CSX Geometry Train in Willard

One of the highlights of a January 2011 railfan outing with two fellow Akron Railroad Club members was finding the CSX geometry train sitting in Willard.

Presumably, the two-car train was spending the weekend there between assignments.

Apparently GP40-2 No. 6025 is often assigned to the train. The website RR Pictures Archive contains numerous images of the 6025 working the geometry train going back several years.

It was built in September 1972 for the Baltimore & Ohio, so it must have felt right at home being back in Willard.

Out ‘West’ on CSX

Today we’re going out west to view a couple of CSX trains at two hotspots.

You probably think of somewhere west of the Mississippi River or in the Rocky Mountain states when seeing the term “out West”

But in this instance we mean west of Akron.

Both photographs mere made on April 21, 2011. The top image was made in Williard at toward the end of the yard.

The bottom image shows an eastbound on the former Big Four crossing the former Baltimore & Ohio mainline that runs through Akron and Youngstown.

Photographs by Robert Farkas

CSX Closes Willard Locomotive Shop

An online report indicated that CSX has closed its locomotive shop and fueling facility in Willard.

The move also meant layoffs for most of the machinists and electricians employed in Willard.

The report said CSX has retained four workers in the car shop to staff a truck that can provide oil, sand, water and brake shoes as need to outlying points

CSX in recent years has downgraded its yard operations in Willard.

The carrier is said to have at least four trains that pick up and set off blocks of cars in Willard, but they do not do much other switching.

Chessie ‘Heritage’ Unit in Willard

Last week Chesapeake & Ohio 8272, which CSX has restored to its Chessie System paint scheme, started its journey to the Lake Shore Railway Museum at Northeast, Pennsylvania.
On Saturday morning it was parked at Willard, where I got these photos. It will arrive at Northeast sometime this week.

Photographs by Todd Dillon

PUCO OKs 3 Grade Crossing Projects

Three grade crossing projects got the go ahead from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio this week.

Indiana & Ohio Railway will install mast-mounted, cantilevered flashing lights and roadway gates at the crossing at North College Street in Sabina.

It will also put up mast-mounted flashing lights and roadway gates at the crossing at Stone Road/County Road 23 near Wilmington.

Both locations are in Clinton County and are to be completed by May 19, 2016. They are being funded with federal dollars passed through the Ohio Rail Development Commission.

CSX and the city of Willard will close the crossing at Third Street until upgrades are completed there. Work is expected to end by Sept. 26.

All I Wanted for Christmas was Some Sunshine

Instead of dreaming of a White Christmas I just wanted some sun.  After having precious little sunlight for the last month, on the Friday after Christmas the sun returned.

A trip out to Willard and Attica yielded quite a few colorful consists.

First out was a Wheeling & Lake Erie train parked at New London with the two Rio Grande tunnel motors.  They still look good but had no crew at this time.  Later we would catch them on the move to Willard.

Next was a CSX westbound with 2 BNSF units and a Kansas City Southern Belle. Then we caught a CSX eastbound with a mix of leasers.

We then went to Attica Junction (Siam) and caught four CSX and two Norfolk Southern freights.

Back to Willard we went for another six-unit lash up with some leased SD90MACs.  On the way home the two Rio Grande units brought their train into Willard.

Lastly, we caught an NS lashup from Hudson on Saturday with a cream and green SD70MAC on a coal train.

Photographs by Todd Dillon

Colorful Outing on CSX

I had to toss in a little BNSF orange into the Crayola box. Here is a westbound at Attica Junction.

 

I made a trip to the Willard area the other weekend and was treated to quite the color variety along the CSX main. In no particular order here is what I was able to get.

Photographs by Roger Durfee

Road slug looking nice and clean.

A remote GP-38-2 works the west end of Willard as that NS/CREX set we saw earlier cools it’s wheels in the distance.

An in your face eastbound at Boughtonville.

