AOS Has 2 EMD Switchers For Sale

Two EMD switchers that once worked on the Grand River Railway are up for sale by the Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum.

The EMD SW1200 switchers are being sold in an auction for which bidding ends on April 1.

The reserve price is $90,000 per unit.

The museum, which was founded by the late Jerry J. Jacobson, said it will use the proceeds from the sale to fund its restoration work on its collection, which primarily is steam locomotives.

Nos. 1202 and 1205 are stored serviceable at the roundhouse in Sugar Creek.

Before coming to AOS, they were used by a Pennsylvania short-line railroad, the Aliquippa & Southern. A&S was part of the Ohio Central System that Jacobson once owned.

The units were leased by AOS to the Grand River where they wore a Baltimore & Ohio inspired livery.

AOS said in announcing the auction that it will continue to own diesel locomotives, including eight Alcos, two Fairbanks-Morse switchers, a General Electric 25-ton switcher, and 11 EMDs.

No. 1202 was built by EMD in 1954 whereas No. 1205 was built in 1955.

The auction announcement posted on the AOS website said the museum will on occasion “refine” its collection by adding or selling locomotives and rolling stock.

The explanation indicated that some items were not used by railroad during the “age of steam” while others are redundant to the collection or are in poor condition.

Additional information about the auction can be found at: http://www.ageofsteamroundhouse.org/collection-refinement/

Seeing Red on the Grand River Railway

The Grand River Railway uses a caboose as a shoving platform during its moves.

It is former Conrail N2 class No. 21202 and was owned by CSX before joining the GRR roster.

Earlier this year it was repainted red, given GRR markings and roster number 21.

It is shown near the Morton Salt facility north of Grand River earlier this week.

Photographs by Edward Ribinskas

Evening Sighting of the Grand River Railway

It was a warm and sun-splashed Friday evening. I was talking with Ed Ribinskas outside Brennans Fish House in Grand River

We had eaten dinner there with our respective wives and were doing some socializing.

I heard a train horn and knew a Grand River Railway was coming. But from which direction?

The Grand River operates down River Street in Grand River. Brennans is located on west side of the street while Pickle Bill’s Lobster House is on the east side.

Some patrons of the latter park next to front of the restaurant and that can cause a clearance issue for the GRR, which hauls salt from a Morton facility north of Grand River to an interchange with CSX in Painesville.

Ed borrows Ursula’s cell phone and snapped the four images shown here.

In the top image the train has entered the street running and is passing Pickle Bill’s. Note the Grand River Police Department cruiser keeping watch on the street.

The shadows in the various images belong to Ed, myself, Ursula and my wife, Mary Ann.

If Horizon Rail GP10 No. 8420 looks familiar that might be because it pulled trains on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad in 2015 and 2016 before being return to its owner.

It is only the third ime I’ve seen the GRR running down the street in its namesake city.

One of those times was a couple years ago when Mary Ann and I were having dinner at Brennans and it rolled past the window.

Yet another time we were eating on the deck at Pickel Bills when I heard locomotive horns and went out to take a look and there the train was.

Photographs by Edward Ribinskas

PUCO Approves 3 Grade Crossing Projects

Grade crossing projects involving Norfolk Southern, Ohio South Central, and the Grand River Railway have been approved by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.

NS will install LED lights and improved circuitry at the Waller Street crossing in Portsmouth by June 5, 2020.

The Grand River will install lights and gates at the Headlands Road and Stage Avenue crossings in Lake County by March 5, 2020.

The Ohio South Central Railroad will install LED lights at two crossings on Beaver Pike and County Road 76 in Jackson County. The work will be completed by June 5, 2020.

PUCO will provide some funding for the OSCR project from its grand crossing safety fund.

Lake Perch and the Grand River Railway

We had been out Christmas shopping and decided to go to Brennan’s Fish House in Grand River for a late lunch/early dinner.

Mary Ann and I love the lake perch they serve along with greasy fries. Add a cup of New England style clam chowder and a 22-ounce draft beer — Great Lakes Christmas ale of course — and you have a great meal.

Just outside the windows of Brennan’s are the tracks of the Grand River Railway. This former New York Central branch runs down River Street for a short distance and was out of service for about 13 years until the GRR came along to revive it.

The GRR hauls covered hopper cars between an interchange with CSX in Painesville and a Morton Salt facility near Headlands Beach State Park.

The GRR uses an EMD 1200 switcher painted in a Baltimore & Ohio inspired livery. The railroad began operations in July 2015 and although I’ve seen the motive power of the GRR sitting near Morton Salt, I’ve never seen one of its trains in action.

