennessee Public Service Company in 1930 and again in 1938 as the Knoxville Transit Lines before streetcars were discontinued in 1947 in favor of buses.

Nashville-Franklin Railway: The Nashville-Franklin Railway began operations in 1909 connecting its namesake cities. It remained in service until 1943 when streetcars were replaced by buses operated by the Franklin Interurban Bus Company.

Nashville-Gallatin Interurban Railway: The Nashville-Gallatin Interurban Railway connected its namesake cities beginning operations in 1913. Streetcar service survived until 1932 when the line was abandoned.

Memphis & Lake Traction Company: The small M< operated a 12-mile system that served Memphis and Lakeview, Mississippi. It was first known as the Lakeview Traction Company and later became the Memphis Street Railway Company. In 1913 it gained its final name as the Memphis & Lake Traction. It was never very profitable and was abandoned before the depression in 1928.

Other notable Tennessee interurbans:

Bristol Street Railway

For a small gallery of photographs highlighting Tennessee interurbans and streetcar railroads please click here.

Please Click Here To Return To The Main Interurbans Section

For more reading on Tennessee interurbans consider picking up a copy of the book The Electric Interurban Railways in America by authors George Hilton and John Due. Many consider their book to be the quintessential resource guide to the interurban and streetcar movement that was once so common in our country during the first half of the 20th century. At nearly 500 pages the book is stuffed full of information on trolley operations and covers virtually every topic on the subject. If you have any interest in trolleys and interurbans and/or would like to learn more about their history I would strongly consider Mr. Hilton and Mr. Due's book first before purchasing any other. If you're interested in perhaps purchasing this book please visit the link below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.

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