Abandoned Rathole Tunnels

[nsgelocos]

Id figure I'd add my photos.

Tunnels 19 and 20 south of Andy Cooper Rd.

Little Lancing signal gantry indicating there is an interlocking at the next signal south (Lancing). The North Portal of Tunnel 19 is off the right of the signal gantry

North Portal of tunnel 19. The number stone has fell off the top and is down there somewhere. It was one of the first tunnels to be bypassed with a length only of 360 feet. The cut made around the tunnel was so close in proximity to the tunnel that it pushed the east wall in towards the south end. A small section of the west wall has fell in. Don't worry it is only a 8x8 foot section of wall.

The # stone on the north portal is still there.

A view of the south portal from mainline level shows how close the engineers made the cut around it.

North Portal from mainline level. Another view of how close it is to the cut.

Just around the curve, off to the right, and after some impressive ninja maneuvers through some downed trees is the North Portal of tunnel 20. The # stone is still up on this end and a little filled in. This tunnel was cut off the line a little later than tunnel 19.

Inside of it. A lot of the tunnels still have the old wooden ties within them. You can see the south end is very very filled in. That's about a 4 foot crawl space there.

The south portal. The number stone is in that pile of dirt... somewhere. Very filled in.


The old railroad grade runs for another quarter mile before linking up with the main. Along the old grade is a bunch of parts from vehicles. There is an old school bus down off to the side. Makes me wonder how in the *insert word of choice* it got there without much access down there.

After linking up with the main, the main swings around a curve over rock creek. Two large trestles are located there. Tunnel 21 used to be on the other side of the bridge in the cut. It's obvious that the newer bridge with the second track has resulted in it being daylighted. Butch has a photo earlier in this topic of the remains of a section of brick lining from 21.


I'd like to thank Butch for all the info and such on the tunnels

Enjoy

[butch]

To Aaron's comment on the brick lining of Tunnel 5, here are some examples:

[butch]

Rathole Tunnels Part IV:

I've made a couple of edits to the earlier posts and now to pick up where we left off, the northern portal of T8 is a short hike from T7.



It is a shorter tunnel, here is the T8 southern portal.



Maybe a half mile further along the old grade-an easy walk thanks to the ATVs who run through the tunnels- is the northern portal of T9.



T9 is another longer tunnel and once the southern portal is reached, a pond in the old cut soon forces you to turn around and head back.



Here is a good example of the craftsmanship that went into building the tunnels.  The stones for the arch  for T9 appear to have been pre-cut and labeled so that they could be installed correctly.  this can be observed at many of the tunnels.



Just north of the Cumberland Falls signal and only 270 feet long, T10 was daylighted in 1907.  The cut at that location is still in use by the current NS.



Just below where the current double-track ends is the remaining southern half of T11.  The northern half of the tunnel was filled in during the expansion of US 27.  The southern portal is just as swampy as T5 and harder to get to because you have to climb from the highway down into the old cut.



The by-passed remains of T12 are back in the woods just north of Wiborg.  Once again, the northern portal tends to be swampy.



The southern portal is easily reached from the ATV trail on the old grade.

[butch]

Rathole Tunnels Part V:

Now we've finally made it to Tennesse.  T13 and T14 were just below Helenwood along the abandoned track.  The northern portal of T13 is gone leaving the exposed brick lining.



The grade to the southern portal is tree-lined.



T14 is unique in that at some point it had the bottom of the tunnel blasted away to allow the creek to be diverted through it and eliminating not only the tunnel, but two bridges.



There are still several stone pillars from the bridge that faced the T14 southern portal.



The center span of the original CNO&TP [Cincinnati Southern really] Bridge 81 that spanned the New River is still standing.



The 1963 realignment that by-passed Bridge 81 also by-passed T15, the northen portal seen here located far down the side of the ridge.



However, the southern portal is easy to get to, sort of.  The old US 27 loop to Mountian View goes right across the top of it, you just can't get down in the cut-note the guard rail visilbe in the pic.

[butch]

Rathole Tunnels Part VI:

T16 is located on the northern edge of Sunbright and was posted the last time I stopped to check it out.  Here is an older view of the southern portal.



