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Department of Travel
All Aboard Ky. Railroads Past and Present
FRANKFORT, Ky. -- There’s nothing quite like the experience of train travel through picturesque scenery. Viewing Kentucky’s vistas by rail offers opportunities to see and hear the power of locomotives as they snake along tracks and recollect a time when they were the primary mode of travel in the Bluegrass State. Step up to board vintage cars and present-day transport to feel the important and exciting role that trains played in the state’s heritage. Make a summer time date to visit more than a few museums throughout the state that display fascinating collections of railroad equipment and memorabilia. Here are several entertaining railway experiences for the novice, enthusiast and the entire family.
Kentucky Railway Museum, New Haven
800-272-0152, 502-549-5470 www.kyrail.org
All aboard a vintage train powered by L&N Engine #152, a steam locomotive built in 1905. It’s Kentucky’s official steam locomotive and is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. The 22-mile trip through the Rolling Fork River Valley is offered on selected weekends throughout the summer and fall. Also on display are over 100 pieces of rolling stock, including flat cars, cranes, refrigerated units, boxcars, Railway Post Office cars, hoppers as well as passenger cars and cabooses. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
My Old Kentucky Dinner Train, Bardstown
800-801-3463, 502-348-7500 www.kydinnertrain.com
Experience dining on-the-go as enjoyed in an earlier time when travel by rail included elegant dining cars that were a place to enjoy relaxed conversation, fine cuisine and gracious service against a backdrop of ever-changing scenery. Savor dishes prepared on board by chefs creating food with a regional flare in a modern kitchen car as you glide along a 20 mile trek west from Bardstown to Limestone Springs and back. Excursions are every Saturday for lunch and dinner with some Friday and weekday dinner trips during select times of the year.
Big South Fork Scenic Railway, Stearns
800-462-5664 or 606-376-5330 www.bsfsry.com
The Kentucky & Tennessee Railway launches a 16 mile round trip into the Daniel Boone National Forest and Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area departing at Stearns. This trip is full of spectacular scenic vistas, lush vegetation and mountain streams as it descends 600 feet into Red River Gorge before stopping at Blue Heron Coal Mining Camp, an outdoor interpretive site managed by the National Park Service. Your ticket includes admission to the McCreary County Museum in Stearns. The K&T Special runs April through October and round trip takes approximately 3 1/2 hours. Check the web site for special fare days and other offers that take travelers into the beauty of eastern Kentucky from a very different perspective.
Historic Railpark and Train Museum, Bowling Green
270-745-7317 www.historicrailpark.com
At this passenger depot visitors can climb aboard railcars, hear about life as a conductor and more. The Historic Railpark and Train Museum is located at the old Louisville & Nashville railroad depot in Bowling Green, which during its heyday, saw 20 trains arrive and depart daily. Vintage equipment and artifacts stoke memories of those who lived in this bygone era. Children are charmed and learn from informative, interactive displays that show life in a different time. Hear insight from recordings of an L&N cook, Pullman porter and conductor. Step out back to the train shed and climb aboard five railcars that show a colorful past. Hours of operation are Monday-Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 1-4 p.m.
Bluegrass Railroad Museum, Versailles
800-755-2476, 859-873-2468 www.bgrm.org
Don your engineer’s hat and see the scenic rolling hills of Woodford County float by on one-hour train rides offered every Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Rain or shine, take a 7-mile ride in enclosed and comfortable coaches. Special trips include staging of a Civil War Train Robbery on Sept. 5 and Sept. 6. Holiday related themed trips are also staged for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The museum is open from 1-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May through October. For additional ticket and departure information, check the web site.
Nostalgia Station Toy & Train Museum, Versailles
859-873-2497 www.ohwy.com/ky.n.nosttotr.htm
While in historic Versailles, visit the Nostalgia Station Toy & Train Museum, located in a refurbished L&N depot built in 1911 and see the displays of an array of model trains. Open Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 1-5 p.m.; closed major holidays.
Amtrak
800-872-7245 www.amtrak.com
For those who hanker for travel on present-day rails, Amtrak operates two passenger line with stops in Kentucky. “The Cardinal” runs three times weekly between New York, Washington, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Chicago. Between Washington and Cincinnati, the train wends its way through the Appalachian Mountains with stops in Ashland, South Shore and Maysville as the tracks follow the shores of the Ohio River through the hills of northeastern Kentucky. Also, Amtrak’s famous “City of New Orleans” makes a daily stop in Fulton, in the southwestern tip of Kentucky, on its runs between Chicago and New Orleans.
Caldwell Railroad Museum, Princeton
270-365-0582
Railroad memorabilia and caboose exhibits reflect the important role railroads played in the history of western Kentucky.
For information about these and other attractions throughout Kentucky, see the online visitors guide listed on the Department of Travel’s web site at www.kytourism.com.
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The Kentucky Department of Travel, an agency of the Tourism, Arts & Heritage Cabinet, promotes the Commonwealth as a travel destination, which generates revenue and creates jobs for Kentucky’s economy. Tourism is the third largest industry in the state and generated $11billion in revenue in 2008.
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