Rare Tombstone Junction Video

Got this email over the weekend:

Dear Mr. Holland,

I love your website and purchased your Weird Kentucky book the week it came out. Since Tombstone Junction seems to have such a cult following I'd thought you'd like to know that actual video of the park in operation is slowly becoming available on my youtube channel.

The only known video of the park was taped a couple of months prior to the first fire that damaged the park. Copies of this tape have been gifted over the years to a very few railfans in the area. Since I have one of these few copies I've been adding some selections from the tape to my youtube account.

You can view a video of the train ride and robbery here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf7aSTn1aFo There are also a few other videos on my channel and I will be adding more shortly.

Thank you,
Matthew Cole
Berea, KY

14th Street Railroad Bridge

I've always been fascinated with the little building that's perched atop the Fourteenth Street Railroad Bridge just outside of downtown Louisville. I had always thought the bridge abandoned, since I've never noticed any trains crossing it. But reading up on it online just now, I find it's open and doing well under the auspices of the Louisville & Indiana Railroad (whose logo can be clearly seen on the little building). I'd like to venture up there sometime if they'll let me, and take some photos from that vantage point.


The bridge runs along the beginning of the McAlpine Locks and Dam area. A hydroelectric plant is operated here by the always-controversial utility company LG&E, or should I say E.ON; no wait, I mean PPL.




Before being rechristened after William McAlpine in 1960, this was known as the Louisville-Portland Canal since its completion in 1830, and to this day, many people still refer to this area as simply "the canal".

The canal had a convoluted history, which involved costs going way over estimate - due in part to unforeseen difficulties with the solid rock bed near the Falls of the Ohio that needed to dug out completely by workers (including a young Abraham Lincoln, who was part of the construction crew in 1827). President Andrew Jackson refused to give a third injection of government funding to save the project, and it was barely finished with the help of private investors. But by 1855, the government had taken over the canal in a massive buyout.

More Tombstone Junction Images

Many thanks to Linda Tarter for emailing us some fantastic scans of old Tombstone Junction photographs!







For more information about Tombstone Junction, consult your copy of Weird Kentucky, page 160.

Louisville's Forgotten El-Trains

They've fallen down the memory hole now, but believe it or not, Louisville once had an elevated passenger train system back in the 19th century. Now Ron Schooling has pored over what little remaining fragmentary historical evidence there is about the trains. Read his fascinating findings on Brandon Klayko's perpetually useful Broken Sidewalk blog.

There's no reason - absolutely no reason - we couldn't get something like this going again, right now, and inexpensively. If they could do it with 19th century technology and resources, so can we. And as people have commented here:

"We've already got tracks in place running to West Point alongside Dixie Hwy and Peewee Valley on the East side. Strikes me it wouldnt cost much money to wake up existing train stations that been in place 100 yrs."

And:

"There is also another great commercial track that runs from Shepherdsville into Germantown, going past Ford, UPS, PJ Stadium and UL. In fact, the tracks run right THRU UofL's Student Center and it virtually looks like a train station is already there. When this line reaches Shelby Park, it turns before crossing over Baxter at the aformentioned Lexington intersection (and its decrepid old, graffiti covered station. From this, the line continues up Frankfort into the east end. The junction of this track at Lexington and Franfort could be extened with a nice elevated line up the much too wide, and largely deserted Jefferson street, which is seeing new life with high density developments like Liberty Green and the east market gallery district. The final line could eventually be developed built from scratch up Bardstown Road to Mt Washington, but the conundrum would be where to lie tracks thru the Highlands."

(Meanwhile, I'm currently designing a human-powered pedal train. Be afraid. Developing...)

High Bridge

This railroad bridge crossing the Kentucky River between Jessamine and Mercer counties is simply known as "High Bridge".

It began in the 1850s as a suspension bridge with stone towers, designed by John A. Roebling (designer of the Roebling Suspension Bridge that takes you from Covington to Cincinnati, as well as the Brooklyn Bridge in NYC). That project went unfinished, however, and its remains were later revised with a cantilever design. At its completion in 1876, it was the first cantilever bridge in the United States and the tallest railroad bridge in the world.

