2016 Longest Day in Marion

The gang tries to chill out between trains at the Marion Union Station.

The Akron Railroad Club spent Sunday, June 26 in Marion for its annual longest day outing. Nine members and five guests made the trek to the railroad junction in central Ohio.

Between 8:10 a.m. and 6:20 p.m. CSX and Norfolk Southern put 27 trains through town, with all of them being mainline moves.

Paul Tait was the first to arrive, getting there about 8:10 a.m. Nine ARRC members and six guests were on hand for the event.

Norfolk Southern traffic was fairly steady throughout the day, but CSX died for four hours between 1:30 p.m. and just after 5:30 p.m.

During the time that I was present, we saw four trains on the CSX Columbus Subdivision and 11 trains on the Mt. Victory Subdivision. NS traffic on its Sandusky District was 10 eastbounds and six westbounds.

It was a hot, humid day with the temperature rising into the upper 80s. In late afternoon, skies turned mostly cloudy and some dark clouds to the northwest threatened, but never developed into thunderstorms that rolled through Marion. We did get some brief light rain.

Marion Union Station was open for tours as was AC tower. We spent much of our time, though, in the station breezeway, which offered shade and a cooling southerly wind.

Article and Photographs by Craig Sanders

Marty Surdyk finds the steps of AC tower to be a good vantage point to photograph an eastbound coal train on the Sandusky District of Norfolk Southern.

Paul Woodring seeks to finish off a roll of slide film by capturing an eastbound NS train crossing the CSX Mt. Victory Subdivision.

Adam Barr uses his cell phone to photograph a westbound coal train on the CSX Columbus Sub.

Watching from the steps of AC tower as an eastbound coal train with hoppers owned by Duke Energy roll past. Note the reflection of the train in the plexiglass window of the Erie Lackawanna caboose. The coal came from southeastern Pennsylvania.

Paul Tait watches a westbound manifest freight on the CSX Columbus Sub.