Atlanta, Knoxville and Northern Railway The AK&N was chartered June 4, 1896 as successor to the Marietta and North Georgia Railway. In April, 1902, the Louisville & Nashville Railroad bought a majority of the AK&N’s stock. Around this time, L&N built an extension from Knoxville north to Jellico, Tennessee, which, along with the AK&N purchase, gave L&N a railroad line from Atlanta to Cincinnati. Besides the 205-mile main line, the AK&N had a 23-mile branch to Murphy, N.C. and a branch to the marble quarries at Tate, Georgia. The AK&N was nicknamed "The Hiwassee Route" for a winding, scenic portion of the line alongside Tennessee’s Hiwassee River. 1895 map (62K) 1900 map (193K)   Georgia's Railroad History & Heritage. Copyright, Steve Storey. Railroad History | The Depot List | Locomotives On Display | Odds & Ends | Sources & References | Home