Tallulah Falls Railway

The Tallulah Falls Railway, also known as the Tallulah Falls Railroad, "The TF" and "TF & Huckleberry," was a railroad based in Tallulah Falls, Georgia, U.S. which ran from Cornelia, Georgia to Franklin, North Carolina. It was commissioned by the Georgia General Assembly on January 27, 1854 and conducted its final run on March 25, 1961.

On January 27, 1854, The General Assembly of the State of Georgia enacted legislation for the construction of a railway linking the towns of Athens and Clayton. This railway, known as the North Eastern Railroad (Georgia), was chartered in 1856; however the outbreak of the American Civil War delayed construction. The line was chartered on October 17, 1870, and opened between Athens and Lula on September 1, 1871, a distance of 39 miles. In 1881 railroad was sold to the Richmond and Danville Railroad (R&D), a predecessor of the Southern Railway, which connected with the Northeastern at Lula. The R&D began the Clayton extension from Cornelia, 12 miles from Lula. In 1882 it reached Tallulah Falls, 21 miles from Cornelia. The line was projected to pass through Rabun Gap and on to Knoxville, Tennessee, but no work was done. Tallulah Falls was a popular tourist destination and at one time seventeen hotels and boarding houses catered to the trade. On October 24, 1887, the Blue Ridge and Atlantic Railroad (BR&A) was chartered by the State of Georgia, and in early 1888, bought the branch from the R&D. In 1893, however, it defaulted and a receiver was named. On March 21, 1897, a decree was entered ordering the sale of the road, and on November 7, 1897, the BR&A was sold at foreclosure. In March 1898, the Tallulah Falls Railway Company was organized to buy the BR&A and extend it to Franklin. By October 1903, eight miles had been added and the North Carolina State line was reached early in 1904. When Franklin was reached in June 1907 the line was 57.2 miles long. However, the effort exhausted the road's resources and a receiver was appointed in January 1908. The line was reorganized and came into the control of the Southern Railway System, which let it operate independently. In 1948, the railroad finally switched from steam power to diesel.

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