2012 Dave McKay Day

From left are Alex Burchac, Marty Surdyk, Craig Sanders and Dennis Taksar. (Photograph by Richard Thompson)

Dave Mangold arrives at the McKay Day event shortly before he was to report for duty at Rockport yard for Norfolk Southern. (Photographs by Richard Thompson)

Our official group shot. From left are Bill Kubas, Marty Surdyk, Richard Thompson, Cody Zamostny, Dennis Taksar, Craig Sanders, Alex Bruchac, Paul Woodring, Rick Houck and J. Gary Dillon.

Sixteen Akron Railroad Club members turned out for the eighth annual Dave McKay day outing at Berea this past Saturday (April 7). The outing honors the ARRC’s longest-serving president, who died in late 2004.

Here is the log of trains that members saw during the outing. Shown is the time the train passed through, the direction of travel, the railroad used, train symbol symbol (if known) and lead locomotive number.

9:07 a.m.         EB CSX          NA      CSX 9023

9:14 a.m.         EB NS             NA      NS 9248

9:50 a.m.         WB CSX         Q357   HLCX 6215

10:01 a.m.       EB CSX          L164    CSX 8786

10:04 a.m.       WB CSX         Q383   CSX 5243

10:17 a.m.       WB CSX         Q149   CSX 5305

10:39 a.m.       WB CSX         Q113   CSX 367

10:40 a.m.       EB CSX          Q356   CSX 2502

10:46 a.m.       WB NS           21Z      NS 9266

11:02 a.m.       EB NS             14N     NS 2609

11:02 a.m.       WB CSX         Q377   UP 4019

11:07 a.m.       EB NS             572      NS 8051

11:07 a.m.       EB CSX          Q364   CSX 160

11:25 a.m.       WB NS           205      NS 9674

11:35 a.m.       EB NS             22K     NS 9548

11:52 a.m.       EB NS             206      NS 8997

12:06 p.m.       WB CSX         Q371   CSX 547

12:33 p.m.       WB NS           21G     NS 9140

12:42 p.m.       WB NS           11G     NS 7544

12:42 p.m.       WB CSX         Q163   CSX 7567

12:58 p.m.       EB NS             310      NS 8357

1:03 p.m.         WB NS           145      NS 9821

1:55 p.m.         WB NS           15N     NS 9882

2:20 p.m.         WB CSX         K683   CSX 633

2:15 p.m.         WB NS           63W    NS 9148

2:45 p.m.         EB CSX          Q010   CSX 5456

2:56 p.m.         EB NS             24Z      NS 9284

3:01 p.m.         EB CSX          Q068   CSX 5207

3:12 p.m.         EB NS             18N     NS 9307

3:27 p.m.         EB NS             16N     NS 9647

4:19 p.m.         WB CSX         Q161   CSX 7928

4:22 p.m.         WB NS           261      NS 9661

4:36  p.m.        WB NS           25V     NS 9875

4:45 p.m.         EB NS             24M     NS 9337

4:50 p.m.         WB NS           51V     NS 6804

5 p.m.              EB NS             20E      NS 2775

5:10 p.m.         WB CSX         Q009   CSX 5356

5:18 p.m.         EB NS             262      NS 9968

5:26 p.m.         WB NS           15N     NS 9804

5:41 p.m.         WB NS           21Q     NS 7703

5:53 p.m.         WB CSX         K673   CSX 7618

6 p.m.              EB CSX          Q396   CSX 4511

6:06 p.m.         WB NS           11V     NS 9699

6:16 p.m.         EB NS             64G     NS 9260

7:30 p.m.         EB NS             I8Z      NS 9824

7:43 p.m.         WB NS           11K     NS 7644

7:59 p.m.         EB CSX          Q366   CSX 8155

8:07 p.m.         EB NS             16E      NS 2593

8:29 p.m.         WB CSX         Q385   CSX 229

As train traffic goes, it was a busy day with club members seeing 49 trains over a nearly 12-hour period. In terms of diversity, the pickings were rather ordinary.

We didn’t see any Norfolk Southern heritage units. There were no late Amtrak trains. The Wheeling & Lake Erie train to Cleveland didn’t operate. Not a single BNSF unit showed its face during the day. The only foreign power was a lone UP unit on CSX, a trailing CN unit on the last train of the day and a former BN unit trailing on another CSX train.

Perhaps the most exciting sight of the day wasn’t on the rails, but in the air. The Goodyear blimp passed over at 4:30 p.m. en route back to its base at Wingfoot lake.

Still, the weather was nice and the fellowship helped make the day. Eight club members ventured to the nearby Casital del Lago Mexican restaurant for dinner.

We will do it again next year.

The photographs shown below were taken by Richard Thompson