Didn't the Oneida & Western [OWTX] run their L&N based SD40-2's with their coal cars and cabooses (1979-1987)? The OWTX didn't last that long as the South East Coal Company [SECX] did (1979-1993).
"Look away...look south"
The March 1996 Trains "On Location" article that I referenced above notes (on page 66) that "Norfolk Southern's ex-Southern CNO&TP "Rathole" several miles to the west" [though I think it's more like maybe 20 miles], and that, "Visitors to the region looking for big-time mainline rail action would be advised to split their time between CSX and the Rathole; both routes offer great scenery and heavy traffic." So, here's a list of some Trains articles on the "Rathole" as well - the first one is referenced in the Corbin article quote above:
On location: Tough course for the Thoroughbreds Trains, January 1995 page 72 Norfolk Southern's Cincinnati-Chattanooga Rathole line ( "DANNEMAN, MIKE", DIVISION, KENTUCKY, NS, RAILFANNING, TENNESSEE, TRN )
Hot Spots: Southern's Rathole Trains, August 1989 page 60 Danville, Kentucky, to Oakdale, Tennessee ( "HODUN, DON", HOTSPOT, MAP, PHOTO, SR, TRN )
As the Rabbit chases the Beagle up the Rathole Trains, April 1976 page 22 Southern's Cincinnati-Chattanooga line ( DIVISION, "ICZKOWSKI, MIKE", KENTUCKY, SR, TENNESSEE, TRN )
Into the clear Trains, January 1964 page 17 photo essay on the rebuilding of the Rathole the CNO&TP ( DIVISION, "MORGAN, DAVID P.", PHOTO, SR, CONSTRUCTION, TRN )
The sparkplug and the rat hole Trains, January 1961 page 18 Cincinnati Southern/CNO&TP/Southern ( DIVISION, KENTUCKY, "LAMB, J. PARKER, JR.", "MEYER, BRUCE R.", SR, TENNESSEE, TRN )
C=Southern Railway's Cincinnati-Chattanooga line Trains, July 1951 page 16 ( CNTP, "INMAN, DOYLE B.", "NOBLE, DAVID H.", SR, TRN )
Corbin is a good place for coal-train watching, and a beautiful area to visit. Be sure to notice the herb and spice jars in the kitchen of Harlan Sanders' pressure-fried chicken restaurant!
"Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood." Daniel Burnham
After the above posts about the odd connections and switchbacks in this area, I did a quick search of the Trains "Index of Magazines" (at the bottom of this page) for articles by Ron Flanary, and here's what I found:
On location: Appalachian conquest Trains, March 1996 page 62 CSX's Corbin Division main line ( CSX, "FLANARY, RON", KENTUCKY, RAILFANNING, TENNESSEE, TRN )
Back in June 1994 we visited some relatives in Richmond, KY, and went down to Berea, Kentucky for an afternoon. My wife & daughter visited the shops in town*, while I hung out at the former depot next to the CSX main line: http://www.berea.com/a-map-of-berea Not terribly busy - I think 2 trains (1 coal, 1 general freight) went through at a pretty good clip. I seem to recall either the Chamber of Commerce or Visitors Center or a cafe was also at or near the depot, and separated from the tracks by a chain-link fence. Supposedly it's the last L&N station still standing, per the website: http://www.berea.com/ - "Berea - The Folk Arts and Crafts Capital of Kentucky".
* - Most of the town is centered around Berea College there, which I recall is one of the first "land-grant" schools. Its focus was and is on the manual arts, such as woodworking and textiles and weaving, etc. - see: http://bereacollegecrafts.com/ It's still there and has quite a reputation in that regard, as well as extensive museuams and displays. Anyone who is interested in such things - or their spouse - would find it worthwhile to get off the Interstate I-75 and visit for a while. Here's an excerpt from their Internet website at: http://www.berea.edu/about/
"Berea College is distinctive among institutions of higher learning. Founded in 1855 as the first interracial and coeducational college in the South, Berea charges no tuition and admits only academically promising students, primarily from Appalachia, who have limited economic resources."
