Lawrenceburg KY

[Ponce de Leon]

I was digging through the slide collection yesterday and ran across this image dated September 28, 1985----which should be of interest to Mr. Bell. At the time, I was driving home from Louisville via the "scenic" route after an aborted trip to see restored L&N 152 under steam (the next month I was successful). In 1970, I spent a number of weeks at Lawrenceburg while welded rail was being laid toward Talmage. I also got several motor car line ups in that old depot. Amazingly, I see one parked out front---which was probably the back-up for the hyrailer normally used by then.

Although the end windows are blanked out, I see the train order boards are still up....so I assume the agency was still open by then. In 1970, there were several open agencies between St. Louis and SJ Tower. Lawrenceburg was an "NC" train order office (8 to 4, M-F), but Harrodsburg was a "remote control" location, and the operator there controlled the signals between Talmage and SJ Tower. It was a continuously manned station, except for third and first tricks on Tuesdays, for some reason. Also, SJ Tower wasn't a wye then. It had been, and you could see the trace of the north leg---but with no reason to keep it, the track was removed. Much later traffic patterns changed, and of course now it's a busy spot for traffic between the "CS" and the line to Louisville.

[E.M. Bell]

That sure brings back some memories Ron, for myself, and I am sure for Mr. Wells to.  

As a kid, I spent many an afternoon after school there at the depot, watching trains, pestering the local crew, and sitting in the agents office soaking it all in. It was a different time back then, and a curious and well behaved youngster could do such things. At that time, the line was dispatched with train orders, and I learned more than any kid should know about lineups, 19R train orders, switch list and keeping one's mouth shut when such things where going on. As it seemed to be wit most all of the Southern folks, they where friendly and accommodating, and a few even encouraged the RR life. A certain recently retired engineer that held down the local job for as long as I can remember had a lot to do with my career choice when the time came. Most kids had football players and such as there personal hero's, I had the folks that worked in and around that old building....to me, a much more tangible thing.

At the time I was a fixture around the place, it was a beehive of activity with the signal dept, MofW, train crews...the whole 9 yards. Lawrenceburg remained an open agency until about 1995 or so. After the agents job went away, the building was still used by the local crew and signal dept for a few years, until the building was removed. Now, all that is there is a little white trailer the T19 crew uses to go on duty, and a lot of very good memories.

The depot itself was saved, and moved a couple of miles out of town along US 127, where it currently serves as a farmers market.

Here are a couple from my collection...stuff taken by a much younger me. The quality is not good on these, or the other gazillion shots I have from here, but they are about the most valuable pictures I have ever taken...atleast to me.

May, 1987. The outbound KY Derby special passes by the depot at dark.  I was 15 years old, with my dad standing right next to me as those F units and the awesome M5 horns they carried came flying by. He spent a lot of time watching trains with me...I would give anything to have that again.



January 2001. The fellow that bought the depot and had it moved, payed to have it painted and spruced up a bit before it was moved. A Eastbound grain train passes by, with the old building looking as good as I ever remember it looking. The was the very last picture I ever took of my old friend.

[Ponce de Leon]

Don't let anyone tell you otherwise: that 1987 shot of the Derby special is an extraordinary photo. Don't fret the grain---because it just adds to the appeal of the scene. The illuminated operator's bay, the t.o. signal, the green F-units bearing down, the orange SR motorcar on the right---man, oh man, you can almost smell this shot and hear the sound of those M5s blowing for the crossing.

Like you, my indoctrination into railroading came from hanging around the depots at Appalachia, Loyall, St. Paul, Frisco, and so many other places. I did the same things too---listening on the dispatcher wire to try to understand what was going on, and why.

I don't know how younger fans find the appeal in railroading these days. Much of the romance has been stripped away by the march of technology.

As for the 3499 in 1987----I photographed her on the point of an office car special at Duffield, VA the very next month after your shot at Lawrenceburg. She's shown just north of Duffield en route to Andover that morning. Yep....I was a few minutes late for work that morning, but I didn't care.

[Kentucky & Indiana Terminal RR]

Now this is my kinda thread!!! Love all the shots of the town I call home. I was just asking Em about the motorcar the other day, and oddly the thing of most interest to me is the drawbridge type loading ramp in the one photo there at extreme right. I miss seeing all these sights as they were, and yes a well behaved lad could get the royal treatment back in those days. My childhood heros never wore capes or had super powers, they were much bigger than that in my mind because the men I idolized as a kid wore funny hats and smoked pipes and made diesels roar to life on a daily basis in my youth. They never made the papers, or tv but they were famous to me nonetheless. They've obviously had a lasting effect on myself and mr Bell, they were men of true grit and quite the characters too at times. I have a mind full of memories of that place, and on rare occasion someone comes along with photos of this era and they no longer only exist in my mind, its hard to describe what thats like, but its a unique feeling and one of my most cherished, thanks to you both.