TRANSIT SYSTEMS IN TENNESSEE

SMALLER CITIES

Bristol

Horse Car
1887-1893 - Bristol Street Car Co.
1891-1893 - horse cars replaced with electric streetcars operated by new company

1891-1903 - Bristol Belt Line Railway Co.
1903-1911 - Bristol Gas & Electric Co.
1911-1918 - Bristol Traction Co.
1918 - streetcars discontinued

Prior to 1965 - Yellow Coach Corp.

HISTORIC INTERURBAN RAILWAY
Bristol-Big Creek VA (1912-1918)

Historic suburban/interurban bus lines:
Bristol-Norton Bus Line
Fuller Bus Line (to Saltville, until 1965)

Clarksville

Horse Car
1885-1896 - Clarksville Street Railway Co.
1896 - horse cars replaced with electric streetcars operated by new company

1896-1907 - Electric Street Railway Co. of Clarksville
1907-1910's - Clarksville Railway & Light Co.
1910's-1915 - Clarksville & Dunbar Cave Railway Co.
After 1915 - Citizens Railway Co.
1928 - streetcars discontinued

1940's-1963 - Clarksville Transportation Co.

Historic suburban/interurban bus lines:
Western Kentucky Stages

Cleveland

Horse Car
1890-1899 - Cleveland Street Railway Co.
1899 - horse cars discontinued

1940's-1960's - City Coach Co.

Columbia

Horse Car
1887-1893 - Columbia Street Railway Co.
1893 - horse cars discontinued

1940's-1950's - Service Bus System

Dyersburg

Private bus co. in 1946 - City Bus Co.
Private bus co. in 1952 - Dyersburg Transit Corp. (American Transit Corp.)

Franklin

1909-1933 - Nashville Interurban Railway Co.
1933-1940 - Nashville-Franklin Railway Co.
1940 - streetcars discontinued

1941-1972 - Franklin Interurban Bus Co.
1972-1983 - Tennessee Trailblazers
After 1983 - Gray Line

HISTORIC INTERURBAN RAILWAY
Nashville-Franklin (1909-1940)

Jackson

Mule Car
1880's-1887 - Jackson Street Railway Co.
1887-1906 - Jackson & Suburban Street Railroad Co.
1896 - mule cars replaced with electric streetcars

1906-1928 - Jackson Railway & Light Co.
1928-1939 - West Tennessee Power & Light Co.
1939 - streetcars discontinued

1939-1952 - Jackson Transportation Corp.
1952-1966 - Jackson City Lines Corp.

Kingsport

After 1927 - City Transportation Co.

Murfreesboro

Horse Car
1889-1891 - Murfreesboro Street Railroad Co.
1892-1893 - Murfreesboro Street Railway
1893 - horse cars discontinued

1941-1950 - Murfreesboro Coach Co.

ADDITIONAL CITIES WITH HORSE CARS ONLY

In several smaller cities in Tennessee, horse and mule car routes were constructed in the late 1800's. But those routes were abandoned early, never converted to electric power. In some of these cities, short lived bus systems were known to exist, listed below.

Athens - Athens Street Railway
Athens - Athens Mineral Land & Improvement Co. (1887-1893, mule)
Morristown - Morristown Street Railway Co.

ADDITIONAL CITIES NEVER WITH STREETCARS

The only history found for transit systems in these cities, is from the 1952 "Mass Transportation's Directory", identifying these bus systems in existence as of 1952. In some of these cities, short lived horse and mule car lines were also constructed in the late 1800's, listed above.

Morristown - B.M.B. Lines
Oak Ridge - American Industrial Transit
Tullahoma - Manchester-Tullahoma Coach Co.
Union City - Union City Bus Co.

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