Lexington and Big Sandy Railroad
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Lexington, Kentucky |
| Reporting mark | L&BS |
| Locale | Kentucky (Fayette, Clark, Montgomery, Bath, Rowan, Carter, Boyd; built segment in Boyd) |
| Dates of operation | 1852–1869 |
| Successor | Elizabethtown, Lexington and Big Sandy Railroad |
The Lexington and Big Sandy Railroad (L&BS) was a standard-gauge railroad chartered in 1852 to connect Lexington with the Big Sandy River near Catlettsburg (later revised to Ashland).
Before the Panic of 1857 halted further work, the company opened roughly 10 to 12 miles (16 to 19 km) west from Ashland to Princess/Coalton, including the 975 feet (297 m) Princess Tunnel. Financial reversals left the project incomplete. In 1869, investors organized the Elizabethtown, Lexington and Big Sandy Railroad (EL&BS) as successor to the L&BS and began completing the central gap toward Lexington.
By 1881, the through route via Mt. Sterling, Morehead, and Olive Hill reached Ashland; EL&BS was the first railroad through Rowan County and was completed there in 1881. Between 1880 and 1892, the C&O leased and then purchased the EL&BS, operating it thereafter as the Lexington Subdivision.