Eastern Kentucky Railway
Encyclopedia
The Eastern Kentucky Railway was a railroad in northeastern Kentucky
, USA. It served mainly mine traffic, running north from Webbville through Grayson to Riverton (now part of Greenup) on the Ohio River
and Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
.
, opened in 1867. Further extensions took it to Hunnewell by 1870, Grayson in 1871, Willard by 1874 and Webbville in 1889. At Hitchins, between Grayson and Willard, the line junctioned with the Elizabethtown, Lexington and Big Sandy Railroad, an east-west branch of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
.
The Consolidated Southern Railway was a plan in the 1880s to extend the EK south as part of a through line to Hickory and Statesville, North Carolina
, also using the never-built Norfolk and Cincinnati Railroad and part of the Chester and Lenoir Railroad.
The EK went bankrupt in 1919, and the part south of Grayson was reorganized in 1928 as the Eastern Kentucky Southern Railway. That company stopped operations in January 1933, and the tracks were removed soon after.
The EK is featured in the children's book A Ride with Huey, the Engineer (1966) by Jesse Stuart
.
Due out in September 2007 will be the book "Eastern Kentucky Railway" by Terry L. Baldridge.
The old alignment parallels KY 1 north of Argillite. From Argillite south to Hunnewell, the alignment except the tunnels has been used for KY 207. KY 3306 mostly follows the path west to Hopewell
, and from there south to Grayson it runs along KY 1. From Grayson to Hitchins, the alignment was used for KY 773, including two old truss bridge
s now used as one-lane road bridges. (Part of the old grade of the Elizabethtown, Lexington and Big Sandy Railroad west of the EK is erroneously named EK Railroad Drive.) Finally, from Hitchins to Webbville, the railroad once again followed KY 1; an old alignment includes another remaining truss bridge, that one with no floor.
The railroad had eight tunnels; all but the Argillite Tunnel, south of Argillite
, have been flooded. The north end of Argillite Tunnel can be seen from KY 207 where it curves to avoid the hill that the tunnel passes through.
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, USA. It served mainly mine traffic, running north from Webbville through Grayson to Riverton (now part of Greenup) on the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
and Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P...
.
History
The Kentucky Improvement Company was chartered in December 1866 and renamed January 1, 1870 to the Eastern Kentucky Railway. The first section, from Riverton south to ArgilliteArgillite, Kentucky
Argillite is a village on the Little Sandy River in Greenup County, Kentucky, USA. It sits at the southern end of the confluence of Kentucky Routes 1 and 207. The name refers to argillite, a type of stone, related to shale.Argillite's ZIP Code is 41121....
, opened in 1867. Further extensions took it to Hunnewell by 1870, Grayson in 1871, Willard by 1874 and Webbville in 1889. At Hitchins, between Grayson and Willard, the line junctioned with the Elizabethtown, Lexington and Big Sandy Railroad, an east-west branch of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P...
.
The Consolidated Southern Railway was a plan in the 1880s to extend the EK south as part of a through line to Hickory and Statesville, North Carolina
Statesville, North Carolina
Statesville is a city located in Iredell County, North Carolina, United States and was named an All-America City in 1997 and 2009. The population was 24,633 at the 2010 census...
, also using the never-built Norfolk and Cincinnati Railroad and part of the Chester and Lenoir Railroad.
The EK went bankrupt in 1919, and the part south of Grayson was reorganized in 1928 as the Eastern Kentucky Southern Railway. That company stopped operations in January 1933, and the tracks were removed soon after.
The EK is featured in the children's book A Ride with Huey, the Engineer (1966) by Jesse Stuart
Jesse Stuart
Jesse Hilton Stuart was an American writer who is known for writing short stories, poetry, and novels about Southern Appalachia. Born and raised in Greenup County, Kentucky, Stuart relied heavily on the rural locale of Northeastern Kentucky for his writings. Stuart was named the Poet Laureate of...
.
Due out in September 2007 will be the book "Eastern Kentucky Railway" by Terry L. Baldridge.
Tracing the route
Hopewell, Greenup County, Kentucky
Hopewell is an unincorporated community in Greenup County, Kentucky, United States. It lies at an elevation of 561 feet .The main business entity located in Hopewell is ....
, and from there south to Grayson it runs along KY 1. From Grayson to Hitchins, the alignment was used for KY 773, including two old truss bridge
Truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
s now used as one-lane road bridges. (Part of the old grade of the Elizabethtown, Lexington and Big Sandy Railroad west of the EK is erroneously named EK Railroad Drive.) Finally, from Hitchins to Webbville, the railroad once again followed KY 1; an old alignment includes another remaining truss bridge, that one with no floor.
The railroad had eight tunnels; all but the Argillite Tunnel, south of Argillite
Argillite, Kentucky
Argillite is a village on the Little Sandy River in Greenup County, Kentucky, USA. It sits at the southern end of the confluence of Kentucky Routes 1 and 207. The name refers to argillite, a type of stone, related to shale.Argillite's ZIP Code is 41121....
, have been flooded. The north end of Argillite Tunnel can be seen from KY 207 where it curves to avoid the hill that the tunnel passes through.
Station listing
| Milepost | Station | Connections and notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverton | junction with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Chesapeake and Ohio Railway The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P... |
| Barney Tunnel | ||
| McIntire Tunnel | ||
| 6 | Argillite | |
| Argillite Tunnel | ||
| Callahan Tunnel | ||
| Laurel | ||
| Ramey Tunnel | ||
| Shelton Tunnel | ||
| 13 | Hunnewell | |
| Big Tunnel | ||
| 17 | Hopewell | |
| Hopewell Tunnel | ||
| 21 | Pactolus | |
| 23 | Grayson | |
| Vincent's | ||
| 28 | Hitchins | junction with the Elizabethtown, Lexington and Big Sandy Railroad (C&O Chesapeake and Ohio Railway The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P... ) |
| Reedville | ||
| 34 | Willard | |
| Bell's Trace | ||
| 36 | Webbville |