Brough’s Tunnel, located in Clifty Falls State Park, was an early attempt by the Madison, Indianapolis & Lafayette Railroad to build an alternate route between Madison and North Madison, Indiana. Their first route known as the Madison Railroad Incline Cut, was carved out of solid rock to bring the railroad down to the Ohio River in southern Indiana. However this route produced one of the steepest graded rail routes in the country, which proved problematic to maintain and operate. So in the 1850’s a plan was developed to bypass the Incline Cut. One of the artifacts of this attempted bypass was the incomplete 600 ft Brough’s Tunnel, also known as Brough’s Folly.
Today the tunnel is a playground for park visitors and in the winter hibernating bats.
Brough’s Tunnel, located in Clifty Falls State Park, was an early attempt by the Madison, Indianapolis & Lafayette Railroad to build an alternate route between Madison and North Madison, Indiana. Their first route known as the Madison Railroad Incline Cut, was carved out of solid rock to bring the railroad down to the Ohio River in southern Indiana. However this route produced one of the steepest graded rail routes in the country, which proved problematic to maintain and operate. So in the 1850’s a plan was developed to bypass the Incline Cut. One of the artifacts of this attempted bypass was the incomplete 600 ft Brough’s Tunnel, also known as Brough’s Folly.
Today the tunnel is a playground for park visitors and in the winter hibernating bats.
