Big South Fork Scenic Railway

The line that became the Big South Fork Scenic Railway was first graded by the Stearns Coal & Lumber Company in 1901, and the company opened its initial coal mine at Barthell the following year, 1902. In 1904 the Kentucky & Tennessee Railroad altered its corporate charter to the Kentucky & Tennessee Railway Company to fund extensions toward Worley, White Oak Junction, Cooperative and Bell Farm, and in 1936 it acquired a steel trestle from the New York Central Railroad that remains in use today; a year later, 1937, the Blue Heron Mining Camp opened with a one‑mile spur serving Mine 18. Negotiations to connect with the Tennessee Central Railroad collapsed in 1951, and in December 1963 the railway purchased four ALCO S‑2 diesel switchers from the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, after which the remaining steam locomotives were retired in February 1964. The Justus Mine, designated Mine 19, began operations in 1974 and ceased production in October 1987 under Blue Diamond Coal. The heritage operation itself launched on July 1 1982 as the Big South Fork Scenic Railway, preserving the historic route for tourists and rail enthusiasts.