The Big South Fork Scenic Railway is a

heritage railroad A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...

Stearns, Kentucky Stearns is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in McCreary County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 1,365 at the 2020 census. It was founded by Justus Smith Stearns. Geography Stearns is located in south-centr ...

. The route runs for 16 miles (26 km) through lush countryside in the

Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area The Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, commonly known as Big South Fork, preserves the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River and its tributaries in northeastern Tennessee and southeastern Kentucky. Within it are reminders of ...

. There is a stop in the historic coal mining town of Blue Heron, Kentucky which can be toured. There is also a gift shop and snack bar with picnic shelter as well as hiking trails in Blue Heron. The railroad is restoring a large 0-6-0 steam locomotive from the Union railroad built by ALCO in 1944 and uses diesel locomotives for its excursion trains.K&T No. 14
Big South Fork Scenic Railway. Retrieved 2013-07-30 The adjacent McCreary County Museum (admission included in train ticket) demonstrates life in Kentucky's coal company towns during the first half of the 20th century.

History

The line that is used by the BSFSR was originally laid down by the Stearns Coal & Lumber Company, beginning in 1901. In order to move lumber from the Cumberland National Forest (now

Daniel Boone National Forest The Daniel Boone National Forest (originally the Cumberland National Forest) is a national forest in Kentucky. Established in 1937, it includes of federally owned land within a proclamation boundary. The name of the forest was changed in 1966 ...

), Stearns Company built the Kentucky & Tennessee Railroad. Shortly after opening up the lumber business, coal was discovered, and the company became Stearns Coal & Lumber. The first mine, at Barthell, was opened in 1902. In 1904, the K&T changed their corporate charter name to the Kentucky & Tennessee Railway Company, in order to finance the extension of the line to Worley, White Oak Junction, Cooperative, and Bell Farm. Little K&T touched the Kentucky/Tennessee state line just south of Bell Farm. The line had graded roadbed to near Jamestown, Tennessee. In 1937, Blue Heron Mining Camp was opened; K&T built a one-mile spur to the camp, crossing Roaring Paunch Creek. The bridge that was used to cross the creek was bought from

New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Mid ...

(NYCRR) in 1936. K&T line builders needed a bridge to curve around to the right to meet the spur. The steel trestle was found in Upstate New York, shipped to Stearns, and installed upside down to meet the requirements. It is in use today, hauling passengers to Mine 18. K&T had big plans to become a through trunk line railway. The

Tennessee Central Railroad The Tennessee Central Railway was founded in 1884 as the Nashville and Knoxville Railroad by Alexander S. Crawford. It was an attempt to open up a rail route from the coal and minerals of East Tennessee to the markets of the midstate, a service ...

had a spur that ran into

Monterey, Tennessee Monterey is a town in Putnam County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,850 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Cookeville, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Monterey is rooted in a settlement that developed around ...

, where K&T hoped to meet them. Plans called for K&T and TC to meet in Monterey, Cookeville, Crab Orchard, and Harriman. They had intentions of using Southern Railway tracks into Chattanooga, but negotiations stalled with SR in 1951. In December 1963, the railroad purchased four

ALCO S-2 The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer of locomotives, diesel generators, steel, and tanks that operated from 1901 to 1969. The company was formed by the merger of seven smaller locomo ...

diesel locomotives from the

Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to ''Rio Grande'', D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow-gauge line running south from D ...

. The line's remaining steam locomotives remained on standby service until their official retirement in February 1964. Today, engines #10 and #12 (formerly

Southern Railway 4501 Southern Railway 4501 is a preserved Ms class 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotive built in October 1911 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as the first of its wheel arrangement type for the Southern Railway (SOU). In 1 ...

), (both 2-8-2 Mikakdos), are currently residing at the

Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is a railroad museum and heritage railroad in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum was founded as a chapter of the National Railway Historical Society in 1960 by Paul H. Merriman an ...

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020 ...

with #12 restored to operational condition with its original Southern Railway colors and number 4501 whilst #10 is awaiting restoration. In 1974. Stearns opened up Justus Mine, which would technically be Mine 19. It was named in honor of the town's founder, Justus S. Stearns, and operated from 1974 until its closure by

Blue Diamond Coal Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ob ...

in October 1987. The Big South Fork Scenic Railway started operating on July 1, 1982. The railway had 7 open-air passenger cars, all home built, and two ALCo S2 diesel switchers, Nos. 102 and 105. Number 102 was the second of four Alco switchers K&T purchased from the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railway in late 1963. Each unit spent two months in

East St. Louis, Illinois East St. Louis is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois. It is directly across the Mississippi River from Downtown St. Louis, Missouri and the Gateway Arch National Park. East St. Louis is in the Metro-East region of Southern Illinois. Once a b ...

, getting multiple unit controls installed. Today, BSFSR is a thriving railway, pleasing tourists and

railfans A railfan, rail buff or train buff (American English), railway enthusiast, railway buff or trainspotter (Australian/British English), or ferroequinologist is a person who is recreationally interested in trains and rail transport systems. Rail ...

alike.

Trains Magazine ''Trains'' is a monthly magazine about trains and railroads aimed at railroad enthusiasts and railroad industry employees. The magazine primarily covers railroad happenings in the United States and Canada, but has some articles on railroading els ...

has said that the K&/BSFSR is a “spectacular trip back in time, when life was simple. The scenery is second to none and the hospitality of the citizens and staff is unmatched.”

Locomotives

These are the locomotives that ran on the Kentucky & Tennessee Railway.

References

External links

Big South Fork Scenic Railway Official WebsiteRailServe
{{DEFAULTSORT:Big South Fork Scenic Railway Heritage railroads in Kentucky Railroad museums in Kentucky Museums in McCreary County, Kentucky Transportation in McCreary County, Kentucky 1901 establishments in Kentucky 1901 in rail transport Railway lines opened in 1901

History

Locomotives

See also

References

External links