Professional Documents
Culture Documents
TENNESSEE
The directory includes Class I and short line railroads that
provide service in Tennessee. As noted in this directory, some
of the lines are owned by public agencies and served by
private companies under contract with the public agencies.
Others are owned and operated by private companies. The
directory also includes various other State and Federal
railroad associates of Tennessee for your convenience.
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TENNESSEE RAILROADS
Like most motorists, you want your trips to go as quickly and smoothly as possible. Things like
having to wait at a railroad crossing while the train crosses, or having to slow for a rough railroad
crossing may seem like an inconvenience. But, when you look at the overall picture, you will find
there are many things that affect your trips: heavy traffic, including large trucks, on the interstates;
congestion on urban freeways; a lot of pedestrian traffic at crosswalks; a bus stopped on the street
while passengers are boarding or exiting; slow-moving farm equipment or bicyclists on a rural road;
or any number of other disruptions. The reality is that Tennessees transportation system is
extremely complex. Tennessee has many diverse transportation users and all types of vehicles
traveling at differing speeds over the same or intersecting routes.
In 2015 there were 47 accidents in Tennessee. Fortunately, safety at rail crossings is improving.
During the last 30 years, the number of accidents has fallen dramatically despite increased highway
and railroad traffic.
Each railroad crossing should have an identification tag with the name of the railroad company and
a unique identifying AAR-DOT number. The embossed metal tag, similar in appearance to a license
plate, is 4 inches by 9 inches, and is generally located on the post supporting the signal or the
cross-buck sign. If you cannot find the identification number, then the street name and general
location may be sufficient for identification.
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How can I report a railroad / highway signal that is not working?
At many crossings, a toll-free number is listed on the signal house or cross-buck near the crossing,
along with the rail crossing identification number. Contact the railroad at the listed number and
provide the crossing identification number or crossing location and the nature of the problem. If you
are unable to identify the railroad to contact, notify your local law enforcement agency or this office
of the problem.
The State of Tennessee currently has no laws or regulations that govern how long a train may block
a crossing. Possible reasons for a crossing being blocked may be:
when necessary to comply with signals affecting the safety of the movement of the trains;
when necessary to avoid striking an object or person on the track;
when the train is disabled; or
when necessary to comply with governmental safety regulations, including but not limited to
speed ordinances and speed regulations.
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CLASS I RAILROADS
LOCAL HEADQUARTERS
(BNSF) Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway
4280 East Shelby Drive 2650 Lou Menk Drive
Memphis, TN 38118 Ft Worth, TX 76131
Telephone: (901) 433-7460 Telephone: (817) 352-6050
Fax: (901) 433-7476 Fax: (817) 352-7925
Contact: Scott Jenkins Contact: Joe Faust
Email: scott.jenkins@bnsf.com Email: joseph.faust@bnsf.com
(KCS) Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS) Kansas City Southern Railway
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CLASS I RAILROADS
(NS) Norfolk Southern Corporation (NS) Norfolk Southern Corporation
(UP) Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP) Union Pacific Railroad Company
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SHORTLINE RAILROADS
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CANEY FORK AND WESTERN RAILROAD
(CFWR)
LOCAL OFFICE: Caney Fork and Western Railroad
PO Box 451
132 Bridge Street
McMinnville, TN 37110
Telephone: (931) 473-4910
Fax: (931) 473-7717
AREA SERVED: This line runs from Tullahoma to Sparta, a distance of 59.1 miles. It is located
in Coffee, Warren, and White counties of Tennessee.
HISTORY: The Tri-County Authority purchased this line from CSX in 1983.
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CHATTOOGA AND CHICKAMAUGA
RAILWAY (CCKY)
LOCAL OFFICE: Chattooga and Chickamauga Railway
413 West Villanow Street
Lafayette, GA 30728
Telephone: (706) 638-9552
Fax: (706) 638-9553
AREA SERVED: This line runs from Chattanooga TN to Lyerly, GA and from Chattanooga, TN
to Hedges, GA, a total distance of 68 miles.
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R.J. CORMAN RAILROAD CO. (RJCR)
LOCAL OFFICE: R.J. Corman Railroad Group
PO Box 337
Guthrie, KY 40340
Telephone: (270) 483-9000
Fax: (270) 483-9009
AREA SERVED: This line runs from Chattanooga TN to Lyerly GA and from Chattanooga, TN
to Hedges, GA, a total distance of 68 miles.
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EAST CHATTANOOGA BELT
RAILWAY (ECBR)
LOCAL OFFICE East Chattanooga Belt Railway
c/o TVRM
4119 Cromwell Road
Chattanooga, TN 37421
Telephone: (423) 894-8028
Fax: (423) 894-8029
AREA SERVED: The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum primarily uses the at-grade route of
the East Tennessee line as a moving museum.
