Cruising Creston

CSX GP40-2 No. 6907 is eastbound in Creston, Ohio on Feb. 20, 2012. The locomotive was built in February 1980 for the Chesapeake & Ohio.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

Coming Through Creston on the New Castle Sub

CSX C408W No. 7528 is eastbound in Creston on Feb. 20, 2012. This is the New Castle Subdivision and at one time was the mainline of the Baltimore & Ohio to Chicago.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

W&LE Two for Tuesday

Here is a pair of images of Wheeling & Lake Erie action from 2013.

In the top image, W&LE No. 106 is eastbound on CSX after passing the eastbound signal for CP Lambert on the Akron-Barberton border June 6, 2013.

As for the bottom image, no this is not a W&LE Heritage paint job. It is WE No. 5413 Notice the small letters on the cab.

This unit was formerly Denver & Rio Grande Western 5413. The second unit is a W&LE locomotive while the third unit is another former D&RGW locomotive. The train is eastbound in Creston on June 15, 2013.

Photographs by Robert Farkas

W&LE Two for Tuesday in Creston

Today’s two for Tuesday features the Wheeling & Lake Erie in Creston. In the top image SD40-2 No. 7375 is on the point of an eastbound on April 4, 2012. In the bottom photo, the same unit is eastbound on March 26, 2011. The 7375 was built in March 1975 for the Missouri Pacific.

Photographs by Robert Farkas

Westbound at Creston

Wheeling & Lake Erie SD40T-2 No. 8795 is on the point of a westbound in Creston, Ohio on Nov. 15, 2015. This locomotive was acquired by the W&LE in September 2014 from the Squaw Creek Southern and placed into service the following month. It was originally built for the Southern Pacific in April 1980 and also spent time on the Union Pacific locomotive roster. It has since been renumbered as Wheeling 5411.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

Catching Westbounds in Creston

I caught three westbound trains in Creston on the afternoon of March 7, 2020. For some reason I was unable to catch the train numbers of these three.

In the top photograph is a CSX intermodal train that appears to be the Q015, but I’m not certain.

In the middle is a manifest freight on the Wheeling & Lake Erie following by another image of a CSX auto rack train.

Photographs by Robert Farkas

Some Recent CSX New Castle Sub Action

Here are a pair of views that were recently made on the CSX New Castle Subdivision. In the top photograph, CSX AC44CW No. 307 leads an eastbound at Sterling on Aug. 10, 2019.

On the same day, ES44AC-H has a westbound in tow as it rumbles through Creston. Note that this consist is the current state of the art for precision scheduled railroading of mixing in a cut of intermodal traffic on a manifest freight.

Photographs by Robert Farkas

W&LE Completes Siding at Creston

The new siding at Creston in a view taken Brooklyn Street at the west end of the siding. (Photograph by Richard Jacobs)

The Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway has finished installation of a 6,900-foot siding at Creston to provide a badly needed place for trains to pass on the Brewster Subdivision between Brewster and Spencer.

The siding has powered switches and signals. The view above shows a red aspect on the signal. It does not mean “stop” in the usual railroad parlance. It only means that the signal has not been activated by an approaching train.

The signals are activated by a tone generator from an approaching train. This switch has a specific code. The switch at the other end of the siding has a different code. The signal aspect will go “green” for normal (straight through alignment) and “Aaber” for reverse (switch lined for the siding). This system is prevalent at many W&LE locations.

Richard Jacobs