The “Old Goat” (Dennis Carnal) walks along the CSX Morganfield Branch, just west of Manitou, KY, where a loaded Dotiki unit coal train derailed in December, 2010, grounding seven aluminum 100-ton hoppers. – Photographs by Bill Thomas
Author: Jim Pearson
In case the group is not aware, G&W applied with the STB last month to abandon all of the Western Kentucky Railway. Western Kentucky Railway, LLC (“Applicant” or “WKRL”) is seeking an exemption to abandon all of its remaining lines of railroad (the “Subject Lines”) which Applicant believes are as follows:
- Between MP 48.0 at Dekoven and MP 62.5 at Blackford;
- Between MP 0.0 at Blackford and MP 3.8 at Pyro Wye and between MP 3.8 and MP 8.5 at Clay;
- Between MP 0.0 at Costain Prep Plant and MP 9.5 at Providence
- Between MP 0.0. at Costain Prep Plant and MP 5.5 at Caney Creek; and
- Wheatcraft loop track
Submitted by Phil Randall
Hello Everyone.
I hope those in attendance of the January meeting found it to be enjoyable and informative. I apologize for my divided attention. Having an inexperienced man tending to the airport was playing heavily on my mind at the time. As it were, he handled the situation well and all was taken care of.
As a result of my inattentiveness, I allowed a motion to pass with out a vote. That being the dollar figure placed before the Chapter in regards to sending “our” rail camper to Scranton PA. I will bring this up as old business in February.
Two members have come to me, each with an idea, that I think will bring substance and growth to our Chapter. My response too both was to bring it up before the members and if need be, entertain a motion. Keep in mind; many ideas do not need a vote. For example, our Hopkinsville members host our meeting every year in May. This is almost taken for granted as we always “ask” them to confirm same. The same goes for the fall picnic in Crofton. If you have an idea for a function or event that does not require Chapter funds then take up the idea and sponsor same. If the Chapter chooses to embrace the idea, then we may need to vote on the level of participation as a Chapter.
Two things I plan to bring before the Chapter in February are: The Chapter Archives and Chapter participation in The City of Madisonville’s Friday Night Live events. These two items I feel are important to the Chapter as a whole. The archive needs our attention right away. The Friday Night Live events would be a way to get our name out there with out cost to the Chapter. It will however require participation from the membership. We will discuss both the Archive and Friday Night Live during the business meeting February 28th.
Wally will have the program and refreshment sign up sheet at the February meeting. If you are not on the list, please give thought to signing up for one or the other if not both. I can think of several regular members whom have not given a program in recent years. We need diversity and involvement from the membership. Please, step up and give support to our/YOUR Chapter.
So everyone try to make the meeting, join in the fun, bring a friend and we will promote our love of trains and everything railroading.
Rick Bivins
Keith Kittinger and grandson Trevor, enjoy a day out at the sHOw Train Show in Bowling Green, KY, Saturday, February 19. Several other chapter members were spotted at the annual event held at the Historic Rail Park.
CSX freight derailment – Rail fan trip to Metairie LA. Who would of known our trip would have ended this way. What are the chances of catching something like this on video.
- West Kentucky NRHS Chapter Meeting – January 24, Madisonville, L&N Depot, 7pm.
- Bowling Green Train sHOw – Saturday, February 19, 2011, Historic Rail Park, Bowling Green, KY. 10 am to 3pm. For additional info, contact: Kevin Comer @ 270-792-3316; kcomer300@yahoo.com or Rick Williams @ 270-991-0715; rick.williams@insightbb.com
First, let me say Thank You. Thank You for your vote of confidence. As I stated at the October 2010 meeting, after being nominated, “Remember, I can be out spoken sometimes”! I often am and I will be. But please understand that my outspoken nature comes from a desire to move forward or to improve something. I do not think that I speak out against something but rather speak out in favor of something. Perhaps too harshly at times. If I speak out and someone does not agree or like it…TELL ME!
