Sometimes a photo brings a smile. Here is R.J. Corman GP9 No. 9003 heading south on Conrail at CP Mace in Massillon in mid-1997. The 9003 and its train are stretched out in such a way that most if not all of the train is visible which adds to the photo’s interest. The train will be on Conrail for a short time before switching back to its own rails. The 9003 is a former Baltimore & Ohio locomotive.
Photograph by Robert Farkas
A motive power consist of all first generation diesel motive power passes a boarding platform of Akron Union Depot and the Erie passenger station in mid 1968. The lead is Baltimore & Ohio GP9 No. 6467 would work for a number of other railroads in later years and be converted to a GP10.
Photograph by Robert Farkas
Baltimore & Ohio GP9 No. 6454 is westbound in Kent in the late 1960s. The Geep was built in August 1956 and would later join the roster of the Maryland Midland. The photograph was just able to get beneath the pole line.
Photography by Robert Farkas
How is this for an early Conrail era scene? GP9 No. 7074 still wearing Penn Central paint leads another GP9 that has received Conrail blue near Voris Street in early 1979. Note the former Pennsylvania Railroad cabin car in the consist.
Photograph by Robert Farkas
It is the end of the line for New York Central GP9 No. 7410. It is shown sitting in a scrap line at Collinwood yard in Cleveland in the late 1960s.
Photograph by Robert Farkas
The late Mike Ondecker and I found Grand Trunk Western GP9 4544 in Port Huron, Michigan, on April 20, 1976, at the locomotive service facility. It is teamed up with SD40 No. 5917.
Built in March 1957, the 4533 would be retired by GTW in 1991 but go on to serve such short line operations as the Kansas Southeastern Railway, Northern Plains Railway and the Renville Elevator Company.
Chesapeake & Ohio GP9 No. 6037 is on the Wooster Local in Orrville on June 11, 1984.
It came from Warwick to Orrville on a now-removed ex-Pennsylvania Railroad line.
In Orrville the train is shown headed west on Conrail to Wooster where it will leave Conrail rails and get onto former Baltimore & Ohio trackage.
R.J. Corman GP9 No. 9003 is working in Warwick in the late 1990s/early 2000s. Corman comes into town on a former Baltimore & Ohio line.
All of the images shown above were made on May 30, 1968, in Kent.
The tracks shown were originally the Conotton Valley then became part of the original Wheeling & Lake Erie. Over the years they were merged into the Nickel Plate Road and then the Norfolk & Western.
Today, they make up the Cleveland Subdivision of the modern W&LE.
The series was made in several locations and feature the former passenger station and the bridge over the Baltimore & Ohio.
N&W No. 2496, is a GP9 while No. 2570 is an Alco RS11. Both were built for the NKP.
Here are two photos of Baltimore & Ohio GP9 No. 6656 at Massillon in the late 1960s/early 1970 and a description of what you see.
The Canadian Pacific boxcar most likely had newsprint for the Massillon Independent. That is the B&O freight house on the right.
Other items of interest in this images from right to left are the B&O mainline from Warwick to Bridgeport, Ohio, a lesser used track that believe also ran from Massillon to Bridgeport, a track running in front of the freight house, and a track ending by the freight house platform.
