09/02/2026
Overhill Stories: The Old Line Railroad
Winding through the Hiwassee River Gorge, the Old Line Railroad has carried more than trains through the Tennessee Overhill. For more than a century, it has connected communities, supported industry, and shaped the landscape and history of southeastern Tennessee.
The railroad was built in 1890 as part of an effort to create a rail connection between Knoxville, Tennessee, and Marietta, Georgia. One of its most recognizable features, the Hiwassee Loop, was completed in 1898 around Bald Mountain in Polk County. Together with a distinctive section of track in Georgia known as the “Hook,” the Loop helped earn the railroad the nickname “Hook and Eye.” Today, the Loop remains one of the best-known landmarks along the route.
The Louisville & Nashville Railroad took control of the route in 1902. A few years later, L&N constructed a flatter, more direct route between the Etowah area and Marietta. Railroad employees began referring to the newer route as the “New Line” and the original mountain route as the “Old Line,” names that have continued for more than a century. Construction of the New Line also led to the development of Etowah as a major railroad center and planned community.
The Old Line continued serving the copper mines, marble quarries, and other industries of the region for decades. When CSX announced plans to abandon the Etowah-to-Copperhill portion of the railroad in 2001, local governments, organizations, and concerned citizens formed the Old Line Railroad Coalition to preserve it. In 2002, the Tennessee Overhill Heritage Association purchased the line with financing from Glenn Springs Holdings, helping secure an important piece of the region’s transportation history.
Repairs and rehabilitation followed, and the railroad eventually returned to passenger service. Today, the Old Line carries visitors through the Historic District of Reliance, along the Hiwassee Scenic River, through the Cherokee National Forest, around the Hiwassee Loop, and toward Copperhill as part of the Hiwassee River Rail Adventure. A 19-mile section between Reliance and Farner was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
Want to learn more about the railroad that helped shape the Tennessee Overhill? Our next Gems of the Past: Overhill Histories will be Thursday, September 3, featuring former Tennessee Overhill Director Linda Caldwell presenting on the Old Line Railroad. The program begins at 7:00 p.m. at the Gem Theater in Etowah.
Image: ‘The Loop on the L. & N. Railroad, near Tennessee-Georgia line,’ c. 1930–1945. Published by The Asheville Post Card Co. Courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Tichnor Brothers Collection. Public domain.
