The train. It is a common memory all Americans share. We know the sounds and smells of the passing engine. We recognize the ting-ting of the gate coming down and the thump-thump of our cars driving across the railroad ties. What child, or adult, has not thrilled to the passing of a long train of cars and trailers? Who has not listened to a train whistle echoing through the night and wondered where the train was going and what it was carrying?

At one time, railroad lines connected small towns and big cities, seaports and inland canals into one great patchwork from sea to shining sea. Today, although trains remain a vital and important part of America’s transportation network, that is no longer true. Many old tracks have been pulled up for good and many old engines and cars long scrapped. Buried with them is the history of a nation.

"If you don’t understand the railroad, you can’t understand U.S. history," says Charles Bogart of Frankfort. "This country was built on railroads."

That is why a group of dedicated Kentuckians has banded together to preserve Kentucky’s railroad heritage through the Bluegrass Railroad Museum. They started collecting equipment in the 1960s, but did not have a permanent home, only temporary storage at the Bluegrass Army Depot, until 1986. That year they bought five and a half miles of track from the Norfolk Southern Railroad and worked out an agreement with the Woodford County Fiscal Court to open a permanent exhibit at the Woodford County Park.

"I know some people think we are crazy to pay membership fees to do this kind of physical labor when we could be out playing ball," says George Ware of Nicholasville. "Our members, however, feel that we all have a duty to preserve a bit of our state’s heritage. We are trying to preserve a small segment of our rail heritage."

That is a part of the reason for belonging to the museum staff, but not the only reason for most members, explains Bogart, who has belonged since 1987.

"For me it meant reverting to my childhood dream of working for the railroad," he adds.

Bogart, who works as a conductor, says it is the brute power of the locomotive that attracts him to trains.

"It’s hard to explain, but when you are in control of 100-some cars, each weighing about 100 tons, it is just an incredible feeling to have so much power in your hands," he continues.

Sound like fun? Well, don’t think you can join the volunteer staff and operate the engine your first day. Just like any other railroad, the Bluegrass Scenic Railroad is governed by federal and state laws and regulations. Volunteer operators must pass a series of written and hands-on tests that cover operation, procedures and safety requirements.

These are the same tests that employees of larger, for-profit railroads are required to pass. In fact, six museum members over the past two years have gone on to work for railroads, which creates a constant need to recruit new members. In addition to the obvious need for conductor and engineer, volunteers also work selling tickets, running the museum shop, maintaining the track and keeping the equipment repaired.

Maintenance and repair of both track and equipment are a never-ending task for the museum staff. For example, there is a constant need to repair ties. With 2,300 ties to every mile and each tie costing $12 (not counting installation) expenses can quickly mount.

The museum recently started a fundraising effort to replace every fourth tie on its length of track at a cost of $36,000. That money will only purchase the new ties, which will then have to be installed.

So how can you get involved? You can become a member, donate money, or stop by for a visit any Saturday or Sunday. For more information, call (606)873-2476.

 

Take a Ride on the Bluegrass Scenic Railroad

The Bluegrass Scenic Railroad offers a 90-minute journey through the picturesque Bluegrass countryside. Traveling along the mainline of the old Louisville Southern Railroad includes the sights for which Kentucky is famous, from horse farms to blooming wildflowers as well as a stop at Young’s High Bridge, a historic railroad trestle built in 1888.

You can also take a trip back in time every weekend from the last weekend in May through September, hop aboard the Halloween Ghost Trains the weekend before Halloween and the Santa Claus Special the first two Saturdays in December.

 

Deanna Mascle is a staff writer for The Lane Report