Chartered in 1883, the Fulton County Street Railroad brought the second line of electrified service to Atlanta in 1899. Incorporators included James W. English, Jr., William D. Luckie, and William S. Thomson. English was banker and became the town's mayor for a period. He served as president of the American Trust and Banking Company (later rechartered as the Fourth National Bank) for 30 years. He also served 24 years on the board of directors of the Central of Georgia Railway Company.

An amendment to the Fulton County Street Railroad’s charter in 1887 permitted the company to use steam power or any means “now anywhere used or known, or that may hereafter be discovered or utilized” for locomotion (Carson 1982:16). The Fulton County Street Railroads primary route was the “Nine-Mile Circle,” which became popular for tourism and picnicking throughout the 1890s (Martin 1975:27). The circuitous route passed through the areas around Highland Avenue, and was intended to develop the neighborhood of Copenhill. William S. Thomson was invested in real estate in the vicinity of Copenhill, especially along Virginia.

The Fulton County Street Railroad remained financial solvent until its merger in 1891. The shops of the company, located off Virginia, remained in service well into the twentieth century. It was utilized after the company’s merger with Atlanta Consolidated Railroad. Even after streetcars, the car barn and shops off Virginia Avenue serviced city buses until 1977 (Carson 1982:16).