Cumberland River Bridge (Artemus-Jellico Railroad)

The Cumberland River Bridge, built for the former Cumberland Railroad, is a through truss structure over the Cumberland River in Kentucky.

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The Cumberland River Bridge, built for the former Cumberland and Artemus-Jellico railroads, is a Parker through truss structure spanning the Cumberland River near Artemus, Kentucky. Completed by the Cumberland Railroad in December 1905, it served as part of an eight-mile mainline connecting Artemus and Warren. ¹ By early 1906, the Southern Railway had acquired the Cumberland Railroad’s stock.

Plans were made to extend the line from Warren to Jellico, Tennessee—a distance of 26.4 miles—to access a large, undeveloped coal reserve. ¹ Although some grading work was completed, the extension was never fully realized.

After World War I, the coal industry that sustained the railroad declined. Southern Railway allowed the line to fall into receivership and bankruptcy. ¹ In June 1924, James A. McDermott of Barbourville, Kentucky, purchased the railroad at public auction and renamed it the Artemus-Jellico Railroad, reflecting its original intent. However, business continued to decline. In April 1952, the Kentucky-Jellico Coal Company, the railroad’s largest remaining shipper, formally notified management of its mine closure.

In June 1952, the company applied to the Interstate Commerce Commission for permission to abandon the railroad. ¹ Approval was granted in July, and operations ceased on November 1. Salvage work was completed by March 1953, leaving only the main Cumberland River bridge, which remained in use as a county road.

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Details

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Sources

1. Sulzer, Elmer G. “An Abandoned Kentucky Railroad. The Artemus-Jellico R. R.” The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin, no. 108, Apr. 1963, pp. 7-18.