The Elkton & Guthrie Railroad was a short-line railroad operating between Elkton, Kentucky, and Guthrie, Kentucky. The company was incorporated on February 10, 1871, as the Elkton Railroad Company. Construction progressed slowly, and more than a decade after incorporation, only the right-of-way had been cleared and the roadbed graded.
Financial difficulties delayed the completion of the railroad. In 1884, company officials turned to Louisville & Nashville Railroad President Milton H. Smith for assistance. On August 30, 1884, Smith signed an agreement with the railroad that enabled the project to move forward. Train service began on February 1, 1885.
The line extended approximately eleven miles and connected Elkton with Guthrie, an important railroad junction served by the Louisville & Nashville. During its operating years, the railroad was leased by the Louisville & Nashville. As a result, the Elkton & Guthrie did not maintain its own locomotives or rolling stock, relying instead on equipment provided through the lease arrangement.
At its peak, the railroad operated three daily round trips between Elkton and Guthrie. The line provided passenger and freight transportation for communities in southern Kentucky and supported regional agricultural and commercial activity.
The railroad continued operating through the first half of the twentieth century, surviving longer than many comparable short lines in the region. As railroad traffic declined in the postwar era, the line became increasingly unprofitable. In April 1957, the Interstate Commerce Commission approved the railroad's abandonment, and the tracks were subsequently removed.