What has become of the Morehead & North Fork line in Kentucky? This was one of the late steam shortlines, and all the line's last steam locomotives still exist, one still on the property last I knew. The track was isolated after the C&O main it connected with was torn up, but the M&NF (later the Morehead & Morgan Fork)was left intact. There was an ex-Southern 0-6-0 and at least one Baldwin diesel. A local enthusiast got one of the diesels going and started an annual RR days celebration, but later had a disagreement with the owners and this ended. Anyone have information, photos, etc? This is an untold story I think people would like to read.

ryarger1@nycap.rr.com

Bob,
I visited this place in the early-mid 60's and we caught 1 engine in service. I was pretty young and seem to remember a lot of tender-first images. My dad got a few movies.
I think one engine is still there in the engine house, and according to some local kids we know who went to college there at Morehead State, they still have a Railroad Days, and drag the stuff out once a year for this. I don't think anything runs though. There was a group I heard that was trying to do something, but I don't know if the trackage is still in or not. I am pretty sure the line is isolated now, and may just be some trackage in the town area only. Sorry I can't be more specific. I saw something on the web about this place a year or so ago also.
Steamingly,
Greg Scholl

Videos
sales@gregschollvideo.com

Hi,

Last I heard there was a group that was trying to turn the railroad into a museum. The C & O Main to Morehead has been removed, so the RR is land locked, but they still had 4 miles of track. I had also heard that one of the Baldwin Diesels had been trucked out and that one of the Tombstone Junction RR 0-6-0T's had been moved up there, but the original M & NF 0-6-0 that was at TJ RR went to Stearns, Ky (K&T RR). #14 (0-6-0) is still in the engine house as far as I know and there is a 2-6-2 #11 that is in Pennsylvania from the M & NF RR. I'm planning on taking a weekend trip up there towards the summer, when time permits and I get a better vehicle. Personally I would like to see the engines reunited and the RR made into a museum, as all the equipment and buildings are still there. "Ghost Railraods of Ky" has some great pictures of the engines and the RR and there is a picture of #14 running in "Twilight of the Steam Locomotive."

Stuart

Frisco 1506
gnufe@apex.net

> Hi,

> Last I heard there was a group that was
> trying to turn the railroad into a museum.
> The C & O Main to Morehead has been
> removed, so the RR is land locked, but they
> still had 4 miles of track. I had also heard
> that one of the Baldwin Diesels had been
> trucked out and that one of the Tombstone
> Junction RR 0-6-0T's had been moved up
> there, but the original M & NF 0-6-0
> that was at TJ RR went to Stearns, Ky
> (K&T RR). #14 (0-6-0) is still in the
> engine house as far as I know and there is a
> 2-6-2 #11 that is in Pennsylvania from the M
> & NF RR. I'm planning on taking a
> weekend trip up there towards the summer,
> when time permits and I get a better
> vehicle. Personally I would like to see the
> engines reunited and the RR made into a
> museum, as all the equipment and buildings
> are still there. "Ghost Railraods of
> Ky" has some great pictures of the
> engines and the RR and there is a picture of
> #14 running in "Twilight of the Steam
> Locomotive."

> Stuart

Stuart:

I believe that the M&NF 0-6-0 that remains at Clearfield, KY on the original M&NF is the #12 and not the #14. Number 12 was originally built by Alco (Pittsburgh) for the Southern as its #1643 (s/n 37672 9/1905). M&NF #14 was the 0-6-0 which went to Tuxedo Junction. Number 14 was originally built for the Union Railroad as their #77 by Alco (Schenectady) as s/n 71323 in January of 1944.


midlandblb@cs.com

Hi,

Your right on the numbers, sorry, everytime I look at Ghost RR of Ky, I think 14 looks more like a Southern engine than 12, so I get them mixed up but, 14 was at Tombstone Junction RR. Do you know anymore about what's happening at the M & NF RR today? I think that has been one of Ky's best kept secrets. It would be a shame to loose that little bit of Ky history.

Stuart

Frisco 1506
gnufe@apex.net

> Hi,

> Your right on the numbers, sorry, everytime
> I look at Ghost RR of Ky, I think 14 looks
> more like a Southern engine than 12, so I
> get them mixed up but, 14 was at Tombstone
> Junction RR. Do you know anymore about
> what's happening at the M & NF RR today?
> I think that has been one of Ky's best kept
> secrets. It would be a shame to loose that
> little bit of Ky history.

> Stuart

I had heard from a good source that Jerry Jacobson from the Ohio Central was interested in acquiring the M&NF 0-6-0 last year. I know the mechanics from SMS in New Jersey who run and maintain BLW diesel power had potentially eyed the M&NF Baldwin locomotive and even made a mechanical inspection of the unit. What resulted of their inspection, I do not know.

> I had heard from a good source that Jerry
> Jacobson from the Ohio Central was
> interested in acquiring the M&NF 0-6-0
> last year. I know the mechanics from SMS in
> New Jersey who run and maintain BLW diesel
> power had potentially eyed the M&NF
> Baldwin locomotive and even made a
> mechanical inspection of the unit. What
> resulted of their inspection, I do not know.

