NEORHS Picnic Canceled, Rescheduled for July 20

The Northeastern Ohio Railway Historical Society picnic and meeting that had been scheduled for Saturday (June 15) was canceled and rescheduled for July 20 in Hartville.

The July 20 event will have the same schedule and details, being held at the former Hartville depot next to the tracks of the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway between 4 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. behind the former Baltimore & Ohio passenger car at the depot.

The depot is located at 120 E. Maple Street just east of the intersection of Ohio routes 619 and 43.

A variety of food and beverages will be provided, but attendees are encouraged to bring a beverage, entrée or snack to share. A grill will be provided.

Attendees are also encouraged to bring slides or digital images of railroad operations to show during an open project program. Digital and slide projectors will be provided.

For more information contact David Mangold at 330-947-3685 during the afternoon or email him at davemangold@hotmail.com

NEORHS Picnic Set in Hartville on June 15

The Northeastern Ohio Railway Historical Society will hold a picnic on Saturday (June 15) in Hartville.

The event will be held at the former Hartville depot next to the tracks of the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway between 4 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. behind the former Baltimore & Ohio passenger car at the depot.

The depot is located at 120 E. Maple Street just east of the intersection of Ohio routes 619 and 43.

A variety of food and beverages will be provided, but attendees are encouraged to bring a beverage, entrée or snack to share. A grill will be provided.

Attendees are also encouraged to bring slides or digital images of railroad operations to show during an open project program. Digital and slide projectors will be provided.

For more information contact David Mangold at 330-947-3685 during the afternoon or email him at davemangold@hotmail.com

Almost Setting a Dubious Record

Chef Martè, a.k.a. Marty Surdyk, places the first burger on the grill at the Akron Railroad Club’s 2018 picnic.

It was nearly a record-setting day for the Akron Railroad Club’s annual July picnic on Sunday and that was a good thing and a bad thing.

It was a good thing because the 10 trains we saw kept us from tying a dubious record of least trains seen during an ARRC picnic at Warwick Park in Clinton.

It was a bad thing because it was just one over the record for the lowest train count.

The record for least number of trains seen at Warwick Park during a picnic is nine, posted several years ago on what Bulletin editor Marty Surdyk described as “just one of those days.”

It also was a hot and humid day, Surdyk recalled.

The train count began at 8:45 a.m. when ARRC President Craig Sanders arrived and ended about 8:40 p.m. when he and Surdyk departed for home.

The first train, a westbound auto rack, was logged at 9:08 a.m. and the last one, an eastbound stack train, passing through at 7:52 p.m.

Between those were numerous long lulls, one of which lasted two hours and 22 minutes.

Auto rack traffic dominated the action with five of the 10 trains being predominantly auto racks and one of the two manifest freights that passed through having a cut of auto racks in its consist.

There were two purely intermodal trains, the Q137 and the Q016, but trains Q276, Q292 and Q216 all had blocks of stacked containers.

The pure auto rack trains were the Q299 and Q277. We also spotted manifest freights Q348 and Q369, both of which passed through within 22 minutes of each other.

The detector at Easton to the west counted 690 axles on the Q348. The crew of that train told the IO dispatcher that it would be dropping off its first 49 cars of stone at Ohio Junction and taking the rest of the train to New Castle, Pennsylvania.

Breaking the monotony of stacks and racks was the K182 coke train.

All of the trains featured CSX motive power with the lone except being a Norfolk Southern unit trailing on the Q137.

There have been reports of Southern Belles of Kansas City Southern making regular appearances on New Castle Subdivision trains, most often on the Q292. But there were no Belles for us today.

The local based at Warwick didn’t operate and neither did R.J. Corman. It was from a railroad perspective a rather quiet Sunday.

As for the picnic itself, approximately 30 ARRC members and guests munched on hamburgers and hot dogs along with chips, cookies, pie, brownies, deviled eggs, baked beans and some raw vegetables.

There were a lot of stories told and past good times shared beneath the pavilion of the park.

As always Chef Martè manned the grill and arranged for the burgers, buns, condiments and drinks. Most members had departed by 4 p.m. as things wound down.

The weather was partly sunny, but pleasant. Rain was reported in the Akron area and we saw some dark clouds, but it remained dry in Clinton.

Alethea Rantanes checks out the snacks and desserts during the ARRC picnic on Sunday.

From left to right Bob Farkas, Denny Romain and Bill Kubas sit and wait for the burgers and hot dogs to be grilled during the ARRC picnic, held at Warwick Park.

Tom Ward fills his plate at the buffet tables as Rick Houk (back to camera) dresses his burger.

Todd Dillon (seated) and Paul Woodring review images on Todd’s smart phone during the ARRC picnic.

