It is Sept. 9, 2010, in Maple Grove, Ohio. In the top image a Norfolk Southern train headed by NS 9495 is headed south on the Northern Ohio & Western where it crosses the NS mainline to Bellevue. In the bottom image, a covered hopper is on the connecting track between the NS and NO&W.
Photographs by Robert Farkas
The Cleveland & Cuyahoga Railway was one of 14 OmniTRAX short line railroads that provided 1 million meals to local food banks in 2021.
Also participating was the Northern Ohio & Western. The carriers were part of the short line holding company’s Good Neighbor Program that provided food bank donations and local employee volunteers to support community meal pledges.
The Broe Group, which is the parent company of OmniTRAX, matched each food bank commitment.
Short line holding company OmniTRAX has extended an economic development program to its rail line in Northwest Ohio.
Known as the Rail-Ready Sites program, it seeks to link shippers who want rail service with its various rail lines.
In this instance, OmniTRAX has established a partnership with the Sandusky County Economic Development Corporation to market two two properties along its 25-mile Northern Ohio & Western between Woodville and Tiffin, which offers interchanges with CSX and Norfolk Southern.
Principal commodities that are handled on that line include limestone, lime and pressed board.
Short line holding company OmniTRAX and its affiliate Northern Ohio & Western Railway are funding 120,000 meals to the West Ohio Food Bank as well as pledging volunteer support.
The food bank, which is affiliated with Feeding America, serves 11 counties.
Another OmniTRAX property, the Winchester & Western, is providing funding of 220,000 meals through eastern West Virginia’s Congregational Cooperative Action Project/Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry.
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio has approved two grade crossing improvement projects involving a pair of short line railroads.
The Columbus & Ohio River Railroad will install flashing lights and gates at the Township Road 225 crossing in Coshocton County.
The Northern Ohio & Western Railway will install flashing lights and gates at the Sandusky County/Greensburg Pike crossing in Sandusky County.
Federal funding will be provided for both projects, which are to be completed by Sept. 2, 2021.
Short line railroad holding company OmniTRAX has added the Northern Ohio & Western to Rail-Ready Sites program.
The move is an effort to boost the efforts of the Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership in northwestern Ohio.
In a news release, OmniTRAX said the Rail-Ready program helps connect companies looking to improve supply-chain performance with railroads.
OmniTRAX and the economic group will market three initial sites on the NO&W, with property parcels ranging from 14 to 72 acres.
NO&W interchanges with Norfolk Southern and CSX and hauls such commodities as limestone, lime and pressed board.
Grade crossing improvement projects were approved this week by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.
The Northern Ohio & Western will install lights and gates at six crossings in Gibsonburg by Dec. 3, 2021.
Funds for NOWR’s projects will be provided by the Ohio Rail Development Commission, PUCO and the Sandusky County-Seneca-County-City of Tiffin Port Authority.
CSX was directed to install by March 3, 2021, lights and gates at the Barnhouse Road/Township Road 114 crossing in Allen Township; the Farson Street crossing in Belpre; the Baker Road/Township Road 25 crossing in Jackson Township; and the Stephenson Road crossing in Reily Township.
The Wheeling & Lake Erie is to install by March 3, 2021, active warning devices, an additional surface and a sidewalk for pedestrians at the State Route 99/Ridge Street crossing in Monroeville, and install flashing lights and gates at the River Corners Road/County Road 27 crossing in Medina County.
The W&LE also will install flashing lights and gates at the Bair Road/Township Road 448 crossing in Sugarcreek Township by June 3, 2021.
An Ohio short-line railroad has been recognized with the 2017 CSX Short Line Development Award.
The Northern Ohio & Western Railway received the honor in recognition of its cooperative efforts that generated the highest switch carrier carload percentage growth.
The NO&W is a unit of OmniTRAX.
NO&W earned the honor for a switching volume increase of more than 150 percent in 2017, which resulted from additional covered hoppers of lime shipped from Carmeuse Lime, OmniTRAX officials said in a news release.
“In the railroad business, it’s not easy to double your business in 10 years let alone one, so we’re very proud of the hard work and collaboration of Tim Schumm, and the entire NO&W team that made it happen,” said OmniTRAX Chief Executive Officer Kevin Shuba.
NO&W operates more than 25 miles of track southeast of Toledo on a former Pennsylvania Railroad route.
An Ohio railroad manager has received the 2014 safety person of the year award from the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association.
Billie Johnson, general manager of OmniTrax short lines Newburgh & South Shore Railroad and Northern Ohio & Western Railway, will be honoured at the ASLRRA convention in Orlando, Fla., this weekend.
Billie Johnson
Between 1995 and early 2015, Northern Ohio & Western had no Federal Railroad Administration reportable derailments. It also went more than 663 days without a human factor incident and recorded more than 4,050 injury fee days.
During that same time period, Cleveland-based Newburgh & South Shore went more than 748 days since its last human factor incident, 5,210-plus days since the last reportable derailment, and more than 6,589 days since its last reportable injury.
“Billie continues to demonstrate the most outstanding safety achievements of any manager on our network of railroads,” said OmniTRAX CEO Kevin Shuba. “She is dedicated to safe operations and emphasizes initiatives that improve associate safety in the workplace. I can’t think of a more deserving recipient of the ASLRRA Safety Person of the Year award.”
“In the 18 years I’ve spent working with Billie, she has always been a source of honesty and knowledge,” said OmniTRAX Vice President of Operations Bob Ellman. “She is willing to help where needed and is a vital member of our leadership team. The fact that she has never had any type of workplace injury, much less an FRA reportable injury, shows her dedication to safe operations.”
“In the year I have worked with Billie it has been very evident that her determination to develop her properties and employees to be the safest in the industry is extraordinary,” said OmniTRAX Vice President of Safety Bill Kelly. “She treats her team members like they are family, and it shows in her results.”
Johnson began her railroad career as a keypunch operator at the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad in 1969 before being promoted to terminal manager.
In 1981, she joined the Chicago Rail Link Railroad and in 1991 transferred to the Newburgh & South Shore, working as a clerk, conductor, and certified engineer.
She became the general manager of the Northern Ohio & Western in 1995 and later added oversight of the Newburgh & South Shore to her duties.
A long time member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Tiffin, Johnson as a volunteer has been instrumental in organizing the church’s annual festival as well as other activities.
She has also served as a member of the Tiffin Economic Development Board.
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