I hope that wherever she goes, she gets a good home. She was, at one point in her career, a Spencer yard switcher.

http://nctrans.org
Wrinnbo@aol.com

> I hope that wherever she goes, she gets a
> good home. She was, at one point in her
> career, a Spencer yard switcher.

Personally, I hope she stays where she is and the road is made into a museum. If she is still where she was when my dad visited there, she is in dry storage and protected from the weather in the M & NF engine house. I guess I'm a little biased, but I hate to see Ky history go somewhere else. I do acknowledge the fact that the engine was built for the Southern, too.

Stuart

Frisco 1506
gnufe@apex.net

A fine gentleman by the name of James Johnson has spent quite a few years keeping a close eye on the property and equipment. I met Jim back in 1994 before I graduated from U of Cincinnati and made a few trips to Morehead to see Jim and his family and the railroad. I last spoke with him in 1997, later in the year, and he was still trying to get the owner of the property to either give him a little more freedom to try to develop the site or spend some money to stay ahead of the deterioration. The last I heard, a western theme park was planned to be built near where the RR's interchange with the now-abandoned Chessie main was. Jim new that that could be a great draw for the RR if it ever got a chance to run.

I should look Jim up and see if he's still in Morehead. When I first met him, he was running a machine shop out of part of the enginehouse. Later he moved the business and I'm not sure if it's still around. He was also building an Allen Models 2-6-0 in 7.5" gauge.

The M & NF runs through some beautiful country and definitely has potential as there is a very popular state park within close proximity to the RR.

Rob Gardner


train@nls.net

I attended Morehead State University from 1974 to 1976. At about the time I had arrived the old M&NF had been reorganized as the Morehead and Morgan Fork. The idea was the turn the old Brick plant into a coal truck dump. New tracks were laid to a truck dump built in part of the Plant. I believe three ex-Durham and Southern BLW 4 axle Diesels were brought in.

The railroad started to pickup some business. Also a lumber mill was located at the end of the line 4 miles from Morehead near Clear Creek. The abandoned line to the south continued some 25 more miles into the hills. The Clack Mtn. Tunnel extended several hundred feet under the mountain ridge south of Morehead. The rest of the line extended towards West Libery, KY. It did not go there but that is the only town in the area that I remember. Since I´m in Lima, Peru right now it is hard to get my hands on a copy of Ghost Railroads of KY.

One other tunnel was used as a auto tunnel near Poppin Rock near the Cave Run lake back waters. It is closed now as well as one end of Clack Mt. The old M&NF had sold all it´s motive power in the late 60´s and had only retained the 0-6-0 and some rolling stock.

The M&MF found that Chessie wouldn´t set up any exchange rates after a few years. By the time that I left MSU in 1976 the railroad was nearly closed again. I returned in 1979 & 80 and the railroad was closed. I think this was all part of discurageing business so a abandonment petition could be filed. In the mid-80´s Chessie, now CSX abandoned the Lexington Sub division thru Morehead. The railroad owners I believed that the railroad would stay intact for some years and that they could pull the equipment out. One year the rail train came thru town and lifted the mainline.

Now the M&MF was land locked. The first Railfan days were held in 1975 or 76. I attended one in the summer of 76 before heading to the Army. Over the years the speculation as to the disposal of the railroad has been a subject of railfan rumors for years.

The chance of starting the railroad back is very slim. With the influx of new people in the town, especially the academic types that live around the area the NIMBY´s might come out. The railroad has not recieved any maintenance for 20 years. I have not been in Morehead for over 3 years. I suspect the right of way is being encrouched upon. Tourist now are finding Morehead since Cave Run Lake has developed that area. In the 90´s the students in Morehead helped push a wet/dry option thru legislation and turned Morehead into a wet city. Many Motel and Resturants have benefited by this. More tourist now stay as well as new motels have located in Morehead on I-64.

However the old C&O ROW thru Morehead is now a bypass road. The old depot and Frieghthouse still stand downtown near the University. The bridges have been removed on the Lexington Sub and some of the ROW is being turned into a hiking trail. Also depots at Olive Hill, Mt. Sterling and Ashland, KY are preserved. A derelict D&S Baldwin did sit outside the roundhouse under a shelter. Also a historic boxcar sat there. A ex-NC&StL, ex-Flemingsburg and Northern, then M&NF 500.

I hope that the statement made here is good option.
> I hope that wherever she goes, she gets a
> good home. She was, at one point in her
> career, a Spencer yard switcher.

Dale Brown
Lima, Peru

dwbrown1@fuse.net

Dale,

I feel for you. I bought a copy of Ghost Railraods of Kentucky and Ghost Railroads of Tenn. from Amazon.com just so I could find out about Ky and Tenn. Now when I get the time, I hope to go visit some of the places in those books. I plan on visiting the M & NF this summer, too.

Stuart

Frisco 1506
gnufe@apex.net