The engineer of the Q016 gives us a wave as his train passes Warwick Park during the 2018 ARRC picnic. It would be the last train of the day that any ARRC member saw on the day in Clinton.

NEORHS to Meet on June 16

The Northeastern Ohio Railway Historical Society will hold a picnic on June 16 at the former Wheeling & Lake Erie depot in Hartville.

The event will begin at 6 p.m. and last through about 10:30 p.m. Attendees are asked to bring any slides or digital images of spring and summer 2018 activities to show during the program, which is expected to begin at 8 p.m.

Pizza and snacks will be available with attending asked to make a donation and to bring drinks and snacks to share.

For more information Contact: David Mangold at 330-947-3685 or at             davemangold@hotmail.com

ARRC Picnic a Highball for Sunday

With the weather forecast for the weekend showing sunny skies and only a 10 percent chance of precipitation, the Akron Railroad Club will hold its picnic in the valley this Sunday (Sept. 17).

The event will be held at the Valley Picnic area south of Peninsula along Riverview Road on the west side of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad tracks.

Chef Martè (a.k.a. Marty Surdyk) will fire up the grill at approximately noon and serve up burgers and hot dogs.

The club will supply buns, condiments, and a limited supply of snacks and beverages. Members are asked to bring some side dishes and desserts.

The chef will be serving up hot food until the last passage of Nickel Plate Road No. 765, which is expected to be late afternoon.

Depending on what time you arrive, you can expect to see the 2-8-4 and its train pass the picnic site four times, twice going north and twice going south.

The excursion trains are expected to leave Akron at 11:15 a.m. and 3:15 p.m., which is 20 and 25 minutes respectively after the scheduled departure of the CVSR National Park Scenic trains.

The Scenic is scheduled to arrive in Peninsula on Sunday southbound at 9:50 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. and northbound at 11:45 a.m. and 3:40 p.m.

Assuming that the NKP 765 and its train have the same running time as the Scenic of about 45 minutes to reach the picnic area, it should pass the picnic area at approximately noon and 4 p.m.

The steam trips are advertised as two-hour excursions and include a photo runby at Boston Mill station.

The southbound trips, which will have NKP 765 leading, should make their return trips between about 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. for the first trip of the day, and between 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. for the second excursion.

Please note that parking at the picnic site is limited.

ARRC to Have Picnic During NKP 765 Visit

Since it looks like the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad No. 1309 won’t be ready any time soon, the ARRC will have a September Steam Weekend right in our backyard.

We will again hold a picnic in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park to coincide with the visit of Nickel Plate Road No. 765.

The officers had considered holding an overnight outing in Cumberland, Maryland, to watch the former Chesapeake & Ohio 2-6-6-2 No. 1309 make its first trips in September. But those have been canceled.

The ARRC picnic will be held on Sunday, Sept. 17 or 24 at the Valley Picnic Area in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park along Riverview Road south of Peninsula.

The 765 will be running out of Akron on that day and will pass the picnic site four times during the day. It will be six times if you count ferry moves.

So even if you don’t plan on chasing NKP 765 through the Valley, you can see it without all the hassles of traffic and jockeying for position with other photographers.

The weather forecast will dictate which weekend we will have the picnic. If it’s going to be nice the first weekend, then that is the day we will do it.

If we get rain the first Sunday, then we will shoot for the second Sunday. If it rains both weekends, there won’t be a picnic.

The club will provide the hamburgers and hot dogs as well as the popular condiments.

Chef Martè will have some snacks and beverages available, but it may be best to bring your own. See you in the Valley.

NEORHS Picnic to be Held Saturday

The Northeastern Ohio Railway Historical Society will hold its annual picnic on Saturday in Hartville, starting at 6 p.m.

The picnic will be held at the Maple Street Gallery, the former Wheeling & Lake Erie depot in downtown Hartville.

Attendees are asked to bring an extra lawn chair if you have one as well as a favorite beverage, entrée and snack to share. A grill will be provided.

The event will run through 10:30 p.m. and include slide shows of railroad images. A digital projector and slide projector will be provided.

The depot is located at 120 E. Maple Street, just east of the intersection of Ohio routes 619 and 43.

NEORHS To Meet Saturday in Randolph

The May meeting of the Northeastern Ohio Railway Historical Society will held on Saturday at the Town Hall building in Randolph.

The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. with food and videos. The business meeting will begin at 7 p.m. The meeting is expected to end by 10:30 p.m.

The Randolph Town Hall is located just north of the intersection of Ohio Route 44 and Waterloo Road.

NEORHS member David Mangold said that during business meeting there will be a discussion and planning conducted for future meetings.

