Shortline punch list

[Kentucky & Indiana Terminal RR]

I'm a huge shortline fan, the smaller the better for me, this is usually a hot spot for switchers anyway. I've seen most of what little kentucky has in the way of shortlines and regionals. I've seen the tti, I (for lack of better judgement) work for the PAL, I started with corman, and have caught many many scrap yard/industrial locos. I've also lived in indiana and visited the cmpa, by far my favorite, the SIND and LNAC on many an occasion as indiana offers a hundred times the shortline action as ky does. Now I know you guys know of some jewels I need to see, some diamonds in the rough I call them, any good places an eccentric, odd, switcher loving railfan like myself can visit within a few hours of the bluegrass state? I even like abandoned engines, I can say I haven't visited stearns ky or that super rare and nearly off limits morehead rr that butch found. The more obscure the better.
I also have a sunshine state loving lady so trips to gator nation are gonna become more frequent so anything on our way would be of interest too. Here's my must sees but have yet to catch: aberdeen and rockfish, g and o in knoxville, and maybe the lancaster and chester. I need help making my list longer......

[E.M. Bell]

Not really shortlines, but if you take a drive East on 64 to the Ashland area, you can find some pretty neat stuff. AK Steel in Ashland has a bunch of older buttheads they use to switch the plant, and there is a scrap yard there that has a couple of older EMD's

Over the river in Kenova WV, the CRT coal place has a TON of oddball switchers as well as some modern stuff. That whole area is loaded with that sort of thing if you know where to go.

Southern Indiana also has (as you said) the LNAC, but there are a few more goodies up that way. The Southern Indiana (I think thats the right name) has a pair of Alco's, and the Madison RR has a couple of SW
s or NW's. 

Let me know if you want to go hunting sometime before long. Any of those is a easy day trip, and would be a nice change of pace from all of this mainline stuff. The Ashalnd, Kenova, Huntington area is enough to keep you busy all day, and go home without seeing it all!

[Kentucky & Indiana Terminal RR]

Yeah the girls live three blocks from the sind (southern indiana) shop, and the madison railroad, the cmpa is my favorite place to visit. I've heard that about the ashland area, I've always wanted to see that stuff, somewhere there is a place called coal run ky and they did have a ex Up, ex CP, sw10, my favorite rebuild ever, I've always wanted to see that one too. We should plan a trip down that way sometime.

[butch]

Could be the Coal Run sub on the Big Sandy, just before you get to Pikeville, you go under the tracks.  I don't know how many mines it services, but it goes through a tunnel a few miles up and then winds back down to Meta.  Robby Vaughn wrote a great article on it that can still be found at http://www.spikesys.com/Trains/App_coal/apcl_1.html .

[Ed Fury]

That refinery in Ashland would make an awesome panorama shot. I've seen RR tracks there passing by on Interstate 64. I'd like to stop once and check that place out myself. It is on my to do list.

[Matt L]

I'm a huge shortline fan, the smaller the better for me, this is usually a hot spot for switchers anyway. I've seen most of what little kentucky has in the way of shortlines and regionals.

If you like switchers (and vintage locomotives in general), then I would suggest that you check out the states of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. There are dozens of shortlines that NS services here in the Northeast. Many of them have older Alco, EMD, GE or even Baldwin power, so it could justify a number of trips for you.

[Kentucky & Indiana Terminal RR]

Man, I'd love to see and hear a good ol example of Mr. Baldwin's handiwork. Do you ever bump into old engines much that still have their original paint? Like pennsy, conrail, erie, etc etc

[Matt L]

Man, I'd love to see and hear a good ol example of Mr. Baldwin's handiwork. Do you ever bump into old engines much that still have their original paint? Like pennsy, conrail, erie, etc etc

The SMS shortline family has a couple of Baldwins running in NJ and the eastern part of NY state.

Orginal paint is sorta rare in the Northeast because of the mergers and takeovers that took place through the years. Here's an example:
Erie+DL&W=Erie Lackawanna->Conrail->NS/CSX. That timeline took place between 1960 and 1998... which meant alot of repainting. Also, a number of Northeastern RRs struggled in the pre-Staggers era, so there wasn't alot of cash to spend on preserving locomotives. Unless a diesel (or electric) locomotive was sold at the right time, the chances of it surviving with original paint are pretty rare. On the other hand, there are B&M, D&H, DL&W, Erie, EL, Lehigh Valley, NYC, New Haven, Pennsy and Reading locomotives that have been restored to the paint schemes of their original owners... by excursion operators, museums and even a few shortlines. More commonly, there are variations on original schemes to reflect the current operator. If there's something specific that you'd like to see, please let me know.

[Kentucky & Indiana Terminal RR]

Not sure when I'll make my way up north but I'd like to. I know some of our old switch engines still survive in PAL paint at grain elevators and what not, thats why I asked. I'm sure theres a lifetime worth of industrial places to find switchers up your way, thats actually my favorite, the title of this thread makes it sound like shortlines only, but it's really the opposite.

[Matt L]

Oh yeah, the industrial switchers are pretty cool in my neck of the woods. For example, there's a rare Alco T6 at the Alstom plant in Hornell, NY. Make sure to travel north- you'll enjoy it!