Old Rathole Division Tunnels--No. 5

[Bill Richardson]

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

[butch]

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?

[Bill Richardson]

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.

[butch]

Thanks, yep, they're nice folks.  You can drive a lot of the old grade by going in up by the overpass.

[Ponce de Leon]

Good stuff!