Bardstown station

	Old L & N Station
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	U.S. Historic district; Contributing property
	North side of station
Location	602 N. 3rd Street, Bardstown, Kentucky
Coordinates	37°48′52″N 85°27′54″W / 37.81444°N 85.46500°W
Built	1860
Architectural style	Greek Revival
Part of	Bardstown Historic District (ID83002837)
MPS	Early Stone Buildings of Kentucky TR
NRHP reference No.	87002613
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	July 12, 1990
Designated CP	February 17, 1983

The Bardstown station, also known as Old L & N Station, is a historic railroad station on the National Register of Historic Places in the northernmost section of the Bardstown Historic District of Bardstown, Kentucky. Long owned by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N), it is currently used as the station for the My Old Kentucky Dinner Train, owned by the R.J. Corman Railroad Group.

History

The impetus for a railroad departing south from Louisville was begun in 1832 by the citizens of Bardstown. However, after a $300,000 bond issue was defeated by other residents of Bardstown, the main line of the Louisville and Nashville instead bypassed Bardstown.^[2]

The station was built in 1860 by the Bardstown and Louisville Railroad, which the Louisville and Nashville Railroad purchased the assets of in 1864. It was the only railroad station in Kentucky built of dry-stone.^[3] However, the 18 miles (29 km) line to connect the station to the L&N's main line wasn't until March 1860.^[4]

On February 1, 1888, the line was lengthened to connect Bardstown to Springfield, Kentucky.^[5]

In 1953 service was discontinued to the station by the L&N, and the passenger section of the station demolished.^[6] In 1987 CSX, who had purchased the L&N in the meanwhile, sold the old Bardstown line, including the station, to the R.J. Corman Railroad Group, which has since used it as a shortline railroad.

Preceding station	Louisville and Nashville Railroad			Following station
Nazareth toward Bardstown Junction		Bardstown Junction – Springfield		Booker toward Springfield

Structure

The total land area of the station is 30 feet (9.1 m) by 75 feet (23 m). Both the structure, exterior, and foundation are made of dry-stone. There are two rooms in the structure. The roof is made of shallow gable.^[7] The original passenger section was destroyed in 1953, but a waiting room addition was added to the station in 1992.^[6]

Today

Currently the station is part of the complex for the My Old Kentucky Dinner Train, named for the My Old Kentucky Home State Park, where Stephen Foster allegedly got the inspiration for his song My Old Kentucky Home. Customers ride on vintage 1940s-era dining cars pulled by diesel-electric FP7A locomotives for a 150-minute, 37-mile ride to Limestone Springs and back, while engaging in lunch or dinner.^[8] Sights to be seen during the ride include Bernheim Forest and the Jim Beam distillery.^[6]^[9]

Gallery

East side of station
Rails beside the station

Notes

^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
^ Herr pp.1,8
^ Murray p.1
^ Herr p.8
^ Herr p.100
^ ^a ^b ^c "My Old Kentucky Dinner Train Train Information". R.J. Corman Railroad Group. Archived from the original on 2009-03-11. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
^ Murray pp.1,2
^ Strecker p.63,64
^ "My Old Kentucky Dinner Train FAQ". R.J. Corman Railroad Group. Archived from the original on 2008-07-30. Retrieved 2009-01-29.

References

Herr, Kincaid A. (2000). The Louisville & Nashville Railroad, 1850-1963. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-8131-2184-1.
Murray-Wooler, Carolyn (December 1983). Old L&N Railroad Station NRHP Nomination Form. Kentucky Heritage Council.
Strecker, Zoe Ayn (2007). Kentucky: A Guide to Unique Places. Globe Pequot. ISBN 978-0-7627-4201-1.

[nris-1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.

[2] Herr pp.1,8

[3] Murray p.1

[4] Herr p.8

[5] Herr p.100

[MOKDTTI-6] "My Old Kentucky Dinner Train Train Information". R.J. Corman Railroad Group. Archived from the original on 2009-03-11. Retrieved 2009-01-29.

[7] Murray pp.1,2

[8] Strecker p.63,64

[9] "My Old Kentucky Dinner Train FAQ". R.J. Corman Railroad Group. Archived from the original on 2008-07-30. Retrieved 2009-01-29.

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v t e Kentucky railroad history
Companies	Frankfort and Cincinnati Railroad Louisville and Nashville Railroad
Individuals	Basil W. Duke
Museums	Big South Fork Scenic Railway Bluegrass Railroad and Museum Elkhorn City Railroad Museum Historic Railpark and Train Museum Kentucky Railway Museum Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati
Stations	Ashland Coal and Iron Railroad Office Ashland Coal and Iron Railroad Store Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Passenger and Baggage Depots Henderson, Louisville and Nashville Railroad Depot Hopkinsville L & N Railroad Depot Illinois Central Railroad Station and Freight Depot Louisville and Nashville Railroad Depot Louisville and Nashville Railroad Passenger Depot Louisville, Henderson, and St. Louis Railroad Depot Old L & N Station Paris Railroad Depot Shelbyville L & N Railroad Depot Stanford L&N Railroad Depot Union Station (Louisville) Union Station (Owensboro)
Vehicles	Frankfort and Cincinnati Model 55 Rail Car L & N Steam Locomotive No. 152 Louisville and Nashville Combine Car Number 665 Mt. Broderick Pullman Car
Bridges	Barren River L & N Railroad Bridge Big Four Bridge Cairo Rail Bridge C&O Railroad Bridge Cincinnati Southern Bridge Fourteenth Street Bridge (Ohio River) Henderson Bridge (Ohio River) High Bridge of Kentucky Kentucky & Indiana Terminal Bridge Metropolis Bridge Newport Southbank Bridge Sciotoville Bridge Young's High Bridge
Other	Cincinnati Southern Railroad Culvert--CSRR Lexington Extension of the Louisville Southern Railroad Louisville and Nashville Railroad Office Building Mitchellsburg Louisville and Nashville Railroad Culvert Russell Railroad YMCA Tank Pond Railroad Underpass