Hardin to Paducah
Marshall and McCracken Counties
27.6 miles
The line from Hardin to Paducah was abandoned in the early 1980s by Seaboard/CSXT, but spent most of its life run by the Louisville & Nashville RR. It was built in 1890 as the Paducah, Tennessee & Alabama RR.
At the southern end, the line connects to trackage owned by the Hardin Southern RR which runs excursion trains. Several passenger cars and a caboose are stored on the end of the tracks in Hardin. The line travels through quite rural areas -- Benton is the only town along the way.
The highlight of the line is the National Wildlife Refuge in the valley of the East Fork of Clarks River. The line passes through several areas of river valley, forest, marshes, and swamps. In addition it is very near the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area.
In
Benton a section of the line is already designated a non-motorized path
and there are other sections of the line in the NWR that are marked as
trail.
Elsewhere there are signs that the line is used as an ATV or 4x4 track. Most of the line is intact and clear or somewhat vegetated. In a few areas the line is undetectable or obliterated, particularly in an area of recent construction on the north side of Benton.