T17 is located just inside the cut that is just north of where US 27 goes over the tracks below Sunbright.  The northern portal is very difficult to see if you don't know what you're looking for.  The first pic is of the remains of the southern portal-look above the rock in the center of the pic.



After climbing up, the fill has settled and the tunnel can be accessed...if you don't mind the mud.



The T17 southern end is even harder to spot without foreknowledge of the location.



T18 is below Annadel and  near the tracks, but not really near anything else.  The current grade is above the top of the old tunnel.  The northern end is not directly accessable because of water.



The T18 southern portal is not directly accessible because of briars...well, it's really difficult anyway.

[Gene]

Thanks guys, love the pics. I'm even more intrigued now, lol. What a great thread.;D

[butch]

Rathole Tunnels Part VII:

Aaron has already posted T19 and T20 so let's move on to T21 at Lancing.  Just south of his bridge pic is where T21 was before it was daylighted.  There are still some places where the brick lining remains.



Now we're getting to T22, T23, and T24 at Nemo which were bypassed by the new T22 and T24 in 1963.

Access to the original T22 requires hiking through T23 and crossing the Emory River.  Here is the T22 northern portal.



And the T22 southern portal which while it appears relatively clear, is not easily seen from 100 ft. away.



T23 sits just off the curve between the new tunnels.  Here is the northern portal.



The southern T23 portal is right next to the current grade which is just to the left in this pic.



T24 is the granddaddy at Nemo.  While it is used for access, 4-wheel drive is recommended because of the multiple deep pools of water in the south end.  This view of the northern portal is no longer available because the stone arch of the portal has collapsed in the last year.



The southern T24 portal is still in good shape.



Three miles below Nemo is the bridge over Crooked Creek near the Coleman CP.  It's not a tunnel, but I like the pic.

[nsgelocos]

Just for everyone to see... As Butch mentioned, the Northern Portal of Tunnel 24 has had same collapse. Here is what it looks like since.
http://s251.photobucket.com/albums/gg302/nsgelocos/?action-view&current=tunnel24collapse001.jpg

No sign of the old number stone as whoever cleared the mess up to assist traffic through the tunnel has probably done run off with it... Although, me and Butch have a theory it might still be down there somewhere.  :

[butch]

Rathole Tunnels Part VIII:

Oakdale south: Though they are not included with every discussion of the Rathole because they were on the 3rd District, here are T25, T26, and T27.

T25 faces the Oakdale Yard and is the original tunnel.  It was enlarged in 1963 and the north portal can be seen from the highway bridge.



Getting to T26 requires going through T25, crossing the river on a boat, or going to the southern portal which means access through a gated community-be sure you have permission if you want to get to that portal. 



T27 at Harriman was by-passed in 1904 and has collasped at both ends.  The northern portal is on private land and takes a creative mind to see any evidence of the RR.



The cut to the T27 southern portal is behind the Harriman golf course.

[butch]

Rathole Tunnels Part IX:

The new tunnels T22, T24, and T26:  The massive realignment in 1963 [see http://southern.railfan.net/ for the great August 1963 Ties article "90 Years to Daylight"] included the construction of three new tunnels.

The T22 northern portal is accessed the same way as the original T22, just follow the old grade through the weeds.  Here a nb train approaches CW Tower.



The southern portal of the new T22 yields several possible photo angles: Right side.



Left side.



From the river.



Next to CNO&TP T23 southern portal.



The new T24 northern portal on a cold winter morning.



The new T24 southern portal  is a popular spot for pix.



The new T26 is difficult to access as already mentioned.  But I have been able to visit and caught a couple of sb trains coming out of the tunnel.

