ORDC Grant to Aid Consumer Products Plant

A $100,000 grant from the Ohio Rail Development Commission will be used to expand the railroad infrastructure of a household products maker.

Church & Dwight, which makes baking soda, will build new track and rehabilitate existing track at its plant in Old Fort in Seneca County.

An ORDC news release said the plant is currently undergoing a $50 million expansion and will employ 400 once the project is completed.

Church & Dwight markets a range of household, personal care and specialty products to consumers and businesses under several brand names, including Arm & Hammer, Orajel and OxiClean.

The Old Fort plant is served by Norfolk Southern’s Fostoria District.

Going Left, Right or Straight?

You’re looking down Slaughterhouse Road in Bellevue toward the Fostoria District of Norfolk Southern.

The train approaching in the distance is the L83, which is headed for Moorman Yard in Bellevue.

However, there is a switch there that could route trains onto the Sandusky District toward Columbus.

With a little imagination you can see the train continuing straight.

That railroad crossing sign, by the way, is for the connection to the Sandusky District. The road makes a sharp left turn by those signals.

CSX, NS Trains Nearly Collide in Fostoria

Railroad officials are investigating a near miss collision in Fostoria that was witnessed by railfans watching trains on Sunday at the Fostoria Iron Triangle Rail Park.

Trains magazine reported that the near miss involved a loaded Norfolk Southern ethanol train and westbound CSX manifest freight.

The magazine cited railfans saying that CSX train Q355 was on a connecting track leading from the Willard Subdivision to the Pemberville Sub en route to Walbridge Yard near Toledo.

NS train 66N was operating eastbound on the Fostoria District.

One of the railfans, who was described by Trains as a former railroad employee, said the engineers of both trains applied their emergency brakes.

The witness said “the NS train hit the air right about Poplar Street” after seeing the approaching CSX train. “CSX landed about 50 feet from NS,” the witness said.

Another NS train, the westbound 412, had just cleared the diamond of the Fostoria District and the Pemberville Sub before the near miss occurred. The connecting track on CSX passes behind F Tower.

Norfolk Southern spokesman David Pidgeon confirmed the incident.

“An eastbound NS train approached the diamond at Fostoria with a clear signal and when the crew spotted a northbound CSX train approaching the diamond, the NS crew put their train into an emergency brake (application),” Pidgeon told Trains.

CSX spokesman Rob Doolittle said the incident is under investigation.

It took about an hour for officials from both railroads to arrive on the scene. Ten CSX trains that were approaching Fostoria were delayed.

Rail traffic through Fostoria is controlled by the CSX IP dispatcher in Indianapolis.

NS ‘Drag Races’ In Fostoria

A westbound intermodal train on CSX passes in front of a pair of Norfolk Southern stack trains stopped west of the diamonds. The CSX train had two NS locomotives pulling it. Note the CSX track equipment and workers standing clear by the diamonds.

Thanks to track work on the CSX Willard Subdivision, Akron Railroad Club members on hand for the annual longest day outing were treated to Norfolk Southern trains engaging in “drag racing” past the Iron Triangle Railfan park.

The action started late in the morning when a pair of NS stack trains, the 234 and 218, halted west of the diamond with the former Baltimore & Ohio east-west mainline while CSX crews worked on Track No. 1 and CSX traffic moved on Track No. 2.

Interestingly, one of those CSX movements was a westbound intermodal train with two NS locomotives for power.

Eventually, the CSX IP dispatcher determined it was time for NS to run. Because the IP dispatcher, who controls all three sets of diamonds in Fostoria, could not line the signals for NS trains to cross the Willard Sub, the dispatcher had to give both NS trains verbal permission to pass the stop signals.

Each NS train then had to contact the NS Fostoria District dispatcher for permission to proceed because the CSX dispatcher had no authority to grant track authorization on the NS main beyond the opposing home signals.

The NS 218 offered a special treat with the Savannah & Atlanta heritage locomotive on the point.

Both trains got underway at the same time with the 234 pulling ahead. The 218 was not far behind and caught and began overtaking the longer 234 as the trains passed the viewing platform of the railfan park.

The NS dispatcher had indicated that the 218 would go ahead when the double track ended at Ilers to the east of Fostoria.

A similar ritual then played out about two hours later and involved three westbound NS trains. The 217, an auto rack train coming out of the mixing center; the 17K, a manfest freight; and the 288, a stack train. All had to wait until CSX traffic had cleared and the MOW foreman gave the diamonds back to the IP dispatcher.

As had happened in the morning, each NS train had to get permission from the IP dispatcher to pass the red signals and obtain permission from the NS dispatcher to make the move as well. All three NS trains also halted briefly just before crossing the diamonds.

The 288 went first with the 217 coming behind it and soon overtaking it. With those trains down the road, the 17K, which had a Union Pacific leader, then went.

The hogger on the 17K is on Trainorders.com and he reported that all three trains had “approach” signal indications for the crossing of the CSX Pemberville Sub, the former Chesapeake & Ohio route between Toledo and Columbus.

With the 217 in the lead, the 288 had to loaf along and the 17K ended up being stopped for an hour at DA while the traffic ahead sorted itself out.

Article and Photographs by Craig Sanders

The crews of the 218 and 234 have each received permission from the dispatchers to proceed and both are moving ahead.

NS 1065 rounds the curve and passes colorful K Line containers on the 234.

The 218 is starting to overtake the 234 and would go ahead of it at Ilers.

