Big South Fork Scenic Railway- Stearns Kentucky

We visited the Stearns area and rode on the Big South Fork Scenic Railway.  We were really looking forward to this one, and sadly, it was a huge disappointment.

I hate to say that too, because I know they are a non-profit and they are associated with the National Parks....  but the experience was sloppy and the people running the show should be embarrassed.

We actually pre-purchased our tickets on-line a couple of weeks prior.  We added (for $11 each) a "coal miners lunch" which looked interesting, and was advertised as being in a souvenir bag.

We found the visitor center and went in to get our tickets.  So far so good.  The ticket includes visiting a small local museum with some history on the area.  There are some interesting relics here.

A little before we were to board the train for our trip, we went to pick up our lunches.  Well, they were given to us in a brown paper sack.  We mentioned that we had prepaid for the souvenir bags.  We were then told that we could check at the ticket counter about getting a refund.

So, we went back to stand in line at the ticket counter.  The young staff there seemed absolutely confused by our request.  They were also obviously openly annoyed by us.  I told them that we prepaid for something, and if it was not available, I wanted my money back.  They couldn't do that.  I asked for a manager.  One was not available.  I asked for a manager's business card.  One was not available.  I have sent them messages through facebook and their website.  No response. 

By the way, the $11 sack lunch contained a banana moon pie, a canned drink, a small bag of chips, and a smushed ham and turkey sandwich.

We dropped our argument with the staff, as we had to get on the train.  The train ride was a train ride.  See my photo of the seats on the train.  They are obviously neglecting the care of the trains too.  There is pre-recorded narration along the way, but their audio system is defective.  You can hear maybe every few words of what is being said.  It is useless.


You ride to an old coal mining town.  The town was nice and informative.  The coal mining town is operated by the National Parks.  We did enjoy this, and I might recommend driving there on your own to check it out.

I don’t recommend dealing with a place that has no customer service, ignores customer complaints and has false advertising.