EK Railroad Depot

Grayson’s city park is the site of what was once Grayson’s railroad hub and depot. Note that the street to the east of Park Street is aptly named Depot Avenue and what is now Carol Malone Boulevard was named Railroad Street until 1978. Grayson was at one time the main hub of the Eastern Kentucky Railway, which began in Riverton in Greenup County and connected to Grayson by 1871. Grayson would eventually house the offices of the Eastern Kentucky Railway as well as a passenger platform, repair shops, a turntable, scales, cattle pens, and an engine house.

The depot was located in the area of the city park and the EK Railway’s facilities continued north until slightly past the intersection of 4th Street and Carol Malone. The railroad was a particularly important development in Grayson, bringing economic development and greater connection to the region and country. In addition to all the coal, iron, brick, and livestock hauled over the years, the EK Railway connected to the Elizabethtown, Lexington, and Big Sandy Railroad (later purchased by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway), connecting local passengers to major destinations across the country.

Unfortunately, the EK went bankrupt in 1919, but some rail services continued into the early 1930s. Gas-powered passenger rail cars were built, the Blue Goose and Southern Queen, carrying customers from Webbville and Willard to Grayson and vice versa. For example, students from these more southerly communities could commute to school in Grayson by rail if desired for $7.20 per month. Eventually, limited revenues and maintenance costs caught up with what remained of the EK Railway. The last services took place in 1933.