The afternoon westbound NS “drag race” in Fostoria begins to set up with the “contestant’s getting into position. The 17K with UP power and the 217, an auto rack train at the far right, are already at the “starting line.” The 288 is approaching in the distance.

It is NS’ turn to move and the 288 begins the parade. The 288 and 217 (not visible at right) would run side by side through Fostoria before the 217 moved ahead.

The 217 has gained the mainline as it moves out of the mixing center yard.

The 217 is starting to gain on the 288 as the trains pass the railfan park. The 217 had a CSX unit in its motive power consist.

Two Union Pacific locomotives and one BNSF unit power the 17K past the eastward home signals for the crossing of the CSX Pemberville Sub. The signals are located in front of the viewing platform of the Fostoria Iron Triangle railfan park.

The rear of the 17K signals an end of the afternoon “drag race.”

Fostoria ‘Drag Race’ on Norfolk Southern

CSX track work had the former Baltimore & Ohio mainline through Fostoria reduced to one track between East Fostoria and North Baltimore for  much of Sunday. The crews were also working on and near the diamond with Norfolk Southern just west of Main Street.

Late Sunday morning a pair of NS stack trains halted short of the diamonds and waited. It would not be a short wait.

After running some CSX traffic, the IP dispatcher gave both NS trains verbal permission to cross the diamonds. Each NS train also contacted its own dispatcher to reiterate that permission.

In the process of doing that, the NS Fostoria dispatcher indicated that the 218 would go first at Ilers where the former Nickel Plate Road track goes from double to single track.

We took more than  passing interest in the 218. It had on the point NS 1065, the Savannah & Atlanta heritage locomotive. It would be on the near track to the Iron Triangle railfan park. That was more good news.

Finally, each train began moving. The 218 nosed ahead, but was soon overtaken by the other train, which I believe was the 234.

That train was leading when it leaned into the curve by the railfan park. But the 218 with the S&A unit leading soon caught and overtook it. The 218 was far shorter in length than the other train.

It made for a captivating experience as the engineers of both trains were sounding their horns as they approached the grade crossings. The different-sounding horns made for a nice symphony if you like to hear the sound of locomotive horns.

Fellow Akron Railroad Club member Paul Woodring commented that it was the first time he had seen an NS heritage locomotive that wasn’t attached to the Nickel Plate Road No. 765 steam engine.

“That’s one down and 19 more to go,” he said after his first sighting of an NS heritage locomotive leading a train.

It would turn out to be the highlight of the ARRC’s longest day outing in Fostoria, which attracted three members and a guest.

Aided by the CSX track work, the day featured steady rail traffic. More photographs from the outing will be posted later this week.

Article and Photograph by Craig Sanders

Late Afternoon on the Fostoria District

Just when I needed a westbound to come out of Bellevue on the Fostoria District I got just that. An auto rack train turns into the late day light as it heads for, presumably, Fostoria’s mixing center.

It was past 4 p.m. and within an hour the sun would be setting. I made my way back to Bellevue in hopes of getting one last photo opportunity. I knew exactly what I wanted.

A few years ago I had caught a Wheeling & Lake Erie train doing the spin move whereby the train goes out the Fostoria District and then backs around the New Haven connection to the Sandusky District before coming back into town and then heading northwest on the Toledo District.

That had been in early November and the late day light had been really super as it illuminated the locomotive nose.

Maybe I could get a Norfolk Southern train coming out of town and heading out the Fostoria District into the late day light.

The window of opportunity was small, though, because the sun was rapidly dropping and soon would be behind the trees.

When I first checked U didn’t see any sign of a train headed out of town. The signals that I could view from Slaughterhouse Road were all red. It wasn’t looking good.

I packed up my stuff but before heading home I took one more look. Out popped an auto rack train from the Mad River Connection. The signals for the Sandusky District were still all red so this train must be going out the Fostoria District.

Sure enough it did and I got what I wanted. The lighting was not as intense as it had been on the W&LE train that I shot. But it was still that sweet late day light and it looked good.

The glint shots in particular were wonderful and I was happy for once to be photographing an auto rack train with the light reflecting on their silvery sides.

Article and Photographs by Craig Sanders

Ohio’s Next Railfan B&B

I ventured out west last Saturday with my friend Joe from the Conrail Historical Society. Our goal was to update some of his ATCS data from points west of Bellevue and Fostoria on Norfolk Southern and to photograph some of the remaining former Nickel Plate Road signals out that way.

Although we didn’t get as far west of Fostoria as we would have liked to, we still came away with a lot of data and photos.

One of the more interesting photos of the day was a Norfolk Southern eastbound passing this “handyman’s special” house (shown above) near Maple Grove.

Also at Maple Grove RTEX 8138, a former Canadian switcher, was out and sitting under some conveyor machinery.

We concentrated on the NKP signals at North Findlay. There is a passing siding there and the CSX former Toledo & Ohio Central crosses right in the middle of it all.

Bracket masts are located at East N. Findlay and West N. Findlay with the CSX crossing (Mortimer on CSX) protected with straight masts and a dwarf.

It’s somewhat of an odd track arrangement, too, with both trains having to take diverging routes to pass.

Article and Photographs by Roger Durfee

We are at the CSX diamond looking east towards Fostoria. Note the ex NKP dwarf protecting the siding’s diamond.

A “worm’s eye view” look at East N. Findlay as 17K approaches in the distance.

17K splits the signals.

17K beside that classic NKP mast.

On our way back east we stopped at Arcadia and caught a local with a former Southern HH SD40-2 pulling six carbon black cars west on to the line to Lima, the former NKP main to St Louis.

Another view of the local.