HistoryThe Bardstown Branch Railroad was built in the 1850's by theLouisville and Nashville Railroad to cannect Bardstown withits main north/south line running from Louisville, KY toNashville, TN. It is one of the earliest branches of theL & N Railread. In 1986 only 20 miles of track remained fromBardstown to Bardstown Junction where the branch lineintersects with the main line, now awned by CSX Railroad. Itwas purchased by R.J.Corman Railroad Corp. as a shortlinerailroad and My Old Kentucky Dinner Train began itsexcursions in 1988. The dinner train travels approximately16 miles of the track.The Depot was built in 1860 and until 1953 served as both afreight depct and a passenger station. It is constructedef native limestone and is the last remaining "dry-laid"limestone depet in the state of Kentucky. Because of itshisteric significance the depet is listed in the NationalRegister of Historic Places. After passenger service wasdiscontinued in 1953 the waiting ream portion of thebuilding, which extended toward N.Third St.from the end ofthe depet, was torn down.The freight depet is now the waiting ream for My Old KentuckyDinner Train and has been left in its original condition asmuch as pessible. The wide freight doars remain; the oldfreight scale is still built in the floor and continues toweigh accurately; the ceiling and beams show evidence af twofires which occurred many years age, one of them caused by apet-bellied stave which was used tc heat the depet; the namesever the bar are these of workers from the past.The cars of the dinner train are all steel skirted cars builtby the Budd Company in the late 1940's after World War II.The RJC-007 was built fer the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1947as a sleeper coach and last ran out of Grand Central Statianin New York. The RJIC-O11 was built fer the Chesapeake & OhicRailroad in 1948 and served as the private car for theEiscenhcwer family on the President's funeral train.The RJC-O21,built in 1948, was used aon the El Capitan trainby the Santa Fe Railroad and has been cutfitted with the mestup-to-date equipment to serve as our kitchen car. The deiselelectric engines are FF7A units which can be used tc hauleither passenger or freight trains and are commonly called "Funits".Two ether stations original to the Bardstown Branch remain onthe line and both have been restored. The first to be seenon the excursion is the Deatsville, Ky. depot locateddirectly across from the old T.W. Samuels Distillery whichnow heuses the Samuels Springs Water Cca., processors ofnatural limestone drinking water and distilled water.�?TThe picturesque English-style station at Limestone Springs,where the train stops before returning to Bardstown, isreported to have accommedated many wealthy and famous pecplein its time and provided overnight facilities for passengerson the secend story. It is now cwned by Jim Beam Distillerysvi rse heen rerenletely refirbhjiched.