Lynch in Harlan County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)
Railroad Station
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 20, 2017
1. Railroad Station Marker
This was a busy station, serving two passenger trains daily through the forties and then one train a day until L&N Railroad discontinued passenger service to Lynch on January 1, 1956.
The building was then converted to a central warehouse. With the closing of the 31 mine, the building was converted into a bathhouse.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1925.
Location. 36° 57.906′ N, 82° 55.047′ W. Marker is in Lynch, Kentucky, in Harlan County. Marker is at the intersection of West Main Street (Kentucky Route 160) and Church Street, on the left when traveling west on West Main Street. Marker is located on the Portal 31 Exhibition Mine grounds, on the south side of West Main Street and on the west side of the railroad station. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 Portal 31 Circle, Lynch KY 40855, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Restaurant Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Lynch Firehouse (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Lamp House No. 2 (about 300 feet away); No. 31 Mine Portals
this page online
More about this marker. This is a large, painted metal, "billboard-style" marker.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Portal 31 Exhibition Mine, Lynch, Kentucky
Also see . . . Louisville and Nashville Railroad (Wikipedia). The Louisville and Nashville Railroad (reporting mark LN), commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States. Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of the great success stories of American business. Operating under one name continuously for 132 years, it survived civil war and economic depression and several waves of social and technological change. Since all locomotives of the Gilded Age were steam-powered, many railroads had favored coal as their engines' fuel source after wood-burning models were found unsatisfactory. The L&N guaranteed not only
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 20, 2017
2. Railroad Station Marker (wide view; Lynch railroad station in background)
Additional commentary.
1. Once upon a time, you could travel to anywhere by rail from this railroad station
Lynch was the last stop on the L&N branch line from Pineville. Pineville was a junction on L&N’s Cumberland Valley Division whose primary line that ran from Corbin to Middlesboro, near the Cumberland Gap. Corbin was on the L&N main line between Louisville and Atlanta via Knoxville.
1925 timetables show two trains leaving Lynch for Pineville every day, one at 7:55 a.m. and the other at 4:45 p.m. They arrived at Pineville, some 63 miles away, about 3½ hours later. The returning trains from Pineville arrived Lynch at 10:40 a.m. and 9:35 p.m. The morning train from Lynch connected to the 1:15 p.m. train for the 1½ hour ride from Pineville to Corbin, and the afternoon train connected with the 11 p.m. train from Pineville to Corbin.
At Corbin, the morning traveler from Lynch could catch the 4:08 p.m. train to Louisville, arriving there that evening at 9:20 p.m. The afternoon traveler from Lynch took the overnight
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 20, 2017
3. US Steel Locomotive with Lynch Railroad Station background
If the destination was Knoxville or Atlanta, the morning traveler from Lynch would have to spend the night at Corbin and catch the 7 a.m. train the next morning, but the afternoon traveler would spend a few bleary hours in the Corbin waiting room until the train from Cincinnati to Atlanta came by at 2:31 a.m. That was Train No. 21, and on arrival at Knoxville at 5:40 a.m., a dining car would be added to serve breakfast before arriving at Atlanta at 11:35 a.m.
If you were traveling further, there were plenty of long distance trains to choose from at Atlanta and at Louisville to take you most anywhere you wanted to go in North America, including Canada and Mexico. The ticket agent at Lynch would staple together all the tickets you needed to reach your ultimate destination.
— Submitted December 31, 2020, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 20, 2017
4. US Steel Locomotive #102 (located near marker)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 20, 2017
5. 1917 Louisville & Nashville (L&N) Railroad Caboose (located near marker)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 1, 2021. It was originally submitted on August 14, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 346 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 17, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
