Track Rehabilitation
Currently the BGRM operates between milepost 9 and milepost 6 at Milner. The museums biggest project is to rehabilitate and utilize the remaining 2 and a half miles.
-The priority goal of the track rehibilitation project is to extend the museums train ride from the Milner yard limit at milepost 6 to the trestle at milepost 4.7. This would extend the museums train ride from 3 miles to 4.3 miles.
This project includes the rebuilding of the west switch in the Milner yard, replacing ties, placing rails over the newly rebuilt 5.5 trestle, repairing some broken rails, and most importantly clearing away the vegitation and downed trees.
This phase of the rebuild is nearly 80% complete but volunteers and donations are sorely needed to complete it. Please visit the donations and volunteers pages.
The newly rebuilt trestle at milepost 5.5. The ties leading up to the bridge must be replaced and the rails across the bridge must be placed and spiked.
Looking down the line at milepost 5. Trees and vegetation downed by the ice storm of 2003 must be cleared away before our excursion train can travel through here.
-This section of the line has become it's own project because of it's drastically worse condition than the sections of track before it. It has been determined that in order for the excursion train to travel this section of the line a rebuild cost on the order of 2 MILLION DOLLARS would be required.
This is because along with the usual clearing away of vegetation this section of track requires a complete rebuild of the trestle at milepost 4.7, fixing small washouts, and the replacement of hundreds of ties.
The 4.7 trestle. Old and termite eaten it has been determined that this bridge must be completely replaced before we try to run a 120 ton locomotive and passenger cars over it. However, the museum is looking into a plan to use our track speeder collection in order to take limited numbers of people along this portion of the line.
Washout at milepost 4.3 that must be filled in.
Can you find the railroad in this picture? This is a view of "Hollow Cut" near milepost 4. This gives a clear example of the years of vegetation that must be cleared away.
West end of the Tyrone storage track. Oddly enough the track past milepost 4 all the way to the foot of the Youngs High Bridge is in very good shape. Only requiring the clearing away of brush and downed tree limbs. The cars in the background belong to the museum but have not been accessable since 1995 when the 4.7 trestle was declared unsafe. The cut into the tree line to the left of the boxcar is the roadbed for the old power plant spur.
--The Youngs High Bridge. Built in 1888 with the completion of the Louisville Southern Railroad this bridge still stands today originally as it was when completed. Having never been modified, strengthened, or overhauled this bridge stands EXACTLY as it was over 117 years ago. Having never been utilized as a tourist attraction by either Woodford County (on the east end) or Anderson County (on the west end) because of insurance costs, this bridge is considered to be one of the most underappreciated examples of 19th century construction in the nation.
--The BGRM's track ownership ends only feet from the bridges eastern end (the left side of picture going into the trees) and until 1995 was the stopping point for the excursion ride.
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