It is time for a Baltimore & Ohio two for Tuesday so let’s set the wayback machine and off we go. In the top image, made by Robert Farkas, GP30 No. 6972 is sitting on the point of a train in Clinton on Sept. 21, 1984. The unit was built in December 1962 and later was on the CSX motive power roster.
The bottom image was made by Mike Ondecker and shows F7A No. 4502 in New Castle, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 8, 1968.
Early Penn Central provided some interesting lash-ups coming through Akron. Mike Ondecker caught former Pennsylvania Railroad 2210, a GP30, and former New York Central No. 1753, an F7A, northbound in the summer of 1968.
Photograph by Mike Ondecker
It is the summer of 1968 in Akron. The westbound Baltimore & Ohio Diplomat with E8A No. 1452 leading is at Akron Union Depot. Across the tracks the westbound Erie Lackawanna Lake Cities is sitting at the EL station, which is partly visible in the background.
Photograph by Mike Ondecker
Erie Lackawanna F3A No. 8014 in shown in downtown Akron in 1968. In the background are the spires of St. Bernard Catholic Church at 44 University Avenue. Those spires have appeared in countless photographs of Akron railroads that have been made over the years. The church opened in 1905 so it has seen many railroad companies come and go over the decades.
Photograph by Mike Ondecker
In 1968, my friend Mike Ondecker had his aunt’s 120 roll film (2-by-1/4 inch square negatives) camera when he made this image.
It took him around four or five seconds to take a photo, wind the film manually to the next number while looking through a red window on the back of the camera to check the film’s advance, cock the shutter, and then take the next photo.
I was blessed to have a 120 roll film camera that was more modern and took about three seconds to take a photo, manually turn a crank on the side of the camera, cock the shutter, and take the next photo.
Needless to say, sometimes you had to make a choice as to what to photograph since you often got only one shot.
Mike could have taken a shot of the whole eastbound Baltimore & Ohio lash-up as it came under the bridge in Akron that day.
He would have had at least one of the trailing F units in dark shadows under the bridge. Instead, he chose this shot.
Even then, capturing an F-unit in the old paint scheme was uncommon. Finding two together was really rare.
Mike made the right decision taking the last three units this way. Here we have B&O 3818 (GP38), 5442 (F7B), and an F7A with an unreadable number.
Article by Robert Farkas, Photograph by Mike Ondecker
My good friend Mike Ondecker took very few railroad photos, and most of these were with an Instamatic camera. Here is a redo of one of his Instamatic photos. Erie Lackawanna Alco PA-1 No. 859 is in Marion in 1967 or 1968.
Article by Robert Farkas, Photograph by Mike Ondecker
Mike Ondecker photographed this Baltimore & Ohio locomotive at Akron Junction in Akron in the mid-1968. We couldn’t make out the roster number and were thus unable to determine the model of this unit.
Photograph by Mike Ondecker
The late Mike Ondecker made this image of Erie Lackawanna Alco RS2 No. 1009 in Akron in 1968. Note the Railway Express building behind the locomotive.
Photograph by Mike Ondecker
The late Mike Ondecker seldom took photographs of railroad operations but he enjoyed traveling to view them.
Except for using a Kodak Instamatic in 1967 and his aunt’s nearly 30-year-old 120 medium format roll film camera in 1968, I doubt Mike took another railroad photo after that.
He, John Woodard, and I had some amazing trips together. Mike was a great friend, first-class driver, and the person who got photographic permission.
Here are some of his Instamatic photos from what I believe to be the Erie Lackawanna yard in Marion in 1967.
There are a variety of scenes including locomotives, rolling stock of various railroads, the coaling tower, the hump and the hump tower. The selection also include some cars damaged in a derailment.
Article by Robert Farkas, Photos by Mike Ondecker
Erie Lackawanna F7A No. 7131 passes the former Erie passenger station in Akron on Aug. 25, 1968. Built in March 1961 as Erie 807A, it was later renumbered by the Erie as 713A. At the time this image was made the station was still being used by EL’s Lake Cities between Chicago and Hoboken, New Jersey.
Photograph by Mike Ondecker
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