Distinctive Visitors in Berea

Catching and photographing the CSX executive train in its distinctive and attractive Baltimore & Ohio inspired livery has been on my “to do” list ever since the scheme debuted.

But the executive train doesn’t operate all that often and when it does you have to be in the right place at the right time.

That right place and right time for me occurred on May 11. I happened to be in Cleveland on business and had the opportunity to spend time in Berea that morning.

I saw on Heritage Units.com that the three CSX F40PH-2 units were on the road, having left Buffalo, New York, around 6:15 a.m. en route to Chicago.

I figured that would put them through Berea around mid to late morning depending on traffic and dispatching preference.

Sure enough, there were some railfans on hand waiting for train P001, including Akron Railroad Club President Todd Dillon. He had information that P001 blew through Collinwood Yard on Cleveland’s east side and would soon be bearing down on us. That would put it through Berea not long after 9 a.m.

I stood near the tree by the Dave McKay memorial with a cluster of other railfans and waited. It wasn’t long before I could hear P001 calling signal indications over the radio.

Then a headlight came into view. I looked through my camera lens and waited. At that point it seemed as though the train had stopped.

In fact, it had. Just east of Berea a broken air hose sent the train into emergency.

Although CSX dispatched a maintenance truck to the scene, it wasn’t needed. The crew resolved the problem and P001 was on the move, albeit at restricted speed.

Among the onlookers watching the train come through were Rita and Rich Volosyn of Brunswick. Their son Paul was the locomotive engineer assigned to P001 and was working from Buffalo to Willard.

Also on hand was a CSX special agent to ensure that no one got too close to the tracks.

The 12-car train was led by CSX1, CSX2 and CSX3. The trio of F40s are former Amtrak units. They were lined up elephant style and made for an impressive sight.

CSX1 was built in April 1978 and given Amtrak roster number 280. After being retired by Amtrak, it was picked up by the Ohio Central System, where it continued to carry roster number 280.

After CSX acquired the unit, it renumbered it 9998. Upon being repainted into the B&O scheme, it was renumbered CSX1.

On the rear of the train was theater car W. Thomas Rice. But its shades were drawn, which suggested no one was aboard. The train also featured dome car Moonlight Dome. Built in 1947 for the Chesapeake & Ohio for its planned but never launched Chessie streamliner.

The B&O acquired the car in December 1950 where it operated on the Shenandoah and, after October 1963, the Capitol Limited. It later ran on the Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Coast Line before ending up on the Amtrak roster. After being sold by Amtrak Moonlight Dome had a series of owners, including The Cincinnati Railway Company, which sold it to CSX in 2020.

Running Late in Massillon

Amtrak’s Broadway Limited wasn’t scheduled to see daylight in Massilon. But Nos. 40 and 41 sometimes ran hours late and thus it was possible to photograph them. Such was the case on April 30, 1978, when the westbound Broadway made an appearance in daylight. On the point is F40PH No. 255 followed by E9B No. 475, and E8A No. 228.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

Erstwhile Capitol Limited Comes Through

The CSX office car special ran between Cleveland and Indianapolis on Thursday. I was able to catch it at Greenwich.

It has recently been repainted into Baltimore & Ohio colors along with a pair of F40PH units to match. 

Unfortunately the F40s had technical issues and a pair of tier 4 GEVOs were added to the head end. This was a bit disappointing but it was still a sharp looking train reminiscent of the B&O Capitol Limited.

Of interest is Moonlight Dome a former B&O dome car which CSX purchased last year for the OCS train.

The car was built for the Chesapeake & Ohio for use on its ill-fated Chessie streamliner. But after that train was cancelled before it began operations,

Article and Photographs by Todd Dillon

Cardinal Flying Through a Hurricane

Amtrak’s eastbound Cardinal is passing milepost 479 on the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad in Hurricane, West Virginia, on Oct. 18, 1987. The photographer was in Hurricane to photograph the New River Train which in this year was being pulled by former Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 765. The distance is measured from Newport News, Virginia.

Photograph by Edward Ribinskas

Broadway Limited in Beaver Falls

Amtrak is hardly a fallen flag, but some of its trains and locomotive models are.

Such is the case for the Broadway Limited, a onetime Chicago-New York/Washington train that was the only intercity passenger train in Northeast Ohio after Amtrak began on May 1, 1971.

At that time the Broadway operated on the Fort Wayne Line via Alliance, Canton and Massillon. It would later be rerouted to the former Baltimore & Ohio mainline via Akron.

In the photograph above, F40PH No. 361 is leading the Broadway through Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, on April 23, 1983.

The F40 was once the standard locomotive for most of Amtrak’s long-distance but it has since been retired as a locomotive although a few F40 frames are still on the roster for cab car service.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

F40s Were Still the Motive Power of Choice

Amtrak’s eastbound Lake Shore Limited saunters through Berea on March 30, 1996.

No. 48 was running late that day although I no longer remember how far behind scheduled it was.

At the time, F40PH locomotives were the motive power of choice on the Lake Shore.

But not for much longer. Already P40 units were on the property and Amtrak would begin taking delivery of P42DC locomotives starting in August 1996.

For those who like to pay attention to consists, Nos. 48 and 49 in this era was a mixture of three equipment types. Heritage fleet baggage cars, sleepers and dining cars co-mingled with Viewliner sleepers and Amfleet coaches and cafe cars.

The Lake Shore also had a healthy load of material handling cars tacked on the rear carrying mail and express shipments.

That is a Conrail auto rack train passing No. 48 on Track No. 1.

Used to Be Amtrak

If the profile of FLNX No. 418 looks familiar that’s because this F40PHR began life as Amtrak No. 319.

Built by EMD in August 1979, Amtrak 319 roamed the system until being retired in October 2001.

It was then acquired by R.P. Flynn Incorporation, doing business as Ohio Railway Supply, and pulled Orrville Railroad Heritage Society excursion trains in 2005.

It is shown stored at the former ORHS maintenance site on Oct. 29, 2005, in Orrville.

The unit later moved to the Saratoga & North Creek, a tourist railroad in the New York Adirondack mountains.

A footnote in the history of this locomotive shows that when built by EMD in 1979 the shop used parts from former Amtrak SDP40F No. 583, hence the letter “R” in its model designation.

Photograph by Robert Farkas