The Georgia, Carolina & Northern Railway was founded in 1886 to build a line between Atlanta, Georgia, and Monroe, North Carolina. Construction on the line started in 1887 in North Carolina, and by 1892 the railroad had nearly completed its plan. However, a court injunction halted its progress into Atlanta, and the Georgia, Carolina & Northern developed the Seaboard Air Line Belt Railroad, running eight miles from Belt Junction, Georgia, to the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway, which it used to reach Atlanta. In 1898, Georgia, Carolina & Northern acquired the Loganville & Lawrenceville Railroad. Three years later, in 1901, the Georgia, Carolina & Northern merged into the Seaboard Air Line Railway.
The Tallulah Falls Railway traces was organized in March 1898 to buy the Blue Ridge & Atlantic Railroad and extend it to Franklin, North Carolina. The Blue Ridge & Atlantic laid tracks from Cornelia, Georgia, to Tallulah Falls, Georgia. The Tallulah Falls successfully extended tracks to the North Carolina State line in early 1904 and Franklin in June 1907. However, a receiver was appointed for the 57.2-mile-long line in January 1908. Southern Railway took control of the reorganized line. The railroad was not successful throughout its history and was known as “The TF” and “TF & Huckleberry.” The railroad switched from steam power to diesel in 1948, and it ran its final run on March 25, 1961.