PRINCIPLE SHIPPERS: Chattanooga Fiberboard, Lucy Boiler and Tank Company, PQ Industries,
TVRM.
HISTORY: This line is leased from Norfolk Southern. It began service in April 2001.
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EAST TENNESSEE RAILWAY, L.P. (ETRW)
LOCAL OFFICE: East Tennessee Railway, L.P.
132 Legion Street
Johnson City, TN 37605
Telephone: (423) 928-3721
Fax: (423) 928-8854
AREA SERVED: The East Tennessee Railway (ETRY) is a 5-mile short line freight railroad that
interchanges with CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern.
PRINCIPLE SHIPPERS: Safety/Kleen, Elizabethton Herb & Metal Company, Builders First Source, CL
Cloven Lumber, Regional Enterprises, Heritage Propane, Warehouse Central,
and Johnson City Chemical.
FREIGHT: Chemicals, food and feed products, forest products, steel, and scrap.
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HERITAGE RAILROAD (HRC)
LOCAL OFFICE: Heritage Railroad
1560 Bear Creek Road
Oak Ridge, TN 37830
Telephone: (865) 481-0222
Fax: (865) 482-7206
Primary Contact:
Email:
AREA SERVED: Located 5 miles east of I-40 exit 352, Gallaher Road on Highway 58
PRINCIPLE SHIPPERS: British Nuclear Fuels Limited, GTS Duratek, Hittman Transport, MHF
Logistics and Cavanaugh Services Group.
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HIWASSEE RIVER RAILROAD (HRA)
LOCAL OFFICE Hiwassee River Railroad
c/o TVRM
4119 Cromwell Road
Chattanooga, TN 37421
Telephone: (423) 894-8028
Fax: (423) 894-8029
HISTORY: This is a contract carrier on the abandoned CSX line between Wetmore and
Copperhill, TN. The line is owned by the Tennessee Overhill Heritage
Association. It began operation in May, 2005.
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LHOIST NORTH AMERICA (LNA)
Primary Contact:
Email: www.lhoist.us
AREA SERVED: This line runs from Crab Orchard, TN to Harriman Junction in Rockwood,
TN, a total distance of 15.8 miles. It is located in Cumberland and Roane
Counties.
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KNOXVILLE & HOLSTON RIVER RAILROAD
(KXHR)
LOCAL OFFICE: Knoxville and Holston River Railroad
301 West Quincey, Bldg. 28
Knoxville, TN. 37917
Telephone: (865) 525-9400 ext. 36
Fax: (865) 546-3717
AREA SERVED: This line runs through Knox County, a total of 18 miles.
HISTORY: Established in 1998, the Knoxville & Holston River Railroad (KXHR)
operates on approximately 20 miles of track in the Knoxville, TN area.
Additionally, the KXHR also operates the Three Rivers Rambler passenger
train.
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KENTUCKY WEST TENNESSEE RAILWAY,
LLC. (KWT)
LOCAL OFFICE: KWT Railway
301 West Quincey, Bldg. 28
Knoxville, TN. 37917
Telephone: (865) 521-9324
Fax: (865) 522-9437
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KENTUCKY WEST TENNESSEE RAILWAY, LLC. (KWT) Cont.
AREA SERVED: Line 1 (Paris Branch) runs 45 miles from Murray, KY to Bruceton, TN with a
15 mile lead to Henry, TN. This line is located in Henry and Carroll Counties
of Tennessee. Approximately 51.5 miles of the line are in Tennessee. Line 2
(Dresden Branch) is 13 miles. It runs from McKenzie, TN to Dresden, TN.
PRINCIPLE SHIPPERS: Line 1 (Paris Branch) Ken Lake Foods, McCartney Products, Murray Lumber,
Franklin Mineral Industries Spinks Clay, Vanderbilt Chemical, Tank Lining
and Webasto July 2005. Line 2 (Dresden Branch) serves: Carroll County
Lumber, Southern Star Lumber, Georgia Pacific, Spinks Clay, KT Clay, Old
Hickory Clay, Unimin, and Boral Brick
FREIGHT: Line 1 (Paris Branch) Clay, chemicals, sugar, agricultural products, potatoes,
apples, automobile parts and building materials. Line 2 (Dresden Branch)
Shingles, lumber, logs, clay and brick.
HISTORY: This line is owned by Genesee & Wyoming Corporation. It was purchased
from Rail Management June 1, 2005. Rail Management purchased from CSX
in 1987.
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MISSISSIPPI CENTRAL RAILROAD CO.
(MCRR)
LOCAL OFFICE: Mississippi Central Railroad Co.
542 East Van Dorn Avenue
Holly Springs, MS 38635
Telephone: (662) 252-1263
Fax: (662) 252-1264
AREA SERVED: This line runs from Oxford, MS to Grand Junction, TN, a total distance of 62
miles. Approximately 5 miles of the line are located in Fayette and Hardeman
Counties of Tennessee.
