Sanders Publishes Book on Cleveland Railroads

Craig Sanders announced today the release of his book Cleveland Mainline Railroads, which was published by Arcadia Publishing.

The 128-page book will be released next week. It retails for $21.99 and can be ordered directly from Arcadia at

www.arcadiapublishing.com.

The Akron Railroad Club, of which Sanders serves as president, will be ordering copies of Cleveland Mainline Railroads for sale to members and at various railroadiana shows.

The club will be selling the book at the Railfest 2014 train show at Lake Land Community College on March 15 and 16.

Sanders will also be attending a book signing at the Costco store in Avon (35804 Detroit Road) on March 1 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and at the Costco store in Strongsville on March 23 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Cleveland Mainline Railroads provides an overview of the primary railroads that served Cleveland during much of the 20^th century.

These were the New York Central, Baltimore & Ohio, Erie, Nickel Plate Road, Pennsylvania and the Wheeling & Lake Erie.

The book details when the predecessor companies of these railroads reached Cleveland and what freight and passenger markets that each railroad served.

By design, the book does not delve into switching roads and steel mill railroads, which Sanders said deserve a book of their own.

Most of the photographs came in Cleveland Mainline Railroads came from the Bruce Young collection housed in the Special Collections section of the Cleveland State University library.

The late Mr. Young collected railroad images from various sources in order to preserve a history of Cleveland area railroads.

Some images in Cleveland Mainline Railroads also came from the Wheeling & Lake Erie collection of the CSU Special Collections as well as the Cleveland Union Terminal collection. Many of the latter images were made by and/or donated by Herbert Harwood.

A few images in Cleveland Mainline Railroads were contributed by ARRC member Robert Farkas. These were taken in the 1960s and focused on the early Penn Central era when rolling stock and locomotives bearing NYC and PRR liveries was still commonplace.

The book has chapters devoted to each of the aforementioned railroads with the NYC chapter the longest due to its dominance of the Cleveland railroad scene. The second longest chapter is devoted to the Nickel Plate.

The bulk of the images in Cleveland Mainline Railroads show steam operations between the 1920s and the end of steam in the late 1950s. There are a few images that show railroad operations in the late 19^th and early 20^th century.

The diesel era is represented with images from the 1950s through the late 1960s, with a handful of images from the early 1970s.

Sanders said it was his intent in writing the book to focus primary on the railroad companies that existed through the 1960s. Hence, there is no chapter devoted specifically to Penn Central, which was formed by the 1968 merger of the NYC and PRR.

However, the chapters devoted to the PRR and NYC contain information and photographs about the early Penn Central era.

Likewise, the chapter on the Erie contains a focus on the Erie Lackawanna era, which began with the October 1960 merger of the Erie and Delaware, Lackawanna & Western railroads.

In researching the book, Sanders discovered some little noted railroad operations, one of which is featured on the book’s cover. That is the Euclid Railroad, which opened in 1884 and eventually became part of the Nickel Plate.

Cleveland Mainline Railroads is Sanders’ fourth book with Arcadia Publishing. His other titles include: Akron Railroads, Canton Area Railroads, and Mattoon and Charleston Area Railroads. Railroad history has been a lifelong interest of Sanders and he is a 25-year member of the National Railway Historical Society

He serves on the board of the Forest City Division of the Railroad Enthusiasts has been president of the Akron Railroad Club since December 2004. He is also a member of the Illinois Central Historical Society and the Illinois Central Railroad Heritage Association.

PUCO Directs NS to Improve Stark Crossing

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio has directed Norfolk Southern to install mast-mounted flashing lights and roadway gates at the South Mahoning Avenue grade crossing in Stark County.

PUCO said in a news release that NS must complete construction of the signal protection by Nov. 5, 2014. Funding for the project is being be provided by federal funds.

During the construction, PUCO will assist local governments with the cost of such improvements as rumble strips, illumination, improved signage or other safety enhancements. Funding for these improvements will come from the state Grade Crossing Safety Fund and will not exceed $5,000.

Cincinnati Streetcar Battle May Face Round 2

Having survived one battle, the under construction Cincinnati streetcar line may be being set up for another skirmish.

Railway Age magazine reported that the Federal Transit Administration appears to be encouraging Cincinnati to begin planning to extend streetcar line.

FTA has indicated that the line should be extended to the Cincinnati’s Uptown area, where 55,000 people work.

The line now under construction will serve an area that has 64,000 jobs.

Streetcar opponents are also ready moving to oppose further expansion of the streetcar line, which Mayor John Cranley and some city council members wanted to torpedo.

Critics are hoping that Ohio Gov. John Kasich will deny any state fiscal assistance to any streetcar expansion, as he has done in the past.

Those who stand to benefit from a streetcar extension, including Uptown’s businesses and institutions, seem to be reluctant to help pay for the expansion, saying it’s the responsibility of the government.

The FTA, which contributed $45 million to the current $133 million, 4.4-mile project, and made clear to Mayor Cranley and others last December that streetcar funding would not be repurposed, is urging pro-rail advocates to begin planning for a second step to access Uptown by streetcar. The Uptown area was to have been included in the original plan’s first phase.

Fire Up the 611! (And the 1218, Too)

As money is being raised and planning being done to restore Norfolk & Western J-Class steam locomotive No. 611 to operating condition, the locomotive is out and running all across America. Of course, those excursions of the 611 are models.

Akron Railroad Club treasurer Edward Ribinskas is a huge steam fan and the HO scale layout in his basement includes the N&W 611 as well as the N&W 1218. Both locomotives were active in the Norfolk Southern steam program until the railroad ended it in late 1994.

NS has since begun hosting steam excursions on a limited scale, using already operating locomotives, including the Nickel Plate Road No. 765.

There is good reason to believe that the 611 will run again some day, although there is no serious public discussion about restoring the 1218. For now, the prototypes continue to sit on display at the Virginia Transportation Museum in Roanoke, Va.

But on Ed’s layout, the 611 and 1218 are frequently seen out on the line.

In the top two photos, the iconic N&W steamers are posed after just existing a tunnel. The bottom photo shows the roundhouse, which is home to several NKP steam locomotives.

Photographs by Edward Ribinskas

Amtrak Turns on Wi-Fi Service in Midwest

Amtrak announced that complimentary cellular-based Wi-Fi service is now available on eight Midwest corridors.

These include routes linking Chicago with Milwaukee;  St. Louis; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Detroit (Pontiac); Port Huron, Mich.; Quincy, Ill.; and Carbondale, Ill. Wi-Fi is also available on trains between St. Louis and Kansas City, Mo.

The service, known as AmtrakConnect,  uses multiple cellular carriers, and 4G technology where available.

The equipment is installed under contracts with the states of Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin as part of their sponsorship of Amtrak service.

Amtrak said that about 85 percent of its passengers across its national network now have access to Wi-Fi. The railroad said that on routes already enabled, it routinely supports between 30 and 50 percent of passengers on any given train.
AmtrakConnect restricts such data-intensive activities as streaming video and music.

To promote the service, specially dressed “AmtrakConnect Ambassadors” will be riding some trains during the first week of Wi-Fi service.

The EL’s Invisible Yard in Akron

Did you know that the Erie Lackawanna had an almost invisible railroad yard in Akron?

When we look at the bus transfer center, that area is flat, yet at one time there was a second lower yard called the Belt Yard.

From this 1967 photo taken from the pedestrian bridge over the EL, this yard seems to work BF Goodrich.

I believe this was filled in to make the EL’s Akron intermodal yard. The mainline-level High Yard blocked the view from the east looking west and the buildings along South Broadway Street helped block the view from the west looking east.

Article and Photographs by Robert Farkas

What Better Place for A First Train Ride

I went for a ride on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad on Sunday with a ticket for the dome section of the Emerson.

The family shown in the photos above boarded at Peninsula. What better place for these children to have their first train ride than in the dome section?

The mother told the car attendant that her older child had been quite excited about going on the train trip.

It was a good day to be in the dome section of this former Denver & Rio Grande Western car that once saw service on the California Zephyr.

It was snowing and some snow stuck to the front the rear windows. Droplets of water made photography from the dome a challenge. But the view of the fresh snow in the Cuyahoga Valley National park was beautiful. Winter may be the best time to ride in the dome because of the extended visibility afforded by the leaves being off the trees.

The bottom photographs continue the theme of kids and trains. In the top image, a boy has one foot on the platform and another near the rail. The early morning snowfall has covered the tracks in front of Akron’s Northside Station.

In the bottom of the two images below, the girl in the foreground has a lot of wonder on her face as the train arrives into the station. Perhaps this is the closest she has ever been to a passenger train. In a few minutes she’ll be boarding and her Sunday adventure on the rails will be underway.

Article and Photographs by Craig Sanders

Losing a Train? Seek a New Highway

With Sault Ste. Marie set to lose its tri-weekly rail passenger service, the Ontario city’s mayor has called for the completion of an all-weather highway to link her city and Hearst, Ont.

Canadian National said earlier that it was ending the service on the former Algoma Central route effective March 30 because the Canadian government was halting a $2.2 million subsidy of the trains.

“This rail line is so important for Northern Ontario and I am always concerned when these decisions are made and based by people with no concept of the geography of our region and that type of thing,” major Debbie Amaroso said. “I challenge them to make the winter run through these communities and then put policies in place.”

Amaroso has also requested that the mayors of Hearst and Wawa produce data to quantify the economic impact the decision to end the trainwill have on their communities. That information will be presented to Member of Parliament Bryan Hayes.

The mayor said she is still seeking answers to a number of questions with regards to the timing of the announcement of the train discontinuance.

“This puts us in a compromised situation. We have only received two months notice and it is hardly fair to all the stakeholders to come up with alternatives this quickly,” she said.
Amaroso believes the group of community leaders first task is to convince CN to stall the cancellation of the passenger service, at least temporarily, and for the federal government to continue with the funding until long-term solutions are developed.

Algoma Central Railway began operating the passenger train service in 1914 when the line between Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst was completed. Wisconsin Central acquired the Algoma Central in 1995. CN acquired the WC in 2001. The Canadian government has been underwriting the service since 1977.

W&LE Locomotive News and Notes

W&LE No. 6347 is shown trailing west of Greenwich, Ohio, on Nov. 6, 2011. The blue and white EMD livery has been replaced with W&LE black and gold. (Photograph by Craig Sanders)

Another blue and white Wheeling & Lake Erie blue and white locomotive has been repainted into the company’s black and orange liver.

No. 6347, a former EMD SD40-2 lease unit that the W&LE acquired, re-entered revenue service in January after a rebuild. The unit was originally Milwaukee Road No. 174 before becoming EMD 6347.

In other W&LE locomotive news, the 6387 is still wearing its original Burlington Northern green paint although it has received a patch with its W&LE road number. The unit was originally BN 6779, a number it carried onto the BNSF roster.

Earlier this year, former BNSF/BN 7800 and former Kansas City Southern 668 were awaiting renumbering in Brewster and being made ready for service.

The W&LE planned to begin rebuilding and repainting another SD40-2 early in the year after releasing the 6347.

About Those CP Container Trains on CSX

Although Canadian Pacific motive power has not been rare in Northeast Ohio, it has not been an everyday occurrence either.

But that changed late last year when CP began routing its intermodal trains 142 and 143 over CSX between Chicago and Buffalo.

The trains had operated over Norfolk Southern between Chicago and Detroit, using the Chicago Line to Butler, Ind., and then turning north onto the former Wabash.

CP shifted Nos. 142/143 to CSX so that it could operate additional crude oil trains over the NS route.  Another factor was a desire to operate high cube containers, which were not allowed through the Detroit River tunnel that CP uses.

On CSX, the CP trains operate as Q165 and Q166. The Q166 is planned to depart Chicago at approximately 7 a.m. while the Q165 is planned out of Buffalo at about 10 a.m.

The times that these trains actually reach Northeast Ohio will vary depending on a number of factors, including weather and traffic.