Worley to Bell Farm
McCreary County
14.2 miles
This line was constructed to serve the
mines and lumber operations of the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company around
1900. It is well suited for trail development because it is mostly within
the property of the Daniel Boone National Forest and the Big South Fork
National River Recreation Area. It begins at a point near Worley.
The south end of
this section is part of the BSF Scenic Railway which brings trains from
Stearns to Blue Heron, but there are rails on the ground until about a
mile past Worley. It is unclear where the point of active use of the rails
ends, but at Worley they are warped, buckled, and washed out so it is
clear these are no longer maintained. The ownership of the right of way
that contains rails is also unclear, though according to maps from the
National Forest, it lies completely within the boundaries of the national
recreation area. The actual tracks may be owned by the Kentucky &
Tennessee RR, which runs the BSF scenic railway.
At Worley there are the remains of the
coal processing facility, tipple, and conveyor bridge across the 
river.
North of Worley there is at least one foundation visible from a former
home or industrial building. Near the bridge at Yamacraw there are no
longer rails on the ground (there are ties embedded in the grass for a
while) but the right of way is clear and wide and appears to be mown
regularly. The concrete bridge at Yamacraw was built in 1907 and is still
in remarkably good condition. The span is ballasted and
covered with grass -- there are no holes and it is safe to walk on, except
for the lack of guard rails. West of the bridge, the condition is not as
clear. Parts of it are grassy and run next to the road, while others are
more overgrown and cross over to the other side of the creek from the
road. It appears though that aside from some erosion, the bed is intact in
these places. Just west of Yamacraw Bridge, there is a remaining concrete
coaling tower or tipple structure.
Between White Oak Junction and Bell farm the line is used as a gravel auto road. While there is little opportunity for this to be converted to a dedicated non-motorized trail, it has very little traffic and would be well suited for hiking and biking and passes through some very scenic areas and along creeks. South of Bell Farm it appears that the line continues as a road through the National Forest and NRRA and connects with other hiking trails in the area. The line connects with the Sheltowee Trace trail near Yamacraw and passes near several amenities of the National Forest including several other trails, the coal camp museum Blue Heron, fishing and boating areas on the river, and campgrounds and horse camps.