Middlesboro KY – Blogging the Railroad Tunnels

A Girl Caboose?

August 18, 2017August 18, 2017Bob LawrenceLeave a comment

My color ID program (Colorblind Assistant) calls this “rosy brown”. I think it’s pink..ish.
It’s located just down from the coal house in Middlesboro KY.

Pullers and Movers

February 12, 2017February 18, 2017Bob Lawrence2 Comments

At the Bell County Coal Company (now a Revelation Energy outfit) near Middlesboro KY, these two yard units were sitting idle.
I think this is a variation of an ~~ALCO RS-2~~ EMD GP-series locomotive (see the comment below):

And this is a mobile railcar mover…not moving anytime soon, though:

Tunnel, Bell County KY

February 12, 2017February 12, 2017Bob LawrenceLeave a comment

This 600′ or so curved tunnel is in Bell County KY between Pineville and Middlesboro (36.713553, -83.671519 off Patterson Branch Road). The unfinished portal is on the south.
The line appears to be abandoned. I saw a few rail dates in the 1920s and the faceup on the north portal has a 1944 date. However, I think the tunnel is much older than that, since the L&N ran a line in this area sometime after 1890 (as far as I can tell…corrections happily accepted).
I walked through the tunnel and saw only one rockfall area.
Note: walking through a tunnel is not a good idea.