The "Rathole" is the nickname for Norfolk Southern's busy main line through Kentucky which once had many tunnels, most of which have been daylighted, or bypassed in the first six decades of the 20th century, with wide cuts to accommodate heavy, double stack intermodal traffic. The nickname once aptly characterized the middle section of the Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific Railroad, where 27 tunnels helped the line traverse 160 miles of rugged mountain country between Wilmore, Kentucky, and Emory Gap, Tennessee.
I arose and drove to the MacDonald's in Whitley City which had no power so my choices were either Oneida or Somerset. Since I was going to take pictures in the Rathole, I decided on Somerset. I drove straight to the MacDonald's there and enjoyed my breakfast and saw huge thunderheads so I made a good choice not going that way to the north today. I returned to Cave Spring Road and the bridge that Chris Parker and I visited in 2007.
As I arrived a southbound train's tail end was in my view.
That southbound train had left my sight. Might we see him later this morning?
A northbound train was also stopped at the next control point and I could see his tail end.
Norfolk Southern 2760 north at the Cave Spring bridge. From here I headed to the Keno Road bridge.
Norfolk Southern 9619 North at the Keno Road Bridge. I drove back south on US 27 to Parker Lane.
My photo locations.
NS 1127 north at Parker Lane bridge. I then drove to the Wyborg Loop bridge.
NS 3650 South at the Wyborg Loop bridge was the train I saw leaving the Cave Springs Road bridge.
NS 6956 North at the Wyborg Loop bridge. Later I called Chris Parker to find out the phone numbers of the Bluegrass Railroad Museum and Big South Fork Scenic Railway. I left a message with the first one and received a call from the second that I would be comped on their 12:30 train today. I stopped by KFC in Whitley City before returning to the Parkland Motel to get ready for my Big South Fork Scenic Railway's train trip today.
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