Randy Osborne (left) chats with Pepper and Dinah Tyree at the 4th annual
L&N Day at the Berea Welcome Center. Tyree, owner of Honeysuckle Vine,
got into the spirit of the event by giving free balloons to kids in attendance.

L&N Day celebrates history of Berea rail service


When she wasn't handing out free balloons, Berea Tourism worker Hannah Fowles enjoyed a moment with a pup who was also on hand for Saturday's festivities.

It was like a day in the life of old Berea. The brick depot in Old Town bustled with activity as visitors came and went. Travelers mingled on the platform, while others gathered to wave to train engineers whose mighty locomotives lumbered into the station.

It’s been a long time since a train stopped at Berea’s old brick depot. Passenger service ended in 1968 and freight service was halted in 1971, but
Berea’s 4th annual L&N Day gave visitors a glimpse into an important part of the city’s storied past.

“It’s been wonderful,” said Connie Mondine, who works for the city’s tourism department. “It’s kind of like we’ve stepped back in time.”

The brick depot was built in Berea in 1917, part of a network of stations that served the Louisville and Nashville railroad line from Cincinnati to Knoxville, Tennessee. The first train of the L&N line made its maiden journey on August 25, 1855, traveling eight miles from Louisville at a then remarkable speed of 15 miles per hour.

Much has changed since then, but the trains that served the L&N line still inspire fascination among visitors today, said Mondine.

“The older folks talk about the days when they used to ride the trains or when they worked for the railroad. And kids are just amazed by everything they see here.”

Eleven exhibitors from Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana were featured at the celebration, showcasing model trains, memorabilia, literature and various artifacts from L&N line. In addition, representatives from the National Model Train Association and the Bluegrass Model Railroad Association exhibited intricate scale models of railroads, complete with scale model mountains and towns.

Since the event was first started in 1999, L&N Day has drawn more visitors and exhibitors ever year, and Mondine says she expects that growing interest to continue.

“It gets bigger every year. Each year we add more models and more exhibitors. We usually have just two working models, but this year we have five,” Mondine said.

Future events may feature a small train in the parking lot of the Berea Welcome Center, giving children a chance to ride on a small replica of the steel giants that used to serve the city’s rail passengers. And while L&N Day continues to entertain and educate younger generations about the role of the railroad in the city’s past, Mondine said she also gets a kick out of seeing grown men taking advantage of the event to rekindle their own boyhood fascination with trains.

“They love it,” Mondine said. “Some of these men with their trains are hilarious.”
Like in the days of old, visitors to L&N Day at the Berea Welcome Center waved to engineers as the steel giants lumbered into the depot.


Model railroads were one of the highlights of
L&N Day, fascinating kids and adults alike.

Written by Andy McDonald - Contributing Editor BereaOnline.com