In the top image, Norfolk Southern 7051 is leading the ferry movement of Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 765 to Bellevue where it will then head east on the Wheeling & Lake Erie for another segment of 765’s journey to the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad’s Steam in the Valley 2010. Robert Farkas made that photograph and the middle image of the ferry move on the W&LE east of Bellevue.
The bottom image was made by Paul Woodring who was independently chasing the ferry move. Paul’s image was made on the W&LE at Medina where the 765 was making a service stop.
Here is a favorite of mine that some of you haven’t seen. Nickel Plate Road 765 and Norfolk Southern 8100 (Nickel Plate heritage unit) are leading an eastbound ferry move on NS tracks in Mansfield on Aug. 7, 2012. The 765 is heading to the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad’s “Steam in the Valley 2012.”
Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 765 is slated to return to the rails in late May as part of the 2023 season of the Indiana Rail Experience.
The Indiana Rail Experience said the 765 will help pull select excursions that will include an ice cream train out of Angola, Indiana, on Memorial Day weekend.
Other events set for this year include all-day excursions to Hillsdale, Michigan; wine and whiskey trains; a railroad open house featuring steam and diesel locomotives at the Indiana Northeastern shops in Hudson, Indiana; and fall colors and Christmas trains.
The ice cream trains will operate on May 27 and 28. Tickets will go on sale on April 19. Some excursions will be pulled by diesel motive power.
Ticket classes include coach, first class, lounge and dining car seating. Group packages and private rail car charter packages are available.
Seeing Todd Dillon’s article and photos of Nickel Plate Road 765 at Vaughn Road on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad at Jaite prompted me to look through my files for same location favorites.
Morning photos were preferred on the east side of the tracks and afternoon from the west side. All these photos as Todd’s were are from the east side.
This location is probably now the favored spot since the Ohio Route bridge in Brecksville is so grown in with trees and brush.
Looking through old photos the only photos I have of Grand Trunk Western 4070 are from the west side of the tracks.
From top to bottom, the images were made on Sept. 29,2012; Sept. 14, 2013; Sept. 7 2014, and Sept. 26, 2016.
The Akron Railroad Club will be holding its annual end of year dinner on Saturday (Dec. 3) at the New Era restaurant in Akron. The event is limited to 40 participants.
The program will be presented by ARRC President Todd Dillon.
His program will focus heavily on the Chicago Transit Authority’s 75th anniversary. This will include photographs from the Chicago elevated and the Fox River museum and the Illinois Railway Museum.
Also included will be photographs from the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad and a Nickel Plate Road 765 excursion in Indiana.
Shown above are a few images from Todd’s program that he will present on Saturday night.
Here are a pair of images of Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 765 from 2012 when it was pulling Norfolk Southern employee appreciation excursions on the Sandusky District between Bellevue and Bucyrus.
Paul Woodring was with me on this day chasing the Berkshire locomotive.
Both photographs were made on the morning of July 21 near Flat Rock. The NKP 765 was accompanied by NS 8100, the Nickel Plate heritage locomotive.
In both images the train is moving southward, although on the railroad the direction of travel is eastbound.
Leaving Edon, OhioPassing the depot in Pleasant Lake, IndianaPassing the old depot in Montgomery, IndianaComing into Hillsdale, MichiganLittle River Railroad No. 110 in Hillsdale.
This past weekend Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 765 ran a series of trips on the Indiana Northeastern railroad between Edon Ohio, and Hillsdale, Michigan.
Light was challenging because it first runs due west from Edon (shooting into the sun) before tuning north at Steubenville, Indiana. Going north the light was good and turning east again at Hillsdale for a short distance was also good.
A bonus was the Little River railroad was running short trips (very short of 12 minutes each direction) with their No. 1 a 0-4-0, and No. 110, a small Pacific type.
Fun fact: The 110, which was built by Baldwin locomotive works in 1911, is one serial number off from Southern Railway No. 4501 (also a Pacific) meaning they shared the shop floor together during construction. Lighting was especially challenging here.
