The 117milelong EK Subdivision allowed the Louisville & Nashville Railroad to access rich coal fields in eastern Kentucky, where it competed with the Chesapeake & Ohio. CSX connected the two railroads at Deane in 1980, shifting most outgoing coal trains to Ashland. By the early 2000s, daily traffic on the EK Sub decreased to an average of 4.

Through the 2010s, the EK experienced further declines in coal traffic due to EPA restrictions on mining and burning and a shift to natural gas. By 2015, trains operated as needed to a single mine in Typo. Traffic patterns were adjusted the following year so trains serving the mine would run via Ashland.

The last scheduled coal train over the EK ran in October 2016. From then until 2020, the EK’s sidings were used for car storage. The sidings were removed just before a 2022 catastrophic flood rendered much of the infrastructure unusable.

This aerial footage shows the EK Subdivision as it appears in fall 2023.

Sidings removed (length in feet):

• Evelyn: 10,000
• Heidelberg: 6,900
• Beattyville: 10,000
• Athol: 8,600
• Jackson: 8,000
• Copeland: 10,000

Total: 53,500 feet (10.2 miles)

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