Berea, Ohio
8:44am
Railfanning Ohio & Ontario, Canada,
April 28 - May 5, 2012
(click on each image to see a larger version -- approx 1024X768)
| April 29 | April 30 | May 1 | May 2 | May 3 | May 4 | May 5 |
RAIN! The trip started Saturday, April 28 in Berea, Ohio We arrived track-side by the station at 2:30pm and stayed until 9:00. We saw 30 trains but not a single photo! |
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Sunday, April 29 was a good day that started clear and cold but warmed quickly. We stayed by the station most of the day, then went over to the little station at Olmsted Falls until it was time to head on, seeing a total of 52 trains. Berea, Ohio 8:44am |
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8:54am |
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After the previous day's rain, the distiguishing factor for this day was the sky with high, thin sirus clouds giving contrast to brilliant blue. Something one would expect out West but not usually associate with Eastern scenes. 9:13am |
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11:38am |
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| 12:52pm |  |
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12:57pm |
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1:08pm |
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4:37pm |
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| 4:39pm |  |
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| 4:43pm |  |
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What is this decrepit-looking thing? Look closely at the frame and you see -- Southern #92198 |
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Olmsted Falls, Ohio 6:17pm |
| 6:38pm |  |
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7:02pm |
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7:05pm |
| Berea 8:02pm |
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The CPLs are still on the Toledo sub!!!! |
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1:59pm |
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2:42pm |
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Eastbound Ethanol train with CP power. 3:00pm |
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Git outta my shot ya stupid FOAMER!!! --
That's my buddy Howard shooting a Westbound. |
| 3:28pm |  |
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3:30pm |
| 4:13pm |  |
| 4:23pm |  |
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4:36pm |
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5:25pm |
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5:33pm |
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Auto-racks coming West around the connection to head South on the Toledo Sub. 5:42pm |
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Right on the heels of the last train we have another heading down the Toledo Sub, this time coming around the connection from the West. 5:45pm |
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6:02pm |
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A heavy drag of coil steel heading up the connection toward Toledo. 6:26pm |
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| 6:47pm |  |
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The rain is coming down pretty steadily and it's getting pretty dark -- time to put the camera away. But not until I catch one more Northbound on the Toledo Sub past those CPLs! 8:14pm |
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Tuesday, May 1, we again stayed most of the day at the park, it was slow early with a lot of track work on the line but things picked up in the afternoon and evening. Our train count today -- 31: Deshler 12:12pm |
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12:41pm |
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| 1:35pm |  |
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1:52pm |
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I believe this train might be Q090 -- an eastbound UP/CSX transcontinental fruit train that usually runs about three times a week. But, today... 2:06pm |
| 5:01pm |  |
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| 6:05pm |  |
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At Deshler I usually just sit back and watch the volume of traffic not really wondering much about operations, but this one had me puzzled -- I would think it to be Q090 but one of those had already run today. Huh??? 6:26pm |
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| 6:42pm |  |
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| 7:26pm |  |
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8:04pm |
| 9:10pm |  |
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Wednesday, May 2nd was a travel day, but we managed a stop at Fostoria at the site of the proposed railfan park. Eastbound roadrailer toward the C&O diamond and Blair Yard. Fostoria, Ohio 9:57am |
| 10:02am |  |
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Check out these guys pacing each other!!! 10:24am |
This CSX auto-rack train is coming around the Northwest connector under recently replaced signals and heading North toward Toledo. 10:32am |
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10:42am |
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| We met our Canadian host in Fort Erie, Ontario and headed over to the International Bridge to see what we could but this CN train was it. He left a long cut of auto-racks for NS to pick up and headed on into the US. 5:47pm |
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Thursday morning, May 3rd, we started at the pedestrian bridge at Bayview for the morning parade. Too late for the GO trains, the action was still pretty good. Burlington, Ontario 7:49am |