And from its History webpage - note that railroad connection (so as to stay "On Topic" here), and the coincidental reference to Cassius Clay (those of us of a "certain age" will recall that was the original name of the boxer now known as Muhammad Ali) [emphasis added - PDN]:
"The Berea Story
The startled railroad surveyor dropped his notebook as his surveying instrument focused on a brick structure extending above the forest canopy.
Ladies Hall, Berea College's first brick building, seemed totally out of place in the woodland setting.
"Whoever put up that building in this wilderness must have had faith," the surveyor observed.
The surveyor's experience came some 20 years after the Rev. John G. Fee started a one-room school in 1855 that eventually would become Berea College. Fee, a native of Bracken County, Ky., was a scholar of strong moral character, dedication, determination and great faith. He believed in a school that would be an advocate of equality and excellence in education for men and women of all races.
Fee's uncompromising faith and courage in preaching against slavery attracted the attention of Cassius M. Clay, a well-to-do Kentucky landowner and prominent leader in the movement for gradual emancipation. Clay felt he had found in Fee an individual who would take a strong stand on slavery."
Other possibly related Flanary articles:
The CC&O connection Trains, August 1985 page 24 a mainline switchback ( CLINCH, "FLANARY, RON", JUNCTION, L&N, SWITCHBACK, TRN )
You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours Trains, January 1991 page 36 trackage rights near the Virginia-Tennessee state line ( CSX, "DEVAULT, DAVID", "FLANARY, RON", INTERCHANGE, LINE, NS, RIGHTS, TRACKAGE, TRN )
Men against mountains Trains, October 2001 page 58 How CSX gets trains over the former Clinchfield ( CSX, DIVISION, "FLANARY, RON", OPERATION, TRN )
Southern Gateway routes Trains, April 2004 page 36 profiles of routes from Cincinnati to Atlanta and Spartanburg ( "FLANARY, RON", MOUNTAIN, PROFILE, TRN )
Map of the month: L&N, coal mines in 1966 Trains, August 2005 page 60 mines on Louisville & Nashville ( ALABAMA, COAL, "FLANARY, RON", KENTUCKY, L&N, MAP, VIRGNIA, "WEGNER, ROBERT A.", TRN )
- Paul North.
Sad, but there you have it. So Norton today is an NS-only town.
I had heard about the Cumberland Gap line closing. Did you know that a highway and tunnel (25E IIRC) now bypass Cumberland Gap in favor of Harrogate, TN? The actual Cumberland Gap path that Dan'l Boone and such traversed has been "greened" or "wilded" or whatever the term may be -- the old federal highway has been ripped out and replaced with a trail. If you want to travel over it you have to hike it. Not that I'm opposed to that idea.
al-in-chgoYes, I think that line from went all the way to Norton . . . or if not, to Pineville w/connection to Norton. Basicalliy in Norton, N&W and L&N butt-ended each other, there was a good amount of sidetracks and a huge loop, and Southern had a run-through
Yes, Al, the L&N had through passenger service to Norton from Louisville (at one time, there was also at least a through Pullman between between Cincinnati and Bristol), though in the end, the Norton train did not run west of Cumberland Gap. In my time in Bristol, the Interstate (which operated in Virginia only) was still independent of the Southern, and had used the union station in Norton--by 1930, the Interstate was freight only. I believe that by the time you arrived, the Southern was operating the Interstate. According to the SPV atlas, the L&N's line into Norton has been abandoned east of Big Stone Gap, and also from Cumberland Gap to Hagans. The section between Hagans and Big Stone Gap is reached by trackage rights over the V&SW (Sou) from Moccasin Gap and over the Sou from Frisco Yard (connection with the CC&O) to Moccasin Gap. The trackage rights arrangements in that area are quite interesting, especially where the line of one road (CSX or NS) has advantageous grades in one direction and the line of the other road has better grades in the other direction. A good bit of the Interstate and the V&SW has been abandoned.
