Yesterday i scouted this company in Lexington. R.J. Corman Railroad Group, LLC is a privately owned railroad services and short line operating company headquartered in Nicholasville, KY, with field locations in 23 states. It was owned by Richard J. Corman, who established the company in 1973, and ran it until his death on August 23, 2013.
I visited their headquarters and maintenance complex in Nicholasville. I needed some industrial background for a client so I was focussing on the maintenance centers.
There was plenty of options for sure. They have entire Locomotives been worked on and lots of cool heavy equipment. See the full scout here. The red corporate color is everywhere and adds a fun feel to this industrial location. But the fun part was yet to come. In talking to my RJ Corman rep I found out that they operate an old fashion passenger train with a Bourbon/dining experience. I was intrigued. So I drove an hour away to the town of Bardstown, famous for its quaint downtown and surrounded by Bourbon distilleries. Bardstown is known as ” The Bourbon Capital of the World”. It’s a great place to check out ( i will post on this later ) You can explore more here
Lots of good restaurants and bourbon bars to discover here. But the coolest thing on that day for me was ” my old Kentucky dinner train”. Full disclosure here I haven’t done the ride and dinner yet. It’s booking super fast but it’s definitely on my bucket list for KY. I did a bit of research and it looks super fun. The menu is pretty good as well. During the month of October and November, they host a murder mystery dinner a la “clue”. I will definitely book during that time. This is what they say on their website: “We invite you to join us on board for a memorable journey that’s sure to keep you guessing! While riding through Kentucky’s scenic countryside, you get to enjoy a gourmet four-course meal and a live murder mystery show! Our elegant train cars are the perfect setting to immerse yourself in the intrigue as you participate in the murder mystery. Enjoy a different kind of evening when you join our mystery train ride with friends or family! It’s a dinner you won’t forget.”.
I will definitely post more on this experience. I love the old charm and the ” orient express” vibes. Would be a cool location for a shoot. If you’re interested in finding out more about the dinner train visit their site here
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