Second. I title this as Rick’s Reply’s because; I searched the definition of President: One who presides, sits in leadership… How can one lead or preside over something that has zero input. How can I lead a group of rail enthusiast if I do not listen to them or have some idea of their likes, dislikes and objectives? The way I see it, I can not “lead” if I do not “reply” to You, NRHS Members!
Rich Hane led our group for, I believe Five Years. His easy going, kind nature gave our Chapter a “gentlemanly” feel. Even when disrupted, he held his composure, dealing with our objections as he did our combined positive ness. As the gentleman he is.
Rich followed Bob McCracken whom led us in much the same manor for many years.
I am afraid the Chapter will find me to be a bit different. I would like to see our Chapter set and achieve a few goals, to retain the “gentlemanly” nature, but with a forward moving posture. I will put ideas and goals “on the table” so to speak, but the membership will ultimately decide our Chapter’s direction.
One of my customers at the Airport told me that our U. S. President can not make or change law in this Country. He is the face of a nation, he “SETS THE TONE” of this country. That is true as research shows. This customer is a native of The Netherlands, a legal U.S. Citizen.
As Chapter President, I hope to set a tone, a positive tone. I hope we can combine our knowledge and energy’s to accomplish something, to move forward. Whether one is laying floor tile for the first time or making a photo archive available to several people, positive movement is needed. Even if we make a mistake, moving is always much better than standing still and looking at something.
I look forward to seeing you and hearing from you as we attend the first meeting of 2011 on January 24th at The L&N RR Station, Down town Madisonville at 7:00PM.
Again, Thank You.
Rick Bivins
Remember the phrase “I love the smell of napalm in the morning” from one of those old war movies? Well fellow Hoosier Railfan, spent the morning of December 14, 2010, in Crawfordsville, watching CSX crews take down the remaining semaphores on the Monon Subdivision. Here’s his story from the North Central Indiana Railfan Yahoo Group.
Northbound J726 was the last train to physically pass through the “blades” although they were all out of service by the time he came through late morning; the last train to actually use the authority granted by the semaphores would have been the northbound Hoosier State, which went through Crawfordsville in darkness and miraculously got to Lafayette only four minutes late.
The salvage crew started at Ames and took the blade and southbound color light signal down, then moved north. They weren’t too kind to the northbound semaphore at Main Street; it came down blade first, which wadded up the blade and shattered the red lens. After that, the boom operator was told to be a bit more gentle, which he most definitely was with the southbound signal.
Once the crews had the signals on the ground, the crews cut the mast just below the blade and motor and loaded it onto a truck; for a brief second, as the boom operator was lifting the blade/motor/finial/cut mast up onto the truck it was eerily similar to all the grisly severed heads in “Apocalypse Now.” Not pleasant.
After watching the “Nightmare at Main Street” I had enough and headed east toward Indianapolis, back to work and the “modern world”. The salvage trucks were on their way to the north side of town as I left. But my last memory of “shorty,” the short semaphore up at the north end of Crawfordsville, will forever be of J726 easing through with a friendly honk and wave from the hogger. I’m glad I decided to keep it that way.
Long Live The Monon, Eric Powell
We express our sympathy to Dennis and his family over the passing of his mother, Edith Carnal, December 15, 2010, at Brighton Cornerstone Healthcare in Madisonville. A memorial service was Sunday, December 19, 2pm, at First Christian Church, East Main Street, Earlington, KY. The family requests memorial gifts be made to the general fund of Earlington First Christian Church, PO Box 216, Earlington, KY 42410.