That changed just before our server brought out our perch dinners. I saw a covered hopper car pass by with a crew member riding it.

I grabbed Mary Ann’s iPhone to get a grab shot. But the phone said there was no room left for additional photographs to be stored on the memory card.

She frantically deleted a few images and then had trouble getting the camera function to work properly. I had visions of missing an opportunity to photograph the switcher because of an inoperative device.

Fortunately, for me, the train had a long string of covered hoppers. With the phone working properly again I was able to get the image I wanted.

It would have been better had I gone outside and made an image of the street running. But I didn’t know how long the train would be so I went with the sure thing.

That’s why there’s that stop sign on the right edge of the frame. But, hey, I got it, right?

Article and Photograph by Craig Sanders

 

Grand River Railway Gets 2nd Switcher

The Grand River Railway now has a pair of EMD SW1200 switchers painted in a Baltimore & Ohio inspired livery.

A report on Trainorders.com said that GRRY No. 1202 journeyed to the connection with CSX in Painesville on Wednesday afternoon to pick up No. 1205.

Both locomotives formerly worked on the Aliquippa & Southern and are being leased to the GRRY by the Age of Steam Roundhouse in Sugar Creek.

No. 1205 was built in July 1955 whereas No. 1202 was built in June 1954.

The GRRY after startup, it leased CSX GP38-2 No. 2365 for a while before No. 1202 arrived on the property.

From the Ashes of the Baltimore & Ohio the Grand River Railroad is Building Another Day

And from the ashes we can build another day . . . with apologies to the Moody Blues (The Story in Your Eyes)

A railroad line that was dormant for years (13+) after CSX gave it up not long after the Conrail split date in 1999 has been revived and is already doing very well.

Only in operation since July, it is on track to move 1,000 cars this year.

Here are several photos from the Grand River Railroad in Grand River, Ohio, as crews work the salt loader at Morton Salt.

This outside-the-fence loading operation will soon be history as the refurbished loader seen above the 1202 in the top photo will be ready for action soon.

No. 1202 is a former Aliquippa & Southern SW-1200 that came to the GRRY via the Age of Steam Roundhouse.

Among the several views of the GRRY switching the Morton Salt load out are views of the crew having a job briefing and a view from the cab as the freight is loaded.

There is an interesting view of the track layout while two photos show a ballast truck working the line that morning.

I wanted to catch the run up the hill to the CSX interchange but with the short window of daylight we have now, that run occurred at night.

Article and Photographs by Roger Durfee

 

GRR 1202 Looking Sharp in B&O Inspired Livery

After months in transit, including a trip to Indiana to have its wheels replaced, Grand River Railway No. 1202 is finally in service at Fairport Harbor.  She is looking pretty sharp in her Baltimore & Ohio-inspired paint scheme.

Photographs by Todd Dillon

 

Grand River No. 1202 is on the Property

Grand River Railway No. 1202 arrived in Painesville on Monday afternoon and has already been moved to Morton Salt.

The SW1200 has had a long and tortuous journey since leaving the Age of Steam Roundhouse in Sugarcreek, where it was repainted into its Baltimore & Ohioesque livery.

It was built in 1954 and served the Aliquippa & Southern before winding up in the AOS diesel fleet. AOS has leased it to the Grand River along with a sister SW1200, No. 1205.

Before repainting, it wore a yellow and olive green livery.

Somewhere in transit, the 1202 developed flat spots on its wheels. Those were discovered during an inspection after the locomotive arrived in Willard Yard on CSX on Aug. 31.

The unit had some of its wheels replaced in Willard and then was sent to Avon Yard near Indianapolis on Sept. 23 to have its traction motors reinstalled and to turn one of the wheels on a lathe.

The switcher arrived back in Willard on Oct. 9 and was sent on its way to the Grand River.

During the trip back from Indianapolis, the 1202 spent the night in Marion where some railfans made night photos of it.

Photographs by Jeff Troutman

Couple of Out and About Shots

Akron Railroad Club member Jeff Troutman sent along a couple of images that he made while out and about recently.

The top image was made on the Grand River Railway near the Morton Salt facility. The short-line railroad continues to use a leased CSX locomotive.

The image shows construction of a loader at the plant that will use computer technology to load covered hopper cars with salt.

An online report indicated that the first of two switchers that he has ordered continues to languish on CSX in Willard.

The switcher has flat spots that it endured while in transit. Reportedly, the locomotive will be sent to a repair shop in Indiana.

The second photo shows trains of Norfolk Southern and CSX stopped in the yard at Carson due to a track work project ahead.