HISTORY: This line was purchase by the MS Central Railroad Company from the ICG
Railroad in 1982.
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MISSISSIPPI TENNESSEE RAILROAD
(MTNR)
LOCAL OFFICE: Mississippi Tennessee Railroad
P.O. Box 99
OFallon, IL 62269
AREA SERVED: The railroad is currently leased by the NS for storage. MTNR will rapidly
resume local switching services as needed.
HISTORY: Mississippi Tennessee Railroad, LLC (MTNR) interchanges with the Norfolk
Southern at Middleton, TN and extends 1.25 miles south to an industrial
complex. The Kansas City Southern Railway has haulage rights to Middleton,
TN as well. The railroad is currently leased by the NS for storage. MTNR
will rapidly resume local switching services as needed.
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NASHVILLE AND EASTERN RAILROAD
(NERR)
LOCAL OFFICE: Nashville and Eastern Railroad Corporation
514 Knoxville Ave.
Lebanon, TN 37087
Telephone: (615) 444-1434
Fax: (615) 444-4682
AREA SERVED: The NERR is a junction settlement carrier and connects with its Class I
interchange partner, CSX, at Nashville Southern Junction with an interchange
at Vine Hill. The line consists of a 110 mile main line and four branch lines,
the Vine Hill branch, Old Hickory branch, the Carthage Branch, and the
Crawford Branch.
HISTORY: Nashville and Eastern Railroad to resurrect short-line freight rail operations
over 110 miles of neglected, soon-to-be abandoned track in middle Tennessee.
Since its initial start-up the NERR has worked collaboratively with the
Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) and the Nashville and
Eastern Railroad Authority (NERA) to invest over $90 million into essential
rail infrastructure improvements and upgrades. Over the years, 110 miles of
main line and 130 miles of active track have been reconstructed, 85 bridges
upgraded or replaced, and 3 miles of new branch-line built. Today, the
railroad runs multiple train crews daily hauling bulk merchandise and unit
train traffic for over 30 industrial customers. In 2006, the Tennessee Regional
Transportation Authority initiated commuter rail service between the Nashville
and Lebanon stations on the first 32 miles of the NERR.
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NASHVILLE AND WESTERN RAILROAD
(NWRR)
LOCAL OFFICE: Nashville and Eastern Railroad Corporation
514 Knoxville Ave.
Lebanon, TN 37087
Telephone: (615) 444-1434
Fax: (615) 444-4682
AREA SERVED: This line runs from Nashville to an Industrial Park near Ashland City, a total
distance of 16.7 miles.
HISTORY: The Nashville and Western Railroad is a short-line freight rail operator that
runs between downtown Nashville and Ashland City, TN. The NWR, a sister
railroad to the well-established Nashville & Eastern, was launched in 2000.
With the help of its public partners (Cheatham County Railroad Authority &
TDOT) over the years, the Railroad has successfully worked to rehabilitate its
bridge and rail infrastructure, increase its customer base and extend its service
area westward (now 18 miles west of downtown Nashville).
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SEQUATCHIE VALLEY RAILROAD (SQVR)
LOCAL OFFICE: Sequatchie Valley Railroad
P.O. Box 296
Bell Buckle, TN 37020
Telephone: (931) 580-7375
Fax: (931) 695-5078
HISTORY: The Sequatchie Valley Railroad was formed in 1986 to acquire from the
Seaboard System a 37 mile branch line from Bridgeport, Alabama to Dunlap,
Tennessee. The line was built by the original Sequatchie Valley Railroad, but
leased by the Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis for much of its life.
Traffic includes coal and plastics.
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SOUTH CENTRAL TENNESSEE
RAILROAD COMPANY, LLC (SCTRR)
LOCAL OFFICE: South Central Tennessee Railroad
P.O. Box 259
340 South Central Road
Telephone: (931) 729-4227
Fax: (931) 729-9010
AREA SERVED: This line runs from Colesburg to Hohenwald, a total distance of 49.9 miles.
The line is located in Lewis, Hickman, and Dickson Counties of Tennessee.
COMMODITIES CARRIED: L.P. gas, frozen potatoes, steel wire, rosin solution, clay, chlorine, plastic
rosin, wood pulp, newsprint, auto parts and cross ties
HISTORY: Until January 1994, Kyle Railways, Inc. operated this line. South Central
Tennessee Rail Authority purchased this line from L&N Railroad in 1978.
South Central Rail Management purchased this line in 2001.
