Sept-Oct-Nov 2024027-SharpenAI-Motion
Eagle Tunnel—Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
It might not be apparent in this photo, but Eagle Tunnel, on the former L&N “Short Line” between Cincinnati and Louisville, was not long for the world when I photographed this southbound auto rack train on August 8, 2004. At 3:05 AM on January 5, 2005, southbound train Q231-01 derailed the lead locomotive and six cars when the train struck debris from a collapsed section of the tunnel. The train was traveling just seven miles an hour, and the engineer placed the train into emergency braking just six seconds before impact. The engineer and conductor sustained minor injuries. It was raining, and the crew said there was a “fog like” appearance inside the north portal of the tunnel, but they didn’t see any blockage until the train got closer. Before the brake application, the train was running at 17 MPH. The main line was on an ascending grade of 1.14 percent for southbounds just north of the tunnel, but then tipped over for a 1.15 percent descent toward Glencoe.
Eagle Tunnel dated to the 1870s, when the line was first built, but time and drainage issues would lead to its failure early that morning. Tunnel elimination through daylighting, undercutting, or other means had been an ongoing initiative on this line since the early 60s. As equipment got taller (particularly tri-level auto racks), the constraints left the L&N with a disadvantage for handling such traffic.
After the tunnel was fully daylighted, a new highway bridge for Eagle Tunnel Road was constructed over the cut. These days, it’s a favorite photo spot for railfan photographers.
Sept-Oct-Nov 2024027-SharpenAI-Motion
Eagle Tunnel—Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
It might not be apparent in this photo, but Eagle Tunnel, on the former L&N “Short Line” between Cincinnati and Louisville, was not long for the world when I photographed this southbound auto rack train on August 8, 2004. At 3:05 AM on January 5, 2005, southbound train Q231-01 derailed the lead locomotive and six cars when the train struck debris from a collapsed section of the tunnel. The train was traveling just seven miles an hour, and the engineer placed the train into emergency braking just six seconds before impact. The engineer and conductor sustained minor injuries. It was raining, and the crew said there was a “fog like” appearance inside the north portal of the tunnel, but they didn’t see any blockage until the train got closer. Before the brake application, the train was running at 17 MPH. The main line was on an ascending grade of 1.14 percent for southbounds just north of the tunnel, but then tipped over for a 1.15 percent descent toward Glencoe.
Eagle Tunnel dated to the 1870s, when the line was first built, but time and drainage issues would lead to its failure early that morning. Tunnel elimination through daylighting, undercutting, or other means had been an ongoing initiative on this line since the early 60s. As equipment got taller (particularly tri-level auto racks), the constraints left the L&N with a disadvantage for handling such traffic.
After the tunnel was fully daylighted, a new highway bridge for Eagle Tunnel Road was constructed over the cut. These days, it’s a favorite photo spot for railfan photographers.