These were all pulled out of a small-scale commercial coal mine in Kentucky, about a mile from Line Fork. We had talked with the owners and were shown the location of the mine, now closed. These rails and mine cars had been used in the mine. The sheep were merely bystanders.
This 1928 structure is slated for renovation. It replaced a wooden station that dated to 1888.
When I took these pictures in Appalachia VA, the cabooses were just 2,200 feet from each other, but, boy, are they different. Cast your baby blues on these:
The top one, nattily repainted, is on display in a small park. It was built, according to the ID plate, in 1948. It’s at 36.8998N, 82.78841W
The lower one, rough and ready, was still in the yard. It’s a 1976 unit.
There’s a definitive book on N&W cabooses for sale from the NW Historical Society, but it’s $50.
Blogging the Railroad Tunnels 