I found a photo I took on Sept. 22, 1984, of former Grand Trunk Western No. 4070 on the Cuyahoga Valley Line at the intersection of Portage Path & Merriman Roads in Akron.
I wanted to duplicate that shot with Nickel Plate Road’s 765 during its visit this month to the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.
On the Sunday morning ferry move to Akron I did that.
In the morning the sun favors the fireman’s side of a southbound train. However, at this location the railroad shifts facing west to east, thus the sun favors the engineer’s side.
The lighting was perfect for the 9:35 a.m. arrival.
The CSX office car special passes through Akron Thursday morning.Rattling the diamonds at Center Street in YoungstownAt Station Square in Pittsburgh. The Capitol Limited of the Baltimore & Ohio used to stop here.I got cloud skunked just as the train passed the Pittsburgh skyline
Thursday morning CSX ran its ofice car special across northern Ohio and Pennsylvania.
With two F40PHs and 11 passenger cars all decked out in a Baltimore & Ohio inspired livery it looked like the Capitol Limited had returned once again.
I first caught the special at Akron. The weather was foggy and overcast but my photos turned out okay.
Next was Youngstown where the weather wasn’t any better but I was interviewed by a local TV station curious as to why all the railfans were waiting on the Center Street bridge.
Then it was on to Station Square in Pittsburgh. The weather was much improved but we unfortunately were cloud skunked when the train arrived.
In times past the Capitol would have made a stop here.
Here are two photos of Midwest Railway Historical Foundation steam locomotive 4070 (ex-Grand Trunk Western 4070) operating on what was the Cuyahoga Valley Line and is now the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.
These were taken in September 1982. In the upper image the train is southbound nearing Akron. In the bottom image it is in Akron.
It’s December 1966 or January 1967 in Akron where Norfolk & Western No. 503 still wearing its Akron, Canton & Youngstown livery in the engine facility. The 503 is a rare FM H20-44 road switcher. Parts of AC&Y 105 (Alco S-2) and AC&Y 506 (FM H20-44) can be seen.
This trio of images was in Akron on May 20, 2021. Akron Barberton Cluster SW1500 No. 1502 was backing up in all three photos. Photos one and two were from the first time I saw the switcher and photo three was from the second time. ABC 1502 is backing up a second time.
Here is a view of HZRX GP35M No. 2348 as it crosses the Ohio and Erie Canal remnants in Akron on June 5, 2021, with a Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad train. It is only on the longest days of the year that this can be photographed in the sun on the northern side of the bridge.
No. 2348 has quite a history. It was built in February 1965 for the Pennsylvania Railroad and later served Penn Central and Conrail. More recently it was seen in Fairport Harbor in freight service.
It’s two days before America’s Bicentennial celebration as well as the first year of Conrail operation. This Conrail switcher remains in full Erie Lackawanna paint as it works in Akron on July 2, 1976.
The original slide from which this was taken was non-Kodak processed, underexposed, and had a strong purple color to it. Still, this may be of interest to some. Norfolk & Western Alco S2 switcher No. 105 (ex-Akron, Canton & Youngsrtown) is still in full AC&Y paint in Akron in December 1966 or January 1967.
Akron Barberton Cluster GP40 No. 4005 is eastbound on CSX in Akron on May 12, 2021. The unit was acquired in July 2019 and rebuilt at the Wheeling & Lake Erie shops in Brewster. It was released for revenue service in January 2020.
