From the Chattanooga Choo-Choo (former Terminal Station), the track heads east-southeast, with yard tracks on the north side of the line, where the Terminal Station carriage sidings used to be, to a the apex of a wye at CT Tower (still standing on the Choo-Choo grounds), where the route turns south-southwest, with an old tower on the west side of the NS main line, north of the south leg of the wye onto the four track Norfolk Southern main line south from DeButts Yard, with the CSX main line just to its east, past a signal bridge on the main line, south of the south leg of the wye, a bridge over Main Street, a set of double-slip switches forming crossovers among the tracks south of the south leg, NS MP 163, a signal bridge south of the crossovers.
There is a wye on the east side at 23rd Street, with the former Southern (East Tennessee & Georgia) line coming west-southwest from the vicinity of the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum at East Chattanooga, another signal bridge, with the combined NS and CSX lines seven tracks wide, followed by an acute angled flat crossing between the CSX and NS main lines, with a five track yard behind a fence on the west side, that then trails in as the CSX main line curves away on the west side, still north of I-24.
The two track former Central of Georgia line now used by the Chattanooga & Chickamauga Railroad (CCKY), as well as NS, bears away to the south-southeast, just north of the dual I-24 road bridges overhead, and beyond that highway passes a "street" alongside to the west, a grade crossing, extra track on the west side at an industry, a grade crossing, a housing area, four grade crossings, a highway grade crossing, a grade crossing, a grade crossing as a spur heads away to an industry on the west side, and two grade crossings (the second being 42nd Street).
The former CofG turns south before reaching 42nd Street, where a spur curves away north-northeast to 30th Street and a connector turns away west to join the line coming east-southeast from Alton Park, and passes an angled grade crossing (Wakeman Road), a street alongside to the west, and a grade crossing at 48th Street before the line coming east-southeast from Alton Park trails in on the west side. (Is there a south leg of a wye on the east side, or a flat crossing between the two sides?)
The line then turns south-southwest, past a grade crossing at 49th Street and a grade crossing at 5oth Street, crossing into Georgia and passing a siding on the west side at Rossville, a grade crossing, an empty factory on the west side, an angled grade crossing, a grade crossing at Peachtree Street, a grade crossing in the woods, and Brumby, turning south again and climbing up the west side of Missionary Ridge at a shallow angle, past a wide road bridge overhead, a bridge over a road, and a road alongside to the west (beyond the trees), and then descending the east side of the ridge past a grade crossing at Wilkins Lane, a grade crossing at Fisher Road, a dirt track grade crossing, a road alongside to the west with the track descending on a ledge, Missionary Ridge, where a branch once headed east to Fort Oglethorpe, a grade crossing, an angled grade crossing, dual road bridges overhead, and an angled grade crossing, and turning southeast.
There is a road alongside to the west, a grade crossing, an angled grade crossing with the road alongside, an angled grade crossing (Plater Road), Lytle (Battlefield), where the Chickamauga Battlefield Park is across the road on the east side, a gated grade crossing, meadows to the west and woods to the east, and then the line turns south-southwest again past dual road bridges overhead, two grade crossings, a road alongside to the west, Oakwood Baptist church on the east side, a Yard Limits sign, and a siding on the east side at Chickamauga, where a CofG branch from Durham and Cenchat once trailed in on the west side, with a dirt rack grade crossing, a grade crossing where the road to the west ends, MP 436.1, a bridge over a dry river, a grade crossing, and the old depot on the west side, all within the siding,\.
The line turns curvily southeast, past MP 435.7, a bridge over a stream, a grade crossing, woods, a dirt track grade crossing, an embankment, a through girder bridge over a stream, an empty field on the east side, a closed plant on the east side ("Murphy Oil"), fields behind the trees, and a warehouse on the west side, two grade crossings, US 27 alongside to the east, a grade crossing, a dirt road grade crossing, the highway alongside curving away east, an angled grade crossing, "old highway 27" alongside to the east, a dirt road grade crossing, and a dirt track grade crossing to a farmhouse on the west side.
At the siding on the east side at Rock Springs, the line turns south-southwest again, past two grade crossings, Northwestern Technical College on the west side, with a parking lot on the east side, three grade crossings, a highway alongside to the east, Noble, a dirt track grade crossing, a grade crossing, a grade crossing to large retail facilities on the west side, Warren, a dirt road grade crossing, a dirt track grade crossing, a grade crossing to Park General Contractors on the west side, a north-facing spur to industry on the west side, Lafayette, a grade crossing, a grade crossing to Wal-Mart on the west side, a grade crossing, extra track to an industry on the west side trailing in, a grade crossing, extra track on the west side, a grade crossing, and Guild.
The line makes a counter-clockwise horseshoe, past a grade crossing, woods, a grade crossing, and then a clockwise curve, a bridge over a culvert, a business on the west side, a grade crossing, Chattanooga Avenue alongside to the "west", a grade crossing at Queen City xxx, a grade crossing next to a branch of the Bank of Lafayette, Martindale, where the line is heading southeast, a grade crossing, a closed grade crossing, a grade crossing, extra track on the west side, a spur trailing in on the west side from Roper Corporation, a metal recycling company, and a grade crossing, and then turning south past a gated dirt track grade crossing, a bridge over a stream, and an embankment on the curve east-southeast, with a river alongside to the west, a road alongside to the west at the bottom of the embankment, a turn southwest, and south-southwest again, past a gated dirt track grade crossing, MP 412, a grade crossing, a road alongside to the east, an embankment, and a grade crossing.
There is a grade crossing at Emory Street, Mount Vernon Mills on the west side, with two pedestrian crossings to it, a siding on the east side at Trion, a through truss bridge over a river, a park on the east side at MP 408.9, a grade crossing, extra track on the west side, streets alongside to the east and west (Glenwood Drive), a grade crossing, a dirt track grade crossing, a grade crossing, a dirt road grade crossing, a highway grade crossing, and a dirt track grade crossing, and edging southwest, past a pedestrian grade crossing, a grade crossing into a trailer park on the west side, two grade crossings, a divided highway grade crossing (Chattanooga Road), a grade crossing, out-of-service extra track on the west side, North Georgia Ready Mix on the west side, the start of the Summerville siding on the east side, a grade crossing, the Summerville depot on the west side, a grade crossing with Washington Avenue, University Street alongside to the east, and a recently-constructed turntable on the east side.
The line once continued south and then east to Rome, GA.