The Oneida & Western Railroad, known as the Oneida & Western or O&W, was a short coal and goods hauling railroad that ran between Oneida and Jamestown, Tennessee. It was prosperous during the 1920s, hauling coal and lumber and provided groceries and mail to residents along the O&W in the remote gorges and hollows of Scott and Fentress counties. The line also provided a passenger service that at the time, was the most efficient way to travel.
In the 1940s the Wolf Creek Dam project was a ray of hope for the O&W, but World War II ended that hope and the project was lost along with the large investment made by the railroad's owners. Abandonment was announced in 1946, however the Jewell Ridge Mine purchased the railroad and held on to it until 1953 when it was officially abandoned due to sagging business in the area.
Local citizens opposed the railroad's abandonment, however the implementation of better highway and trucks were a considerable competitor, local citizens and former employees blamed poor management as the cause for abandonment.