2011 Longest Day in Deshler

A westbound CSX ethanol train (K687) glides by the tower and passenger station at Deshler in the later afternoon of June 26, 2011. Akron Railroad Club members saw 31 trains pass through Deshler during the club’s annual 2011 longest day outing here. (Photograph by Paul Wooding)

 

ARRC members relax in the pavilion at the Deshler railfan park. (Photograph by Richard Jacobs)

Eight Akron Railroad Club members ventured into western Ohio on Sunday, June 26, 2011, for the club’s annual longest day outing. They were treated to 31 trains, which included a good variety of consists and motive power. Traffic was evenly spaced throughout the day with no exceedingly long lulls.

Paul Woodring was the first to arrive at about 8 a.m., having spent the night at Findlay. He was joined a half hour later by Craig Sanders and Marty Surdyk. Also arriving during the morning was Rick Houck. Richard Jacobs had spent the night in Findlay as well, but did not arrive until around noon. Jake made a weekend of it, railfanning in various locations in the region. Rounding out the list of attendees were Bill Kubus, and Tom and Mark Ward.

The vast majority of traffic through Deshler this day was eastbound and westbound moves straight through town on the former Baltimore & Ohio mainline between Chicago and Pittsburgh. This same route passes through Akron, although most of the traffic diverts at Greenwich to Cleveland via the former Big Four.

Traffic on the north-south CSX Toledo Subdivision was sparse. Two northbound moves went straight through town, but there were no corresponding southbound trains. A trio of trains swung around the southeast connection, with two going west to south and one going north to east. One train went east to north on the northwest connection. No trains used the southwest connection during our visit.

Most of the motive power was CSX. BNSF locomotives headed two trains, one loaded with Powder River Basin coal from Wyoming and the other a mixed freight. Union Pacific power pulled the eastbound reefer train that operates on an expedited schedule between California and the Pacific Northwest to a produce terminal near Albany, New York.

Unlike the ARRC’s last visit to Deshler in June 2007, the weather was good. In 2007, the forecast was for mostly sunny skies, but it turned out mostly cloudy and even rained. This was the product of an upper level disturbance. The sun didn’t appear until late afternoon.

In June 2011, the forecast was for cloudy skies and rain. There was considerable cloudiness early in the morning, but by late morning most of the clouds had moved out. There were some puffy clouds out and about, which look nice in photographs but can momentarily block the sun for a few minutes at inopportune times. By the time the last ARRC members left about 7:30 p.m. the skies were clear.

Also unlike 2007, there was no traffic on the nearby Indiana & Ohio line that passes to the west and crosses CSX at Hamler. We had been told that I&O does not operate north of Lima on Sundays these days. There was a grain train that was to use the north end, but it didn’t move on Sunday.

Marty, Craig and Paul capped the day with dinner at a Bob Evans restaurant in Fremont.

Train Log from 2011 ARRC Longest Day at Deshler

8 a.m.  WB-SB manifest    CSX 4828                 (na)

8:09    WB intermodal       CSX 5297                 Q157

8:28    WB intermodal       CSX 8718                 (na)

9:15     NB hoppers            CSX 7315                 K185

10:10   WB intermodal    CSX 7733                 Q161

10:35   EB intermodal     CSX 7723                 Q136

10:59   EB auto racks       CSX 606                   Q226

11:56   WB mixed freight  CSX 4540                 Q395

12:30 p.m. WB intermodal CSX 7769                 Q149

12:40   WB coke train          CSX 7869                  K311

12:45   EB intermodal          CSX 7322                  Q148

1:30     EB mixed freight      CSXT 7350                  Q382

1:45     EB intermodal           CSX 5340                 Q110

1:57     EB coal                        BNSF 6289                   U994

2:06    NB mixed freight      CSXT 775                   Q512

2:16     EB-NB mixed freight BNSF 1031                 Q324

2:23    WB intermodal            CSX 7894                 Q113

2:53    WB-SB auto racks        CSX 5474                 Q231

3:18    EB reefers                     UP 5408                      Q090

3:40   EB mixed freight          CSX 9021                 Q380

4:05   EB hoppers                    CSX 7387                  E490

4:54   EB mixed freight           CSX 8536                 Q368

5:18   WB ethanol                     CSX 9035                  K687

5:38   WB mixed freight         CSX 8137                 Q387

6:22   WB-SB mixed freight   CSX 7737                 Q365

6:28   WB intermodal             CSX 141                    Q137

6:40    NB-EB mixed freight   CSX 8095                Q340

7:08    WB coke train               CSX 7493                 K381

7:22   WB mixed freight           CSX 7309                 Q371

7:30   WB grain train                CSX 5411                 (na)

7:40   WB intermodal               CSX 969                   Q163