If you know of members who are or have been recently hospitalized, please forward the information to me, bill@fbcmadisonville.com
Chris Dees is searching for information about the locomotives and passenger cars used at the Kaintuck Territory amusement park in Draffenville, Kentucky during the late 1960s and early 1970’s. I’ve seen mention of the ones in the photo links below… just curious.
http://www.steamlocomotive.com/misc/images/showImage.php?image=palmersville1.jpg
http://www.steamlocomotive.com/misc/images/showImage.php?image=palmersville3cz.jpg
http://www.steamlocomotive.com/misc/images/showImage.php?image=palmersville2gm.jpg
I’m also looking for a photo of the NC&StL depot in Benton, Kentucky. You can contact Chris Dees at chris.dees@trw.com, or phone: (765) 429-1788
Mobile: (765) 586-9138
Fax: (765) 429-1881
Back in the steam days north bounds sometimes had to double Mont Hill on the Springfield District (IC), coming up out of the Mississippi River. An engineer on one crew was noted for stopping at the bottom of the hill on every trip to double the hill, claiming he didn’t have enough power to take the entire train up the hill. Of course, they also got paid extra for the double, but the trainmen got tired of it as they had to do all the work outside in the weather and wanted to get back home sooner. So one night they hatched a plan.
After making his regular stop on the bottom of the hill, and getting a highball from back in the train, he marched up the hill to the siding atthe top and stowed the first part of the train, as usual. After drifting light back down the hill, he almost dropped his teeth, because waiting for the second trip up the hill was the conductor with only the caboose. He had taken the whole train, minus the hack, right up the grade. Thoroughly chastened, the Hogger never again doubled the hill unless it was for a good reason. – Skip Luke
CSX is putting new crossing signage at the non-signaled grade crossings. The new signs have reflective coating on all parts – the crossbuck, the ‘yield’ sign (new) and on both sides of the support post. Submitted by Chuck Hinrichs.
Railfan and Railroad magazine is reporting that Jim Boyd has passed away. Jim started with Carstens Publications working on Flying Models and later Railroad Model Craftsman. Jim served as editor of Railfan & Railroad from the magazine’s inception in 1974 until 1998, and continued as Editor Emeritus and author of the popular Camera Bag column until his passing. We’ll pass along details as they become available.
As a side note, I was able to meet Jim at Rochelle, IL during the MILW 261 Grand Excursion a couple years ago. He was a great guy and an ordinary average railfan. – Chris Dees
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Local Historians Gathering Photographs and Information for a History of the Cadiz Railroad – Cadiz, Kentucky – December 27, 2010 – Although both William Turner and Thomas Harper are currently busy promoting their respective books, Edgar Cayce’s Hometown and Images of America: Trigg County, they have made time to begin research for their next project; a history of the Cadiz Railroad.
March 9, 2011, marks the 110th anniversary of the founding of the Cadiz Railroad, the 10.33 mile short-line that connected Cadiz and Trigg County to the world by way of nearby Gracey. Upon arrival in Gracey, Trigg Countians made their way to cities near and far aboard the Louisville & Nashville and the Illinois Central Railroads. In addition to passenger transportation, the Cadiz Railroad also carried livestock, tobacco, timber and other merchandise out of the county while delivering nearly every imaginable item to the merchants of Trigg County, and from 1902 to 1941, even the mail arrived aboard a Cadiz Railroad steam powered locomotive.
According to H. S. “Stan” White, Jr., several articles have been published over the years about the Cadiz Railroad, but they have often been riddled with errors or inflated by the authors for the purpose of “a good story”. White is working closely with Turner and Harper, contributing his personal archive of Cadiz Railroad business documents and photographs and through personal interviews; White is also writing the foreword to the upcoming book. Turner states that Stan White’s contribution to this publication is invaluable. “As President of the Cadiz Railroad from 1966 until his retirement in 1985, he [White] brings a one-of-a- kind perspective to the process of documenting the history of the railroad.”
William T. Turner has authored numerous books on various historical topics, including Images of America: Cerulean Springs and the Springs of Western Kentucky, with LaDonna Dixon Anderson. Turner opened his personal archives to Thomas Harper and provided guidance during the compilation of Harper’s first book, Images of America: Trigg County, which is set for release on February 21, 2011.
Turner and Harper are seeking information, photographs and personal accounts about the Cadiz Railroad. For more information or to contribute materials, please call 270-498-1212, 270-839-6380 or email trigghistory@gmail.com.