Kentucky Railroading and Railfanning Through "The Bluegrass State"

Kentucky railroading, much like West Virginia has, and perhaps always will be, remembered for one thing; coal, and lots of it! Ever since railroads first began building rail lines in the state in the mid-19th century they have been tapping the very lucrative black diamonds, which today still makes up a significant portion of most railroads’ profits. Today, Kentucky railroading still moves millions of tons of coal annually and the only thing that has really changed is the number of railroads doing so.

Kentucky railroading has its beginnings dating back to 1834, just seven years after our nation’s first common-carrier, the Baltimore & Ohio was chartered, when the Lexington & Ohio was opened between Frankfort and Lexington, a distance of about 31 miles. Today, this line is part of the RJ Corman family of shortlines. In the coming years Kentucky would be home to several classic eastern and southern carriers, most of which gained entry or built into the state to tap its rich coal reserves. These include the B&O (reached Louisville); Pennsylvania Railroad (Louisville); Southern; Louisville & Nashville; Illinois Central; Chesapeake & Ohio; Norfolk & Western (a scant presence with just a few coal branches in extreme eastern Kentucky); Gulf, Mobile & Ohio; Monon; Frisco; and the Clinchfield.

Of these celebrated railroads it is perhaps Kentucky’s own, the Louisville & Nashville that is best remembered in the Bluegrass State. The Louisville and Nashville has its beginnings in 1850 when the State of Kentucky granted a charter for the railroad to build between its namesake cities. It took nine years for the railroad to complete its original main line and it opened in 1859 with a connection to Memphis established by 1861. The Civil War all but halted construction on the railroad and because L&N lines ran through both North and South territory the railroad had several miles of track destroyed through the course of the war.

Following the war and throughout the rest of the 19th century the L&N spent most of its energies building new railroad and acquiring others. In 1879 it purchased the Evansville, Henderson & St. Louis which, while it was not completed to St. Louis it had a very good start connecting Evansville, Indiana. The L&N during this time also took over the Montgomery & Mobile and New Orleans, Mobile & Texas giving the railroad access to the Deep South and Texas. It also took control of the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis in 1880 giving it access to St. Louis.

The 1970s also signaled the end for the Louisville & Nashville’s independence. It was during this time that it came under the Family Lines System banner along with the Clinchfield, Seaboard Coast Line (a merger between the ACL and Seaboard Air Line), and a number of other smaller lines. With this came a new livery applied to all of the railroads (with sub-lettering stenciled under locomotive cabs identifying company) and gone was the L&N’s famous gray, yellow, and red livery (which, interestingly, the new Family Lines’ livery also used the same colors).

As the 1970s gave way to the 1980s the Louisville and Nashville would officially be merged out of existence. When the Family Line System became the Seaboard System Railroad in 1982 under the CSX Transportation banner, along with the Chessie System, there was little need for so many different company names and the L&N along with its other allied roads were merged out of existence that year. While the L&N is no more today the system and railroad it left behind continues to be an important part of CSX’s southern lines.

Today, Kentucky railroading is mostly the domain of Norfolk Southern, CSX and to a lesser degree, Canadian National with the former railroads operating both through main lines as well as branch lines (most of which are used to serve numerous coal mines) within the state. Aside from CSX and NS Kentucky’s rail network is operated by Regional Paducah & Louisville and shortlines RJ Corman, Lexington & Ohio Railroad, and the Transkentucky Transportation Railroad.

Combined, these railroads operate a little over 2,500 miles of track in the Bluegrass State. For a more in-depth look at Kentucky railroading in regards to its route miles through the mid-19th century to today please refer to the chart below.

Passenger trains like the IC’s City of New Orleans, C&O’s George Washington, and L&N’s Pan-American no longer operate through Kentucky, at least by these former railroads. Today, Kentucky’s passenger rail system is operated by Amtrak and includes the tri-weekly Cardinal between Chicago and Washington, D.C., and the City of New Orleans between Chicago and New Orleans.

Freight and passenger railroads aside, Kentucky railroading also includes a number of railroad museums and excursion trains, like the RJ Corman-owned My Old Kentucky Dinner Train based in Bardstown (what’s even better, it operates year-round!). These include, Big South Fork Scenic Railway, Bluegrass Railroad Museum, Kentucky Central Railway, Kentucky Railway Museum, Paducah Railroad Museum, and the Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati.

All in all Kentucky railroading has plenty to offer, whether you are a vacationer, railfan, or maybe even a Bluegrass local interested in some sightseeing or something to do!