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TENNESSEE SOUTHERN RAILROAD (TSRR)
LOCAL OFFICE: Tennessee Southern Railroad Company
P.O. Box 32
Mt. Pleasant, TN 38474
Telephone: (931) 379-5824
Fax: (931) 379-5826
COMMODITIES CARRIED: Aluminum, building materials, coil steel, crossties, fertilizer, LP gas, plastics,
potash, rolled paper, slag, and soapstone
AREA SERVED: The Tennessee Southern Railroad (TSRR) operates a total of 149 miles
(including 118 main line miles) of rail line running from Columbia, Tennessee
(46 miles south of Nashville, Tennessee), to Pulaski, Tennessee, and from
Columbia, Tennessee, to Florence, Alabama.
HISTORY: The Tennessee Southern Railroad Co., Inc. began operation on former Norfolk
Southern track in Florence, Alabama in July of 1988. On February 1, 1989, the
TSRR commenced operation on the former CSX Transportation track running
from just north of Columbia, Tennessee to Pulaski, Tennessee on the old N &
D (Nashville & Decatur) Main and from Columbia,, TN to Florence, Alabama
on the old NF&S (Nashville, Florence, & Sheffield) Main.
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TENNESSEE VALLEY RAILROAD MUSEUM
(TVRM)
LOCAL OFFICE: Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum
4119 Cromwell Road
Chattanooga, TN 37421
Telephone: (423) 894-8028
Fax: (423) 894-8029
HISTORY: This line is operated primarily as a tourist railroad. A connection was built to
the Norfolk Southern to allow direct freight service to this customer. It began
service in January 2002.
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TENNKEN RAILROAD COMPANY (TENKEN)
LOCAL OFFICE: TennKen Railroad Company
1200 East Cherry Street
Dyersburg, TN 38024
Telephone: (732) 842-0912
Fax: (731) 530-7270
AREA SERVED: The Tennken began service in 1983 when local governments in Kentucky
rescued the former Illinois Central Gulf main line between Dyersburg,
Tennessee and Hickman, Kentucky that was slated for abandonment in 1981.
The trackage is about 51 miles in length.
HISTORY: TennKen Railroad Company, Inc. owns and operates a railroad system in
Tennessee through which it offers rail freight transportation services for coiled
steel, steel pipe, petroleum coke, electro binder, plastics, synthetic resin,
carbon black, fertilizer, and grains. TennKen Railroad Company, Inc. was
incorporated in 1983 and is based in Dyersburg, Tennessee.
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WALKING HORSE AND EASTERN
RAILROAD, INC. (WHOE)
LOCAL OFFICE: Walking Horse and Eastern Railroad Company, Inc.
P.O. Box 1317
Shelbyville, TN 37162
Telephone: (732) 842-0912
Fax: (731) 530-7270
AREA SERVED: This line runs from Wartrace to Shelbyville, a total distance of 8.8 miles. The
line is located in Bedford County of Tennessee.
HISTORY: The Walking Horse and Eastern Railroad (WHOE) is a 7.76-mile short-line
railroad that connects Shelbyville to CSX Transportation at Wartrace,
Tennessee. It operates over a branch line completed in 1853 by the Nashville
and Chattanooga Railroad, a Louisville and Nashville Railroad predecessor.
After the Seaboard System Railroad abandoned the line in May 1985, the
Bedford Railroad Authority (of Bedford County) bought the line and
designated the WHOE to operate it.
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WEST TENNESSEE RAILROAD (WTNN)
LOCAL OFFICE: West Tennessee Railroad Company
1061 James Buchanan Drive
Jackson, TN 38301
Telephone: (732) 842-0912
Fax: (731) 422-6497
PRINCIPLE CONNECTION: Norfolk Southern at Corinth, MS; Kansas City Southern at Corinth, MS; CSX
Transportation at Humboldt, TN; Canadian National at Fulton, KY
AREA SERVED: This line runs from Kenton, TN to Jackson and from Fulton, KY to Corinth,
MS.
HISTORY: The WTNN began operations in 1984, on a section of the former Mobile and
Ohio Railroad (M&O) between Jackson and Kenton, TN. In 2001, the track
extended south to Corinth, MS, north to Fulton, KY and north from Jackson to
Poplar Corner.
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RAILROAD EMERGENCY CONTACTS
Burlington Northern Santa Fe (800) 832-5452
CSX Transportation (800) 232-0144
Canadian National (800) 465-9239
Kansas City Southern (877) 527-9464
Norfolk Southern (800) 453-2530
Union Pacific (888) 877-7267
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TENNESSEE STATE AGENCIES
Tennessee Department of Transportation TDOT
Suite 700, James K. Polk Building
505 Deaderick Street
Nashville, TN 37243-0349
Telephone: (615) 741-2848
Fax: (615) 741-2508
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FEDERAL AGENCIES
Federal Railroad Administration FRA www.fra.dot.gov
Region 4 Location
Headquarters
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Corrections, additions, or requests for additional information should be forwarded to:
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