Coming Into Warwick

R.J. Corman GP16 No. 1804 passes the former Warwick Tower as its train is about to enter the CSX yard. The 1804 was built in June 1950 for the Seaboard Air Line.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

Meet Me in Warwick

A CSX eastbound passes an inbound R.J. Corman train in Warwick Yard in Clinton on June 14, 1996. Corman GP16 1826 is entering the yard to interchange cars with CSX.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

Sitting at Milepost 1

It’s a Saturday morning and I’ve found this R.J. Corman grain train sitting south of Ansonia, Ohio, awaiting a crew.

Rebuilt GP16 No. 1832 has yet to couple onto the cars, which were delivered to the Corman by CSX. All of the covered hoppers have CSX reporting marks and lettering.

The grain is bound for an ethanol plant located near Greenville. The track on which the train is sitting is the longest segment of the former Cincinnati Northern that is still in existence.

Once part of the Big Four system, the CN ran from Franklin, Ohio, north of Cincinnati, to Jackson, Michigan.

A few short segments of the CN are still used to serve shippers in various locations in Ohio and Michigan.

Note that on the Corman this is milepost 1. During the Big Four days Ansonia was milepost 151 on the CN.

The grain in this train will take a short surviving segment of the former Pan Handle (Pennsylvania Railroad) Columbus-Logasnport, Indiana, line to reach the ethanol plant. Most of that ex-PRR route has been abandoned, too.

No. 1832 began life as a GP7 built in March 1951 for the Seaboard Air Line. It served for a time on the CSX motive power roster before being acquired by the Corman and assigned to the Western Ohio Line.

The corn in the adjacent field will soon be ready for harvest. Perhaps someday it will these rails to Greenville to be processed into ethanol.