Johnny
You all have been just great. Now I feel challenged to build in the time to stop at Corbin -- before Winter Solstice when the days are warmer and longer. Easy enough to get off the Interstate. BTW we stayed at the Country Inn (a reasonably priced chain), which had homemade chocolate-chip cookies and a lending library! Original KFC sounds good, too.
Yes, I think that line from went all the way to Norton . . . or if not, to Pineville w/connection to Norton. Basicalliy in Norton, N&W and L&N butt-ended each other, there was a good amount of sidetracks and a huge loop, and Southern had a run-through. I don't know if there is any kind of NS/CSX competition there, since the ex-Southern Rwy has the run through . . . but unless ownership has changed, CSX (exx-L&N) doesn't extend east of Norton.
My memories of Norton are from the late 1970s, though. When I left the area, it was still a couple of years before N&W and Southern merged.
Thanks again, and any further comments are more than welcome. Or PM me if you prefer. - a.s.
December 1972 Trains was an entire issue (!) devoted to L&N's M-1 "Big Emma" 2-8-4's, which were largely operated out of Corbin. Map of that end of the L&N system is on most of pg. 31, and several photos are of the Corbin area.
- PDN.
Hi Al
At one time Corbin was a major L&N division point. On the south end of the yard the K&A division to Knoxville began, on the north end of the yard the Cincinnati division ended. The east/west line that Steam is King mentioned was the Cumberland Valley division which meandered its way from Corbin to Norton Virginia ( didn't you tell me you once lived there?). At one time there was a 27 stall roundhouse and turntable which still existed in 1967 along with three stalls of the roundhouse and a six track backshop that was still in service. Corbin actually had two yards the East Yard and the West Yard. US Steel had (has?) a big Coal Prep plant along side the West Yard. Just a few miles north of Corbin is a dot on the map called Sinks, Ky, it was here that the Lebanon branch terminated. The eastern (timetable north) end of this branch is now the Kentucky Railway Museum's line. Just a few miles to the southwest is the Big South Fork Recreation Area, controlled by the National Park Service it includes the town of Stearn which has a coal mining museum and NS's ex Southern "Rat Hole" division passes right next to the depot of the Big South Fork Scenic Railway http://www.bsfsry.com/ where you can ride Blue Heron mining community.
Dale
Corbin is the main coal marshalling yard for CSX for coal from the L&N District. In todays business levels it is handleing 10/12 loaded coal trains a day, which also equates to 10/12 empty trains a day there are also several merchandise trains a day that operate through Corbin in both directions.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Have stayed at Corbin, Ky. several times, on the back and forth runs to Florida.....{up on the hill @ the Holiday Inn....Seems we always just keep going either north or south and I've never seen any of the RR facilities. Have wondered though, to what extent of activity is in that area....Have been aware of it's RR background.
Quentin
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
There's a diner with free all-you-can-eat chili, but it costs $5 to use the port-a-potty.
Seriously, it's former L&N trackage. Stopped there on the way to Florida one year to see Cumberland Falls, just off I-75. Very hilly area, coal mining area IIRC. Town grew up around major railroad center with yard and steam repair shops in middle of downtown area and just south of the junction. Easy access to just about everything when we were there. Single main, very busy on the north/south line, moderately busy on the line that runs east from the junction.
For eats, Col. Sanders' original restaurant (prior to his KFC days) is in this town -- we ate there and it was awesome. Town also was birthplace of actor who played Dagwood in the Blondie movies.
Chico
After Christmas on the way back to the Frozen North from North Carolina, we stopped at a roadside motel on the edge of Corbin, KY. The Visitor's Guide revealed the fact that CSX has a junction there. It was well after dark and Iwas too exhausted to check it out -- and had to make tracks the next morning.
Those of you who know or fan the area -- is the junction at Corbin a good place to visit? Tell me all you want, please, about train frequency, availbility of food and porta-johns, etc. The history is intriguing. - al
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