Around 3:30 p.m. the 765 returned south and lighting was good until it turned back east again (shooting into the sun). I managed to get some good pictures all the same and here are a few.
This image of Nickel Plate Road 2-8-2 No. 765 was taken across the street from the former Akron, Canton & Youngstown depot in Copley. The Berkshire is running westbound on the Wheeling & Lake Erie on a return home to Indiana after pulling several excursions for the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad’s 2015 “Steam in the Valley. The view is looking railroad east.
Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 765 poses in Angola, Indiana, before pulling the first of four Indiana Ice Cream Train trips on Saturday.Getting underway for the first excursion of the day.The locomotive engineer of NKP 765 relaxes in Angola before making his first run.Indiana Northeastern GP9H No. 5903 pulls the second ice cream train south of Angola.NKP 765 is along for the ride as the ice cream train continues on to Pleasant Lake.Passing the former New York Central depot in Pleasant Lake on the way back north.
The Indiana Rail Experience with Nickel Plate Road 2-8-3 No. 765 got underway this past weekend with the Indiana Ice Cream Train excursions on Friday and Saturday.
The sold out 45-minute excursions departed from a former New York Central depot in Angola, Indiana, on track now used by the Indiana Northeastern. The station itself, which houses a restaurant, is on the campus of Trine University.
The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, owner of NKP 765, has an agreement with the short line railroad that serves Indiana, Ohio and Michigan, to run a series of excursions this year and beyond.
I made the drive north on Interstate 69 to Angola on Saturday morning with a stopover in Waterloo to catch a late westbound Lake Shore Limited and three Norfolk Southern eastbounds.
Arriving in Angola around 11 a.m., it was easy to find the Ice Cream train because it was parked just south of West Maumee Street, the main east-west artery in town.
The nose of the 765 was pointed north. Later in the day that would mean less-than-ideal lighting conditions.
I had not seen the 765 since September 2018 so it felt good to visit a long-lost friend. The Berkshire-type engine gleamed in the late morning sunlight under a cloudless sky.
Although there was a crowd milling about, it was easy to make images of the static locomotive without people barging into my photos.
The Ice Cream Train departed four times each day, alternating going north and south of town. Passengers were given a cup of ice cream before boarding.
The first trip went north. After photographing it leaving the boarding site, I gave chase even though I really didn’t know that well where I was going.
I saw smoke in the distance so I knew I was close behind. I kept going, looked down a road to my left and caught a glimpse of the train.
I turned left onto the next road that, presumably, went to the tracks. A crowd of locals and railfan photographs had gathered at the crossing.
The sight lines and lighting were good. But after several minutes of waiting, some of the railfan photographers began leaving. The locals quickly followed suit.
It turned out we were one crossing too far north of where the excursion train stopped and reversed direction to return to Angola.
I drove back into town without having made any images on this chase. I kept going to look for a photo site for the second excursion.
I found one not too far out of town. A guy from Geneva, Illinois, was already there. Two other fans showed up shortly after I arrived and set up their video cameras.
After waiting for a while, I spotted the headlight of Indiana Northeast GP9H No. 5903, which pulled the train southward.
After getting my photographs, I followed the train, which I had been told would halt just south of the depot in Pleasant Lake.
A least two of the vehicles ahead of me on Old Route U.S. 27 were railfans and I followed them, hoping they knew where they were going. They did.
Several photographers and a few locals were on hand next to the volunteer fire department. An interesting site at the firehouse was two people on horseback talking with the fire department staff.
The 765 was a short distance beyond the depot and a photo line had formed.
After getting my images I tried to catch and get ahead of the train. But that effort failed due to my unfamiliarity with the streets on the south side of Angola.
I waited for the third excursion of the day to leave and snapped a few images before heading back home.
There are excursions planned for late summer and during the fall with additional trips, perhaps, to be announced.
Next time I’m up that way I’ll be better prepared to chase now that I have explored the territory.
Nonetheless, I was more than satisfied with what I was able to get.
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