CSX Transportation Historical Society

L&N - Lotts Creek, Danger Fork Branches, Jake's Fork Spur

A friend asked me to scan some of my stuff on the aforementioned coal branches that ran out of Hazard on the old Eastern Kentucky Division. Here goes:

1. L&N 2804-2763-2708-2701 (all U23Bs) depart North Hazard Yard heading out the Lotts Creek Branch with the “Hazard No. 3” mine run. 02-14-1982. L&N Lotts Creek.

2. Hazard No. 3 crosses the North Fork of the Kentucky River at Walkertown. L&N Lotts Creek.

3. Hazard No. 3 passes the Hilton tipple at Darfork. L&N Lotts Creek.

4. Hazard No. 3 approaches the KY 476 grade crossing at Darfork. 02-14-1982. L&N Lotts Creek.

5. L&N 2725-2713-1309-6035 on the “Hazard No. 1” mine run load a 30-car cut at Star Fire Coal’s Arnold tipple at Bulan. L&N Lotts Creek.

6. Hazard No. 3 with caboose 6312 passes Hazard No. 1 which is is waiting in the Arnold mine siding to resume loading their train. L&N Lotts Creek.

7. Hazard No. 1 heads out of the hollow at Darfork. L&N Lotts Creek.

8. Hazard No. 1 crosses the concrete arch bridge over the North Fork of the Kentucky River at Walkertown heading for North Hazard yard. 02-14-1982. L&N Lotts Creek.

9. C420s 1335-1374 (ex-Monon/ex-SCL nee-SAL) switch at Hardburly. 12-30-1976. L&N Lotts Creek.

10. L&N Lotts Creek.

11. Lost Mountain Mining’s Marion dragline strips overburden a their big surface mine near Bulan just north of KY 80. This coal was trucked to their nearby Sigmon loadout at Bulan. 10-06-1984. L&N Lotts Creek.

12. SBD GP38 2134-2163-4112 on the “Hazard No. 5” are on the main track under the Arnold tipple with CCDX (Dayton Power & Light) empties. 01-24-1987. L&N Lotts Creek.

13. Arnold was a 4-hour unit train load-out owned by Star Fire Coal. The siding capacity was listed as 72 cars, but it appears trains loaded on the main line of the Jake’s Branch Spur. I’m sure the Hazard yardmaster and the train’s conductor worked out the details. L&N Lotts Creek.

14. Hazard No. 5 appears to have shoved the empties into the siding. L&N Lotts Creek.

15. He has uncoupled from the cars he has left in the siding. L&N Lotts Creek. 01-24-1987.

16. SBD SD40-2s 8003-8118 on the “Hazard No. 8” mine run have finished loading at the Sigmon unit train load-out at Bulan. 10-13-1987. L&N Lotts Creek.

17. Hazard No. 8 has his train together and is ready to depart down the hollow for North Hazard Yard. L&N and CSX call this wye “Duane”, but various maps call it Bulan. The post office is Bulan. KY 476 seen here is old KY 80 between Hazard and Hindman. New KY 80 is 4-lane. In the foreground is the connecting track of the wye to the Jake’s Branch side. L&N Lotts Creek.

18. SBD GP38-2 2528-2534 head the “Hazard No. 2” mine run on Jake’s Branch. The NPPX hopper is parked on the connecting track of the Duane wye. 10-13-1987. L&N Lotts Creek.

19. Can’t tell if Hazard No. 2 is loading at Arnold or just waiting for the No. 8 to get on down the line ahead of him. Looks like unit train hoppers. Arnold was the only tipple on Jake’s Fork that loaded unit trains to my knowledge. L&N Lotts Creek.

20. Kentucky Coal Rail Loading Facilities, Ky. Energy Cabinet Div. of Coal Development, June 1985. Map.

21. Ky Rail Loading Facilities 06-1985. Sidings.

22. L&N Eastern Kentucky Div. emp. tt. #81, 12-12-1937. Note that “Lots” is spelled with one “T”. Lots Creek & Jakes Br.

23. Eastern end of the EK Div. showing the Lots Creek and Jake’s Branches out to Hardburly. L&N EK #81. 12-12-37.

24. Hardy-Burlingham Mining. Hardburly. Tipple.

25. Hardy-Burlingham Mining. Hardburly. Tipple.

26. USGS Hazard North quad, 1:24,000 scale, 1992. North Hazard yard to Darfork. Hazard North, KY, 1:24,000 quad, 1992, USGS. Click here for a larger image.

27. Darfork to Bulan, Hiner, and Hardburly circa 1992. Hazard North, KY, 1:24,000 quad, 1992, USGS. Click here for a larger image.

28. FL Coal Directory 1981. Cover.

29. FL Coal Directory 1981. Map. We will look at these branches during the CSX era later. Click here for a larger image.