- Old L & N Station
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Old L & N Station
Location: 602 N. 3rd Street, Bardstown, Kentucky Coordinates: 37°48′52″N 85°27′54″W / 37.81444°N 85.465°WCoordinates: 37°48′52″N 85°27′54″W / 37.81444°N 85.465°W Built: 1860 Architectural style: Greek Revival Governing body: Private MPS: Early Stone Buildings of Kentucky TR NRHP Reference#: 87002613
[1]Added to NRHP: July 12, 1990 The Old L & N Station in the northernmost section of the Bardstown Historic District of Bardstown, Kentucky is an historic railroad station on the National Register of Historic Places. Long owned by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N), it is currently used as the station for the My Old Kentucky Dinner Train, owned by R.J. Corman.
Contents
History
The impetus for a railroad departing south from Louisville was begun in 1832 by the citizens of Bardstown. However, after a $300,000 bond issue was defeated by other residents of Bardstown, the main line of the Louisville and Nashville instead bypassed Bardstown.[2]
The station was built in 1860 by the Bardstown and Louisville Railroad, which the Louisville and Nashville Railroad purchased the assets of in 1864. It was the only railroad station in Kentucky built of dry-stone.[3] However, the 18 miles (29 km) line to connect the station to the L&N's main line wasn't until March 1860.[4]
On February 1, 1888 the line was lengthened to connect Bardstown to Springfield, Kentucky.[5]
In 1953 service was discontinued to the station by the L&N, and the passenger section of the station demolished.[6] In 1987 CSX, who had purchased the L&N in the meanwhile, sold the old Bardstown line, including the station, to the R.J. Corman Railroad Group, which has since used it as a Short-line railroad.
Structure
The total land area of the station is 30 feet (9.1 m) by 75 feet (23 m). Both the structure, exterior, and foundation are made of dry-stone. There are two rooms in the structure. The roof is made of shallow gable.[7] The original passenger section was destroyed in 1953, but a waiting room addition was added to the station in 1992.[6]
Today
Currently the station is part of the complex for the My Old Kentucky Dinner Train, named for the My Old Kentucky Home State Park, where Stephen Foster allegedly got the inspiration for his song My Old Kentucky Home. Customers ride on vintage 1940s-era dining cars pulled by diesel-electric FP7A locomotives for a 150 minute, 37 mile ride to Limestone Springs and back, while engaging in lunch or dinner.[8] Sights to be seen during the ride include Bernheim Forest and the Jim Beam distillery.[6][9]
Within the station itself is a giftshop and an alcohol bar where cocktails are available.[10]
Gallery
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North side of station
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East side of station
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Rails beside the station
Notes
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ Herr pp.1,8
- ^ Murray p.1
- ^ Herr p.8
- ^ Herr p.100
- ^ a b c "My Old Kentucky Dinner Train Train Information". R.J. Corman Railroad Group. http://www.rjcorman.com/dinner/traininformation.html. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
- ^ Murray pp.1,2
- ^ Strecker p.63,64
- ^ "My Old Kentucky Dinner Train FAQ". R.J. Corman Railroad Group. http://www.rjcorman.com/dinner/faq.html. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
- ^ "My Old Kentucky Dinner Train". WMTH Corporation. http://www.trailsrus.com/rail/oldky.html. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
References
- Herr, Kincaid A. (2000). The Louisville & Nashville Railroad, 1850-1963. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0813121841.
- Murray-Wooler, Carolyn (December 1983). Old L&N Railroad Station NRHP Nomination Form. Kentucky Heritage Council.
- Strecker, Zoe Ayn (2007). Kentucky: A Guide to Unique Places. Globe Pequot. ISBN 0762742011.
History of Railroads in Kentucky Companies Frankfort and Cincinnati Railroad · Louisville and Nashville Railroad
Individuals Museums Big South Fork Scenic Railway · Bluegrass Railroad and Museum · Elkhorn City Railroad Museum · The Historic Railpark and Train Museum · Kentucky Railway Museum · Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati
Stations Ashland Coal and Iron Railroad Office · Ashland Coal and Iron Railroad Store · Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Passenger and Baggage Depots · Henderson, Louisville and Nashville Railroad Depot · Hopkinsville L & N Railroad Depot · Illinois Central Railroad Station and Freight Depot · Louisville and Nashville Railroad Depot · Louisville and Nashville Railroad Passenger Depot · Louisville, Henderson, and St. Louis Railroad Depot · Old L & N Station · Paris Railroad Depot · Shelbyville L & N Railroad Depot · Stanford L&N Railroad Depot · Union Station (Louisville) · Union Station (Owensboro)
Vehicles Frankfort and Cincinnati Model 55 Rail Car · L & N Steam Locomotive No. 152 · Louisville and Nashville Combine Car Number 665 · Mt. Broderick Pullman Car
Other Barren River L & N Railroad Bridge · Big Four Bridge · Cincinnati Southern Railroad Culvert--CSRR · High Bridge of Kentucky · Lexington Extension of the Louisville Southern Railroad · Louisville and Nashville Railroad Office Building · Mitchellsburg Louisville and Nashville Railroad Culvert · Russell Railroad YMCA · Tank Pond Railroad Underpass
Categories:- Buildings and structures completed in 1860
- Stations along Louisville and Nashville Railroad lines
- National Register of Historic Places in Bardstown, Kentucky
- Railway stations opened in 1866
- Kentucky railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places
- Buildings and structures in Nelson County, Kentucky
- Railway stations in Kentucky
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