Bee Rock tunnel

Twixt Appalachia and Big Stone

Bob Lawrence4 Comments

I’ve posted this before. It’s an out-of-service trestle between Appalachia VA and Big Stone Gap and is part of a pleasant walking trail. You can access the trail in Appalachia, just off the highway and walk along the old L&N tracks past Bee Rock Tunnel and on along the trail. Bee Rock Tunnel is the third shortest tunnel in the United States. Second is the tunnel I mentioned in Gallatin TN. Shortest is Backbone Ridge at 20′, plus or minus, in Shady Valley TN. After Bee Rock Tunnel is Callahan’s Nose Tunnel, then this trestle and on to Big Stone Gap. This should be a fine walk in fall.

Bee Rock tunnel

Bob Lawrence8 Comments

In 1890, the Louisville & Nashville railway (L&N) pushed two tunnels through outcroppings of Stone Mountain between Appalachia and Big Stone Gap while creating its Cumberland Valley Division.  This one, closest to Appalachia at 36.895712, -82.787822, is Bee Rock.

This is the view from the Appalachia side.  The tracks are still in place, but they haven’t seen a train since around 1986.  Bee Rock, at 47′ 7″ in length, enjoyed a brief fame as the “Shortest Railroad Tunnel in Use in the United States”, according to Ripley’s Believe it or Not.   Soon (oops!), someone noticed that there was a tunnel a foot or so shorter over near Gallatin TN and that was that.

This is looking through the tunnel toward Callahan’s Nose tunnel (about 4,000′ ahead), which we’ll come to later (interesting tunnel, that).

The plans are, I believe, to turn this old railbed from Appalachia to Big Stone Gap into a trail for walking and biking.  I hope so.  I’ve walked it a couple of times.  It’s very enjoyable, but, then, I’m easy.  I’ve walked a lot worse rail lines, for sure.