



This past Sunday Marty Surdyk and I drove to Erie to see an Erie Otters minor league hockey game.
After Marty picked me up at my house in Painesville, we stayed close to both railroads on either Route 84 or Route 20 Between Madison and Geneva.
We heard on the scanner that Norfolk Southern intermodal train 22K was near and we set up at Brown Road midway between Geneva and Saybrook.
The top two images above are what I captured of the 22K at this location.
Heading east we wanted to check out a rumor that Marty heard recently that the Norfolk Southern (ex-Nickel Plate) trestle at Conneaut would be replaced just as the trestle in Painesville was a few years ago.
We also heard on the radio that 22K would take the siding at Woodworth Road east of the Conneaut Creek trestle to allow approaching 206 to pass it.
What we found was that a construction road has been cut through the trees off Main Street at creek level before the road started uphill out of the valley.
Then on Woodworth Road on the east end we spotted construction equipment and markers on the south side of the trestle for the new bridge. Over the next year I’m sure we will return to view and photograph the progress.
We then headed east and set up at Lucas Road near East Springfield, Pennsylvania, to await NS 206. Lucas Road is the last of back-to-back road crossings. The third photo above was made at that location.
Our last photo op would be the next crossing at Townline Road west of Girard, Pennsylvania. Photo 4 shows the 22K after it came out of the siding several miles back.
It was a gloomy day but we did enjoy an exciting hockey game in which the Otters defeated the Kitchener (Ontario) Rangers 6-2.
The arena is adjacent to the ballpark for the Class AA Erie SeaWolves. Actually the arena is the left field wall for the ballpark.
I always had a nickname for that when we’ve attended baseball games there. Fenway Park has the famous Green Monster. Erie has the Arena Monster.
Article and Photographs by Edward Ribinskas