Several hundred empty Louisville and Nashville Railroad cars that would normally be hauling coal from Eastern Kentucky sat idle in the yards on March 24, 1955,  at Ravenna in Estill County because of a strike against the railroad by non-operating employees (telegraphers, track men and clerks). The 57-day strike, one of the longest walkouts in rail history, paralyzed 14 Southern states, stalling transportation and freight, and shutting down coal mines. The strike stemmed from the L&N balking at accepting a health plan negotiated by the nonoperating worker unions with other railroads, calling for joint employer contributions. The L&N protested the cost, a $3.40 monthly payment by each employee and matched by the company. The walkout was marked by shootings of strikers and nonstrikers, and by train and bridge explosions. One striker was killed, and each side blamed the other for the violence. Published in the Lexington Herald on March 25, 1955. Herald-Leader Archive Photo