The bridge was modified and expanded greatly in 1911, and then again in 1929. It's still in operation today, serving the Norfolk Southern Railway.

Abandoned Caboose

On the outskirts of Shelbyville, this lovely old abandoned railroad caboose car can be found sitting next to the former Martin Jewelers building, which also seems semi-abandoned as well.



Martin Jewelers was owned and operated by Louie Paul Martin until his passing away in 2003.

Lexington Dinner Train?

Wow! Just saw this story:

A dinner train with boarding at Lexington Center and an excursion train between Lexington and beyond Frankfort could be in operation as early as next year, with the potential for passenger service between the two cities later.

The announcement was made Thursday at the Lexington Center board meeting by Fred Mudge, chairman of the board of R.J. Corman Railroad Group, based in Nicholasville...

A dinner train from Lexington would most likely go to Frankfort, turn around and come back, Mudge said. An excursion trip might extend to Bagdad, a small community west of Frankfort, then return to Lexington.

The Lexington Dinner Train would be operated by the R.J. Corman company, the same folks who bring you My Old Kentucky Dinner Train in Bardstown (pictured above, thanks to flickr's thomas.merton).

Hillbilly Hijack!

Hey, speaking of My Old Kentucky Dinner Train, now here's my kind of entertainment. For a mere hundred dollar bill, you can witness Hillbilly Hijack, a dinner-theatre murder mystery play held on a moving train in glorious Bardstown.

My Old Kentucky Dinner Train

My Old Kentucky Dinner Train got its start as part of the old Bardstown railroad branch, originally constructed by The Bardstown and Louisville Railroad in 1860. Over the next century, the line would change hands from B&L to L&N to CSX to R.J. Corman, its current owner. The Corman company developed the dinner-train idea in 1988, and it's been a huge success. I wish more railroad lines would take a cue from My Old Kentucky Dinner Train's lead.


The Dinner Train consists of three dining cars and a kitchen car. All the meals served on the train are prepared on board by the train's Executive Chef and his staff while you're sent on a journey through some of Kentucky's loveliest scenery, including passes by the antique Jackson Hollow Trestle, the Nazareth religious community, and the Bernheim Research Forest.

Napfor's "Tunnel Hill"

According to the Southeastern Kentucky Paranormal Society, this "Tunnel Hill" in rural Napfor, KY is something worth checking into.

Although the SKPS indulges in the sort of primitive "ghostbusting equipment" that I disdain - EMF gaussmeters and such - they have done a fair amount of puttering around the place, and gone to great lengths to try to find something, anything to show evidence for the claims that Tunnel Hill is (and I quote) "a terrifyingly active location". According to their site:

We investigated both tunnels, recording both video and audio, and taking still photos as well as temperature and EMF readings. There were no temperature or EMF fluctuations to speak of, and nothing unusual appeared either to the naked eye or on video. Digital still photos contained some shapes that some investigators would claim were "orbs," but are most probably dust particles lit by the camera's flash bulb...

Overall, we had no first-hand experiences that would indicate any real haunting. That's not to say there isn't any activity at Tunnel Hill - it simply means were unable to substantiate any claims during our investigation on that particular day, other than the two EVPs."

Well, at least they don't believe in "Orbs", thank goodness for that. But... EVPs? That would be "Electronic Voice Phenomena", which is the ignoble art of turning on a tape recorder in an allegedly haunted place and then swearing you hear ghostly voices on the tape. With all due respect to my colleagues at SKPS, I think EVPs are a truckload of old baloney. But you can check out their mp3 files of alleged ghost voices at Tunnel Hill and elsewhere, here.

Meanwhile, on the junk data-laden site Shadowlands:

"Tunnel Hill is located a couple of miles in the back roads of Napfor just before you get to low water bridge. Directly on top of the twin tunnels lie two cemeteries. But forget about the cemeteries for the tunnels are the sites of many bizarre occurrences. The story has it that there is a hidden chamber hidden among the manholes. It is said that the manhole will give way to the secret passage and those who have ventured into this passage have no recollection of how they got there. When walking through the tunnels all light sources will slowly drain and the further you venture into the tunnel total darkness. It is then that random light sources will appear from cracks and crevices on various places in the tunnel. Rather you go in the day or night the same will happen because most occurrences happen once you reach the middle of the tunnel. The right tunnel is much more active than the left. NEVER go alone. Beware these tunnels are still in service and actual trains still pass through each day. One such aspect of the haunting place is the ghost train, which you will actually hear and even feel beneath your feet. Faint train horns echo throughout this terrifying area. Also feel free to explore the large active cemeteries above. Rumors are there many more horrifying things that have happened and continue to happen that cannot be mentioned in this article."

Let's read that last sentence again, shall we?

"Rumors are there many more horrifying things that have happened and continue to happen that cannot be mentioned in this article."

Wow, they can't be mentioned! Even though they just did, sorta.... but they're only rumors.... but they can't tell us what the rumors are, exactly...... alrighty then!

So enough internet B.S., what's up with the real Tunnel Hill? Well, that's what I'm trying to figure out now. I've contacted a few people who live relatively near the area, and some say they've never heard a peep about the place being haunted. A couple of others indicated they're heard the rumors but know of no actual incidents. Is the whole thing just another legend that came about because railroad tunnels are dark and spooky and humans can't help making up stories?

Probably.

Or maybe not. Maybe there is a kernel of truth inside. Very old railroad tunnels such as this do tend to be places of death, because of the inevitable accidents that occur - ironically, they tend to increase when a "ghost story" becomes attached to a site and more and more goofs start going there to gawk.

I'll be one of those goofs myself come Spring, and will file a full report, dear readers. I don't think I'll be making it out there to Perry County during the winter. Meanwhile, if you live around the Napfor area, please get in touch and tell me if you know any other info about Tunnel Hill.

(photo by the SKPS)

Remains of Tombstone Junction

Just for a moment, let's turn our minds back to Corbin's late and lamented tourist attraction Tombstone Junction.

Tombstone Junction simulated a down-and-dirty western town, right down to the actual functioning in-house railroad and grimy train-robber actors who never broke character. It's always been one of our most popular entries on the old site, and now two readers have forwarded us brand new photographs of it - or rather, the spot where it used to be. All that remains of Tombstone Junction is apparently an empty parking lot, one crumbling shack, and some decaying bits of what once was their billboard.


Photos above by Jonathan Meadows, and photo below by Adam Sulfridge. Thanks to both gentlemen for their contribution and their enthusiasm.

For more information about Tombstone Junction, consult your copy of Weird Kentucky, page 160.

Tombstone Junction

Tombstone Junction was a Wild West themed amusement park featuring an actual internal railroad system of its own (not one of those miniature choo-choo rail cars like you see in some zoos). Tombstone Junction was located outside of Corbin, KY and entertained countless happy tourists until it burned down in not one, but two fires: one in 1989, the last in 1991.

Today little is left of Tombstone Junction, but it lives on the memories of those who saw it in its glory days. Tombstone Junction still commands an enthusiastic following to this day, judging by the volume of e-mails I've received about it over the years.

According to Karl Lusk, retired Executive Director of the Kentucky Railway Museum, the trains actually survived the fire, were auctioned off, and are still out in circulation, albeit in piecemeal fashion:

"I was at that sale, working for Ford Bros. auctioneers, Somerset, as rail equipment consultant and auctioneer. The two small steam locos were purchased by John Caperton, a rail enthusiast from Louisville. The larger loco was purchased on behalf of the Big South Fork Scenic Railway at Stearns, where it is currently undergoing restoration to operating condition. The cars, in bad repair, were, I believe scrapped, and the shop equipment, parts, etc. sold to a number of buyers, including the KY Railway Museum, Tennessee Valley Railway Museum, Diversified Rail Services, etc."

We've received many photos of Tombstone Junction that had lain dormant in the old vacation photo albums of several families, and will show some of them here soon. We always want to see more, though, so if you have Tombstone Junction photos, feel free to scan them and send them!


For more information, turn to page 160 in your copy of Weird Kentucky.