[nsgelocos]

I'm going to link my You-Tube videos I made a few years back to present. Including the tunnels

These are my Nemo Adventure videos in order Parts 1-3 with all the old tunnels. Walkthroughs on tunnels 22 and 23 and a drive through on tunnel 24.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U_xlCoMhXU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lUowMuz-Lg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6vpjX54TS0&feature=related

Tunnels 19 and 20 walkthrough with my friends *please pardon some of the dialogue from my buddy*  :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVjpNd8GePQ&feature=related

For Butch. The northbound train (after the first train of course) plunges into the tunnel, the ditch lights reflect the solid rock formation within the new tunnel 22. The new tunnels did not receive full concrete lining all the way.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYzLgomKn9Y&feature=related

Fall of 2010 vids of C.W. Tower with tunnel 22
51Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJVTEpIf0IA&feature=related
174
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZHKlxHnQME
215 with a Leslie RS-5T horn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGGfQ96-2d8&feature=related

[E.M. Bell]

That T14 just bewilders me.. I have been there myself and seen it, and I can just not wrap my head around the fact it was built for anything else than to run that creek through. Its just to narrow, and not from cave in's. Are we sure that was a RR tunnel? I just cant see a PS4 or TS1 fitting through there...heck, I would probably have to turn sideways myself!

[nsgelocos]

E.M. Bell -> My Uncle Mark, who lives in Oneida, says there is a tunnel up there next to highway 27. He said it's lined and all. (NOT REFFERING TO ONE DAYLIGHTED IN THE 1970s ON THE TENNESSEE RAILWAY). I'm going to try to get with him and find out more info on this tunnel and see if it's there. I'm not 100% sure on this account, but T14 could not be T14. However, Butch has said some of the track charts from the time 13 and 14 were in use specify that they are a half mile apart from each other. Also, the bridges close to there.

I begin to wonder  ???
Could there be a 28th Rathole? 

[butch]

Emmett, I would entertain the T14 creek by-pass not being the tunnel, but there are still old stone bridge supports on the south end that line up with it and the 1907 chart matches the location with bridges on both sides.  I don't have it on my laptop, but I'll post it when I get back home.  However, I'll put reinvestigation on my list.

Aaron, the T22 video jogged my memory-I have rock hopped the river when it was low and I do remember the lining transition.  And the Oneida tunnel is puzzling-was there another RR in the area?

[nsgelocos]

The Oneida tunnel is puzzling... I'm going to get in contact with my Uncle and such and try to get up there and get photos.

The only two railroads that were in Oneida was the Tennessee Railway (Oneida - Devonia) and the Oneida and Western that went... well... west.

I remember my uncle did say that "the old mainline" to the tunnel went through town at one time. I don't know which main he means, but the way he talked i believe he meant the CNO&TP.

[butch]

Emmett, this is some of the T14 bridge remains I mentioned.

[Ptrainman]

Very interesting line and photos. Exactally why was all this line abandoned and why where the tuneels daylighted where NS still uses the original grade? Also why where new tunnels put in at Oakdale? I have to agree with Emmett, though, I dont think a train could have made it through that Tunnel 14.



Paul

[Batman]

love this thread !

[butch]

Exactally why was all this line abandoned and why where the tuneels daylighted where NS still uses the original grade? Also why where new tunnels put in at Oakdale?

The best summary of the tunnel history is the August 1963 issue of Ties.  In Part IX, I linked to the Southern Railfan site that has it online.

[Gene]

Where's the best place to access tunnels 3 & 4?

[butch]

There's a little crossing by the Grove signal, go cross the tracks and turn left.  When the asphalt ends you're on the original CNO&TP grade.  You can drive to T3.  Wear long pants and don't step on any of Emmett's favorite pets.

[Gene]

Thanks Butch, I appreciate the info. I can't wait to get back down there.;D

[AD4YJ]

I have some friends in Wilmore that are trying to get permission from the land owner to get me access to tunnel #1. I don't know when/if this will happen, but if it does, I will post pics here.
Paul

[Gene]

Sounds great Paul, good luck and I can't wait to see the pics. ;D

[derekeh]

I absolutely love this thread. I started working for ns about a year ago and just this summer learned of these abandoned tunnels. I live in Somerset, Ky and can't believe I've lived here my whole life without knowing about these tunnels. So far I've checked out tunnels 2, 3, , 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 11. Hoping to check out 12 soon when I get a free weekend. Next year we will be working around Harriman and I plan to visit the Tennessee tunnels while in the area. I used Google maps to help me locate some of the tunnels but the coordinates were a little off. Is there a way for me to mark these tunnels on Gps as I visit them? I'd like to a have them spot on to help others in the future who may want to visit the tunnels.