My first post was about my website with a page on the old tunnels of the Rathole Division. I put it in the "General Discussion" section. I guess it should have been in the "Vintage" section. I went back to tunnel #5 yesterday and made some new photos, from the south end. I put a couple of them on the web page. I'm going to try to put a smaller version of the inside photo on this forum page. Besides going to the tunnel, I went to other places and made some train photos. I stopped at an NS office, and talked with an employee who was outside, and asked if it would be ok to walk along the track toward a bridge, so I could make some photos. He said he thought it would be alright, to just stay off the bridge and tracks. I plan to have a page on miscellaneous train pictures. From looking on jreb, it appears that a lot of people have their own websites with train photos. I have seen many good ones. I guess I need to carry a camera all the time. Recently, on the way to Somerset, late in the day, I passed a train. Soon after, I turned off at a crossing and waited to see the locomotive, which had different colors. It turned out to be a "Southern" with green and white colors. First one I have seen. I rarely see one that is not black and white. I didn't have a camera. We were going to a grocery store. Here is a link to the page on old tunnels:
http://kentucky--woodlands--etc.eu.pn/Railroad/Old%20Tunnels/rathole-division.html (http://kentucky--woodlands--etc.eu.pn/Railroad/Old%20Tunnels/rathole-division.html)
(http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h344/Redford91/Railroad%20Photos/Tunnel--No-5--0018--500px.jpg)
Hey Bill, has the swamp on the south end of T5 dried up enough that you can get to the portal, or were you in mudder mode?
Butch--It is still a swamp, at the lead-in to the tunnel. I put a good photo of it on my web page for tunnels. I wore regular boots, not rubber boots. I was able to step on dirt and grass, tree parts, and some rock to get to the opening. I sank a boot just a little in mud now and then, and stepped quickly in water a few times, going to the tunnel. Right at the opening, is a pile of rocks above water. I could stand on that with no problem and make photos. On the way back out, I stepped in the wrong place and sank a boot almost to the top. I wanted to go through the tunnel, but didn't; not with my good hiking boots on. With rubber boots I could go through. My guess is that the water is less than a foot deep through there. What I saw is only several inches. There might be some deeper than a foot, but it is probably level. If I go back, I will probably go around to the north end. I don't know who owns the property. It might be people who live out that little road. My guess is that whoever lives out in the big open area owns a lot of land there, including land where the tunnel is. I might go out there some time and ask about it. I have been to the north portal before, but I went down a brushy slope from a road to the bottom. It would be nice to be able to drive back around there, and get to the old roadbed easily, then walk back to the tunnel. I wanted to walk some of the old road bed anyway, north of the tunnel. I will include here a 500 pixel photo of the swamp at the south end. I have a bigger photo of that place on my web page.
(http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h344/Redford91/Railroad%20Photos/swamp--tunnel-5--0012--500px.jpg)
Thanks, yep, they're nice folks. You can drive a lot of the old grade by going in up by the overpass.
Good stuff!