CSX 8357, Clinchfield 3023 in a former life, leads an eastbound mixed freight into Willard.

A K train departed with a Kansas City Southern retro Belle leader, seen first at the Boughtonville Road crossing.

. . . and then at the Route 13 crossing on the former Big 4 near Greenwich.

As I arrived in Willard an eastbound was departing with NS and CEFX for power. Let’s see, the first two CSX moves had NS leaders, what a way to start the day.

I chased this train to get multiple shots of this WP covered hopper.

A westbound is stopped at the 191 signals just east of Greenwich in the last light of day.

The Latest Object of Affection for Photographers

A westbound CSX intermodal train with Norfolk Southern and Citirail units for power showed up too early for good nose light so I opted for this across the field view near Peru Center Road. This train would get a long delay in Willard as we will see later.

They will not likely supplant Norfolk Southern heritage units in popularity, but the attractive blue, yellow and gray Citirail locomotives have become quite the catch among trackside photographers.

These are not the usual “rent-a-wreck” lease power. These units are newer and look it.

During a recent trip to Willard, Roger Durfee caught up with some Citirail power. Here is what he was able to capture.

Photographs by Roger Durfee

Citirail ES44AC 1212 sitting pretty at Willard.

The CREX/CSX/UP/CSX set drifts back towards their train. NS train is STILL sitting back there.

CREX 1212 leads west past the CSX Willard Terminal sign at Daniels Road.

Finally that NS/CREX set departs Willard.

Although a cloud nailed me I still wanted this photo of that NS unit hitting the NS diamonds at Attica Junction.

Beyond the Open Gate

There is something about an open gate that seems to invite passersby to come in, even if they are not welcome there. Maybe it’s because a gate indicates a sense of the forbidden. After all, there wouldn’t be a gate there if someone didn’t want to let just anyone in or didn’t want to let something out.

Back on Dec. 28, I was in Willard photographing this eastbound CSX manifest freight with a BC Rail trailing locomotive. I couldn’t resist the lure of stepping inside to get a photo before moving on to my next photo location east of town.

Photograph by Craig Sanders

Some Willard Residents Return to Their Homes

Some Willard residents are still displaced, but most of those forced from their homes after a CSX tank car leaked a hazardous substance were able to return home Thursday afternoon.

The residents of about 400 houses were vacated early Wednesday morning after a derailment resulted in the spilling of 13,000 gallons of styrene monomer, a flammable chemical used to make plastic.

Most residents returned home around 3 p.m. on Thursday after air testing showed it was safe. However, the 10 percent of residences closest to the spill site remained away from their homes as the cleanup efforts continued late Thursday.

Willard city manager Brian Humphress said officials hope that those still displaced could return no later than Saturday.

Those forced from their homes were treated to a thanksgiving meal in the in the Willard High School cafeteria. Ohio Gov. John Kasich came to the dinner to mingle with the residents of the southern Huron County city.

The menu included ham with pineapple slices, stuffing, corn, potatoes, rolls, cranberry sauce, and desserts.

Paper turkeys decorated the tables and a television set was tuned to an NFL football game featuring the Detroit Lions hosting the Green Bay Packers.

About 250 Willard residents attended the meal.

Rusty Orben, CSX director of public affairs, said air-quality testing continues and that the railroad is will investigate the accident’s cause after the cleanup is completed in a few days.

Four tank cars that derailed late Tuesday night were back on the tracks Thursday morning, which allowed workers to begin digging out ballast and soil beneath the tracks that was soaked with the spilled styrene. Two of the derailed cars also contained flammable chemicals.

The accident brought train traffic on CSX’s busy main line across Ohio to a halt, with some trains diverted to other routes.

Gary Ousley, Huron County’s chief dog warden, said his office is housing 20 to 25 dogs at the dog warden’s office and the Huron County Humane Society until their owners can retrieve them.

He said all the animals the agency had assisted seem to be in good condition.