Attendees are encouraged to bring digital images or slides to show. The program theme will be Amtrak because May 1 was the 46^th anniversary of the national passenger carrier’s inauguration. Mangold said in an email message that images of pre-Amtrak passenger trains are welcome.

Pizza will be available with attendees asked to make a donation to defray its cost. They are also asked to bring snacks and beverages to share.

The June 17 NEORHS meeting will be a picnic held at the Hartville depot and feature an open projector.  There will be no meeting in July.

The picnic will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Maple Street Gallery, the former Wheeling & Lake Erie depot in downtown Hartville.

Attendees are asked to come early to help prepare the food and set up the picnic, and to bring an extra lawn chair if you have one.

The depot is located at 120 E. Maple St., just east of the intersection of Ohio routes 619 and 43, also known as East Maple and Prospect streets. The entrance is via Howard Court with parking behind the railroad car.

Dave said he is still looking for another grill to be used to cook the hot dogs and hamburgers.

ARRC Annual Picnic is This Sunday at NEOLS

It’s getting to be late July and that means it is time for another Akron Railroad Club picnic. This year’s event will be held on Sunday, July 26 at the Northeast Ohio Live Steamers facility in Lester.

It will be the first time that the club has had an event there.

The picnic begins at noon and runs through 5 p.m. However, the grill will only be in operation between noon and 3:30 p.m.

As always, Chef Marte will be serving up hamburger and hot dogs provided by the club. The club will also provide buns and condiments. Members should bring non-alcoholic beverages, snacks and desserts.

The NEOLS facility features a 7.5-inch gauge layout with trains that can be ridden. Train rides will be available throughout the day.

The facility is located at 3654 Lester Road just north of Ohio Route 18. It is adjacent to the CL&W Subdivision of CSX, although traffic on that branch tends to be sparse.

If the weather is dry, picnic participants can park in the grass near the picnic tables in an area known as the grove. If the weather has been wet, then members should park in the lot on the left upon entering the grounds.

Record Breaking Picnic Day in Olmsted Falls

Chef Marte, a.k.a. as Marty Surdyk, has the grill hot and the burgers and dogs sizzling during the Akron Railroad Club picnic on July 26, 2009, in Olmsted Falls. Surdyk (right) is shown serving Rick Houck (left) and Rich Antibus. (Photograph by Hilary Surdyk)

About 7 p.m., Marty Surdyk was getting worried. He had guaranteed that this year’s Akron Railroad Club picnic would break the record for most trains seen. But it had been a good two hours since a train had passed by the picnic site at the former New York Central station in Olmsted Falls, Ohio. The radio had been quiet.

Since 8:30 a.m. that morning 21 trains had passed by, which tied the record set a few years ago at Warwick Park in Clinton next to the CSX Chicago-Pittsburgh line. But Marty had boasted that this year’s event would break the record.

The 22nd train finally passed by about a half-hour later. For good measure, the 23rd and 24th trains also made an appearance before the picnic closed shop for the day around 9 p.m.

Twenty-nine ARRC members and their guests attended this year’s picnic for a total of 44 attendees. They feasted on 73 hamburgers and 64 hot dogs and untold numbers of chips, cookies and other picnic fare. By the time Marty, a.k.a. Chef Marte, dropped the fires from the grill, he had burned through a bag and a half of charcoal.

NS traffic was somewhat atypical during the picnic, held on Sunday, July 26., 2009. There were no coal trains and no coke trains. The eastbound RoadRailer sauntered past, but not its westbound counterpart.

As for locomotive power, it was almost exclusively of NS vintage. The only foreign unit seen was a BNSF locomotive that was a trailing unit on an ethanol train, the Z9Q, at 12:14 p.m. That same train had an NS unit in the lead and a CSX locomotive trailing.

Another CSX unit made an appearance on another ethanol train, which was the first train of the day spotted by an ARRC member. That was recorded by Rick Houck who OSed the 69Q at 8:42 a.m.

There were a number of former Conrail units still dressed in blue that came by, but none of them were lead units on this day.

A third ethanol train, the 68Q, slipped past at 1:22 p.m. Otherwise, the traffic was a steady diet of intermodal and manifest freights.  Traffic was split dead even with 12 eastbounds and 12 westbounds. Interestingly, the eastbounds dominated in the morning and the westbounds late in the day.

The Olmsted Falls depot is owned by the Cuyahoga Valley and West Shore Model Railroad club. Todd Vander Sluis did double duty, opening the station as a CV&WS member but also attending as an ARRC member.

ARRC members had the opportunity to watch the CW&WS’s model railroad in action during the day. A Wheeling & Lake Erie model SD40 with sound spent the afternoon idling at the club’s engine terminal.