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5:25am |
| 9:06am |  |
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9:12am |
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| Okay, time to go someplace else! Nothing is going to move through here for a while! |  |
We went over to the CP main at a place called Guelph Junction where the Guelph Junction Railway (currently operated by the Ontario Southland Railway or OSR) meets the CP Hamilton and Galt subdivisions. We saw this and another Westbound but the day was an inexplicably slow one for freight action. Campbellville, Ontario |
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OSR #506 is an Alco RS-23, formerly CP #8013. Guelph Junction |
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Guelph Junction 12:03pm |
The "locals" refer to this spot simply as "Mile 30." It's a little cut at the top of the grade on the CN's Halton sub and not a bad spot for photos. Scotch Block, Ontario |
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1:55pm |
Back to Bayview (actually around the corner closer to CP Snake) for the afternoon rush. 5:03pm |
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5:15pm |
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The GO Transit trains all seem to be oriented for the morning inbound trip so in the evening we have to be content with control cabs and going-away shots. 5:30pm |
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Look closely, you'll see three headlights in the background: a yard job at far left, an approaching freight that will reverse down the long lead into the yard, and another GO train behind the one about to knock down the signals. Not visible is yet another GO train working Aldershot station out of sight on the right. 6"02pm |
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6:06pm |
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6:14pm |
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6:27pm |
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Friday, May 4th Bayview 7:10am |
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| 7:23am |  |
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7:31am |
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| 8:24am |  |
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This Eastbound freight is approaching the station at Ingersoll, Ontario at milepost 59.0 on the CN Dundas subdivision. 9:51am |
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This is a double-track line that sees a good amount of traffic -- no sooner had the Eastbound cleared than we heard the horn of this Westbound. 9:59am |
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Ingersoll also hosts the OSR's Tillsonburg Division and the former CP St Thomas Sub, now operated by OSR. Smoking like Alcos should, they've just dropped off a cut of cars and are headed back West to work a grain elevator in Putnam. 10:31am |
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We couldn't watch them into the elevator's yard but we did pace them a bit enroute with the RS-18 leading. 10:45am |
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We next went to Woodstock, Ontario, hoping to catch the OSR bringing cars for interchange with the CP. While waiting this eastbound appeared with a cool mix of power included the freshly over-hauled and repainted SD60 #6254 (formerly Soo #6054). 11:50am |
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Patience pays off and the OSR job did appear with a long cut for the CP. Unit #503 is an RS23 formerly CP #8029 built in September, 1959. RS18u #182 (ex-CP #1801) was built in April, 1958 as CP #8764. Hmmmm, I wonder how much of global warming can be attributed to smokey Alcos?!!!! 12:26pm |
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| We next went over to the VIA station in Woodstock at milepost 49.6 on the CN Dundas Sub. While waiting for Westbound VIA train #73 I decided to check out the angle from the nearby road overpass. I saw a headlight to the East but was surprised by an Eastbound behind me. The two trains met virtually underneath me making for a challenging situation! 1:49pm |
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No sooner had the freights cleared than the VIA's headlight came into view. I decided to stay on the overpass for the shots. I have to say I really like VIA's paint scheme on the big GEs! 1:57pm |
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| Bayview Burlington, Ontario 4:28pm |
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5:04pm |
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5:31pm |
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Our host lives close by the Welland Canal so we decided to take a look at this other form of transport. Sitting high in the water empty, the Algosoo is leaving a lock (can't remember which one) heading toward Lake Erie. |
| This is the Algoma Enterprise leaving the canal and entering the open water of Lake Ontario. |  |
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For the uninitiated (like me) this is a bulk carrier built in St. Catharines in 1979. Its gross tonnage is 23,395 tons and it's 222 meters long (730 feet). In case you're wondering, that's just about the same as the Edmund Fitzgerald! |
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On Saturday, May 5th, we left Canada in mid-morning and drove to Berea for an afternoon and evening of more foaming before the last jaunt home Sunday. 3:59pm |
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4:30pm |
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| 5:29pm |  |
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6:53pm |
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