Chesapeake and Ohio Dawkins Subdivision

The former Chesapeake & Ohio Dawkins Subdivision extends from Dawkins, near West Van Lear, to Evanston and is 36.13 miles long. The former coal-hauling branch has since been abandoned, although it may be converted into a rail-to-trail. It featured three grades of one to one and a quarter percent, and two tunnels.

History

The former Chesapeake & Ohio Dawkins Subdivision extends from West Van Lear, to Evanston and is 36.13 miles long. The former coal-hauling branch has since been abandoned, although it may be converted into a rail-to-trail. It featured three grades of one to one and a quarter percent, and two tunnels along with 35 bridges, some of which spanned over 200 feet in length.

The railroad derived its name from the Dawkins Lumber Company,(5) who incorporated the Big Sandy & Kentucky River Railroad (BS&KR) in 1912 to build 31-miles of track to Breathitt County.(3)(6) The corporate officers of the BS&KR were W.H. Dawkins as vice president, T.N. Fannin of Ashland and L.N. Davis as treasurer. The first segment to be completed was from West Van Lear to Riceville, where the BS&KR was headquartered from 1913 to 1920.

In 1920, the BS&KR was extended to Carver, which included the 662 foot Gun Creek Tunnel at Ivyton.(6) The office was relocated to Royalton,(3)(6) but the line was never completed into Breathitt County. The stock market crash of 1929 caused the company to declare bankruptcy. The Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) purchased the entire stock of the BS&KR on September 22, 1930.

It wasn’t until 1949 that the tracks from Carver was extended to Evanston in Breathitt County, when a 1,555 foot tunnel was constructed.(3)(6)

In 1972, the C&O became known as the Chessie system, when it formally merged the Baltimore & Ohio and Western Maryland that it had acquired earlier in 1960. In 1982, Chessie merged with Seaboard and became known as CSXT.(3)

In January 2002, the R.J. Corman Equipment Company (RJ) filed with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to acquire the Dawkins Subdivision from CSXT.(1)(3) The acquisition would extend from milepost .05 at Dawkins (West Van Lear) to 36.13 at Evanston. The transaction was scheduled to be completed on January 24.

On February 4, CSXT issued a general bulletin that RJ would begin interchange operations with CSX-17 at the Paintsville yard, which would allow RJ to use CSXT’s Big Sandy main line between Dawkins and the western end of the Paintsville yard.(1)

RJ operated GP16s #1829 and #1604 on the line, which were purchased from CSXT several years ago. Both were former Seaboard System GP9s.(1) One of the primary customers on the line was AEI Resources, formerly known as Addington, that began the Skyline Preparation Plant near Evanston in the summer of 2001. Coal from the mine was transported to the plant by truck.

At the time of the purchase, no revenue trains had operated on the line since 2000 due to repairs that needed to be completed on the line.(1) The last train operated on the line in 2003.(4)

On November 6, 2004, RJ filed an abandonment petition for the Dawkins Sub.(2)(3)

Rail to trails

Soon after RJ filed for an abandonment petition, the rail line was railbanked by the Kentucky Rails to Trails Council.(4) Railbanking is a federal and tate process that allows the railroad right-of-way to be preserved for future use as a trail, and prevents the property from reverting back to individual property owners. It also allows for a railroad to be reinstalled if needed. In the May 2011,(6) the rail line was purchased by the state for $500,000 with funds appropriated by the General Assembly in 2006.(5)(6) An additional $500,000 was granted from coal severance funds, and $2 millon in funding from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

The estimated cost for the rail to trail project is $2.1 million, and another $278,000 annually to maintain and operate the trail.(6)

In early September 2011, the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, which includes the Department of Parks, held a question and answer session in Paintsville, which also included officials from the Big Sandy Area Development District and the Finance and Administration Cabinet.(4) Only ten landowners voiced opposition to the project, claiming that crime will increase and property values will decrease from the project, and said that the state had “stolen” their property. Over a dozen spoke out in favor of the project.

The project development accelerated when the state became involved, notably because First Lady Jane Beshear, an avid equestrian trail rider, promoted the benefits of rail to trails in the state as part of the adventure tourism initiative.(6) Prior to that, support among local officials frequently changed.

“This trail will help attract tourists to Eastern Kentucky and will be a boost to the local tourism economy. This trail will not only promote adventure tourism, but it will also be a community asset that promotes fitness and health.”

-Governor Beshear (5)

The first 18.5 miles of the trail is slated to open as the first phase of the project in early 2012.(4)(6) When complete, the trail will traverse two tunnels and 35 trestles.

Gallery

Sources

1. Pleasant, Bryan and Ron Stafford. “Dawkins Sub acquired by Corman.” Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Magazine Mar 2002. 10 Nov. 2009 Article.
2. “Proposed railroad abandonments.” 2004. 10 Nov. 2009 Listing.
3. Big Lovely Mountain Trail Feasibility Report. N. pag. Summit Engineering, Inc., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2009. Report.
4. Stambaugh, Carrie. “Rail-trail plans on track, state officials say.” Independent [Ashland] 4 Sept. 2011: n. pag. Independent Online. Web. 8 Sept. 2011. Article.
5. “Gov. Beshear, First Lady announce latest adventure tourism attraction in Eastern Kentucky.” Kentucky.gov. Commonwealth of Kentucky, 9 Aug. 2011. Web. 8 Sept. 2011. Article.
6. Stambaugh, Carrie. “Abandoned rail could again help fuel parts of eastern Kentucky.” Independent [Ashland] 30 Aug. 2011: n. pag. Independent Online. Web. 8 Sept. 2011. Article.