Professor Muncey says: "In the 'Second Division' of the Road wood sills—red cedar in most cases—were used in some places."
It is interesting to note here that the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad advised our promoters in the first place to use the wooden sills.
Quoting from the Observer and Reporter of March 2nd, 1833, "The first six miles of the Rail Road is now in successful operation. The Car for some time past has run regularly three times a day and is usually filled with passengers. It expedites the progress of mail about one hour each trip."
Time was become a matter to be reckoned with you see.
And in the same paper appeared the following modest announcement for which I had searched for days:
"We are happy to learn that the steam locomotive constructed by our ingenious townsmen, Mr. Bruen, is hereafter to make regular trips on this road."
The car driver was allowed a salary of $22.50 a month. He and his assistant were to handle the car and the horses, take up fares, handle baggage and carry the United States mail.
There is a quaint epitaph in an old Scotch graveyard which says "Good times and bad times and all times, get over"; and so it was with our great little railroad. Its Charter had boldly set the Ohio River as its destination. On October 21st, 1831, it timidly started "towards Frankfort," and on January 31st, 1834, it reached that fair city with a sigh of relief after many hardships had been endured and many obstacles overcome. The cholera scourge of 1833 had halted its progress, difficulties had arisen through bad calculations of its engineers, and money was often sorely needed. Louisville seemed indifferent to its construction, being comfortably "seated" on the much coveted "water course." So the railroad stopped to rest at Frankfort and stopped so long it became known as the "Lexington and Frankfort Rail Road." Its arrival in Frankfort was celebrated by a grand ball at Brennan's (or Postlethwaite's) which is glitteringly described in the Gazette on January 31st, 1834, as follows: