Now Just a Bare Spot

The site of the Baltimore & Ohio yard office in Akron is now just a bare spot. The rail line above is the CSX New Castle Subdivision between Pittsburgh and Willard, Ohio. The line to the right is the former Valley Line between Cleveland and Mineral City, Ohio. (Photograph by Craig Sanders)

CSX has demolished the former Baltimore & Ohio yard office in Akron that was damaged by fire on Oct. 1, 2013. The demolition was hardly a surprise because the structure was no longer in use. Once the last CSX yardmaster based here retired, the job was abolished.

Once a three-story building, the yard office served two B&O lines in Akron. The tower dated to at least 1919 and it might have been older. At some point, the B&O modernized it with new siding and a roof to give it the appearance that most remember.

The yard office once supervised hree yards in the vicinity of Akron Junction. Hill Yard was located on the Chicago-Pittsburgh mainline. On the Cleveland, Valley & Terminal line were Hazel Yard. located south of the yard office, and Valley Yard.

The top floor housed the chief clerk’s office and had had an exit directly to the B&O’s Chicago-Pittsburgh mainline tracks. The middle floor had the offices of the terminal trainmaster, crew caller and yard clerks. The bottom floor of the structure contained a locker room for crews.

Many railfans have mistakenly described the B&O yard office as “AY,” which are the call letters of a nearby interlocking tower. This tower, which was demolished many years ago, controlled the junction of the B&O with the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Akron Branch.

AY was located just to the east of the grade crossing of Arlington Street. It was operated and maintained by the PRR.

The yard office was located next to a bridge carrying the Chicago Line over the Valley Line. Crews called this location the “hole in the wall” or “the arch.”

Tags: Akron Junction, Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, CSX in Akron Ohio, CSX New Castle Subdivision