Rail cars donated to Tourism Commission for planned railroad museum

Above, the French Broad River, a 10-6 sleeper car owned by the Cincinnati Museum Center, is being donated to the Corbin Tourism and Convention Commission for a local railroad museum.

Plans are still in place for the opening of a railroad museum in the old L&N Depot building in downtown Corbin in May, and officials with the Corbin Tourism and Convention Commission confirm they have acquired two of the four railroad cars they were targeting for permanent display at the museum.

Corbin Tourism Director Maggy Kriebel said this week that The Cincinnati Museum Center has agreed to donate a Pullman Standard sleeper car named “French Broad River” to the upcoming museum.

“This is a huge development for the museum,” Kriebel said, shortly after receiving confirmation of the gift.

“It’s all starting to come together. I think it’s going to be amazing if we can get all four pieces of the plan together.”

Alan Onkst, Chairman of the Corbin Tourism and Convention Commission, said the French Broad River is probably the No. 2 priority out of the four train pieces the board seeks to acquire.

“It’s a big one. Getting this one is a big deal,” he said.

According to Jeffrey Cawood, a senior studying sociology at Eastern Kentucky University, and an integral part of the team planning Corbin’s railroad museum, Southern Railway got 72 cars from Pullman Standard between 1949 and 1950 and turned 24 of them into 10-6 sleepers, “meaning that they had 10 roomettes and six double bedrooms.”

“These cars were placed into what they called the River series, aptly named after prominent rivers alongside their service territory,” Cawood said.

The car was assigned to the subsidiary CNO&TP (Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific) for service on the Royal Palm.

“The streamlined sleepers hauled passengers from points between Cincinnati and Miami.  The CNO&TP is one of Norfolk Southern’s busiest corridors, seeing upwards of 50 trains on a busy day. The segment was recently highlighted by Trains Magazine and a number of railroad enthusiasts can be seen along the line photographing trains on any given day.  Particular focus has been given to the many bridges and lush landscapes surrounding the bustling line.”

French Broad River was assigned to Amtrak in 1979, and then was retired in 1982 before being sold to the Railway Exposition Company in Latonia, which later became the Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati. It was purchased by the Cincinnati Museum Center, but Kriebel said the center had been paying to house it on the property in Latonia and planned on ending the arrangement.

Kriebel said R.J. Corman Company has agreed to donate a caboose to the project as well.

“They are gifting it to us, but their paint shop burned down, so they are trying to figure out how to get it painted,” Kriebel said.

The biggest prize for the museum still remains — L&N Railroad Engine 2132, one of three steam locomotives still in existence that operated in the Corbin area. It is currently on display in Bainbridge, Ga. at the Earl May Boat Basin Park on the Flint River.
Built in 1922, the engine and it’s accompanying tender were eventually sold to Gulf Power Company in Florida. Upon its retirement from service, the engine was subjected to years of neglect before it was moved to Bainbridge.

“That’s the real historical prize,” Kriebel said. “That’s the one that we really want to get.”

Onkst said at first the city of Bainbridge agreed to allow to the engine to be used at the museum, but then had second thoughts, suddenly realizing its value. He said Corbin City Manager Marlon Sams spoke with officials in that city and got a dialogue going again on possible procurement of the engine.

“I don’t think they realized what they had,” Onkst said of Bainbridge officials. “I think once they realized what they had, they got to thinking about letting lose of it.”

Kriebel and other officials plan to travel to Bainbridge on Jan. 20 to make a presentation to the Bainbridge City Council in hope of striking a deal for the engine.

Kriebel said the boiler of the engine has been cut in two, making it impossible to be returned to working condition. However, with a number of experienced volunteers from the CSX locomotive shop who have agreed to donate their personal time, the engine and tender will be returned to otherwise pristine condition. She added CSX is interested in selling a fourth car, another caboose, to the Tourism Commission to complete the display.

The inside of the museum is planned to consist of a “roundhouse from the past” and will include all kinds of displays of local railroad artifacts and a diorama of the Corbin rail yard. The hallway between the main rooms of the depot will be known as the Tunnel of Thought, and plans are to have a railroad timeline and directional audio snippets giving important facts and historical tidbits.

The last portion of the museum, and the largest, will be split between the present of transportation and freight rail service, and the future. Kriebel said companies like Siemens have been contacted to help with displays. Also, local companies will be able to sponsor displays at the museum.

The area will also house an impressive interactive technological piece — the only one of its kind in the state.
Requests for proposals for exhibits are currently being sought.

A formal call for the donation of artifacts for the museum has been made by Eastern Kentucky University today as well.