Cumberland to Benham and Lynch
Harlan County
5 miles
This line was begun first by the Looney
Creek RR to open up mines in the Looney Creek Valley and to develop the
towns of Benham and Lynch; the Louisville and Nashville assumed ownership
early in the line's history. The railroad was opened to Benham in 1911 and
Lynch in 1918. Benham was a company town developed by the International
Harvester company and Lynch was developed by US Coal and Coke, a
subsidiary of US Steel. At the time it was built, Lynch was the largest
coal camp in the world. There remain extensive remnants of the mining
industry and company town landscape. Many of the original company houses
are intact as well as some 
company
offices, coal processing facilities, and schools. Portal 31 Museum is open
in a former lamp house and conducts tours inside a former coal mine.
Various mining equipment is on display here as well as a caboose and
locomotive at the refurbished Louisville & Nashville depot. Some rails
remain on the ground here between the coal processing plant and the depot.
In Benham, a former company store houses a coal mining museum and the former school houses a bed and breakfast. This town is also an exceptional example of a model coal company town. A small section of the right of way has been paved behind the mining museum in Benham and it is part of a park area.
The line was abandoned in 1996 and still
intact, with some overgrowth.
There is great
potential for a trail here for a number of reasons. The first is the prior
tourism/historic preservation developments. A trail connecting these sites
would further complement them and could be an additional avenue for
historic interpretation. The second is that the line is in quite good
shape and would require minimal reconstruction. The third reason is that
it would connect the two smaller towns of Benham and Lynch to Cumberland
with a safe, off-road transportation corridor. Cumberland is home to the
area's schools, community college, and virtually all commercial activity.
Currently there is a narrow sidewalk leading most of the way from
Cumberland to Lynch, but it follows closely along the road. A pathway on
the railroad right of way would provide a safe path for children and trips
to stores and civic amenities.
Surface Transportation Board records
indicate that the abandoning railroad company, CSXT, was asked to delay
disposing of the line until historic preservation inventories could be
completed (STB Docket # AB-55). It took some time to determine that the
abandonment would not adversely affect adjacent historic properties.
In 1998 the City of Benham petitioned for interim trail use but they were
denied because it was deemed that the official abandonment was approved in
1996 and the deadline had passed. It is unclear if the efforts to build a
trail were given up at that point or if there is still interest.