Here are three photographs of trains in Northeast Ohio on Sept. 30, 2022.
We see RJ Corman 3001 southbound south of Canal Fulton. The same train is later shown entering Massillon.
Finally, Norfolk Southern 5321 and its train are sitting in Orrville. This local works Smucker’s and an industrial park.
Photographs by Robert Farkas
It’s time for an R.J. Corman two for Tuesday. The date is March 24, 1997, and GP16 No. 1824 is working on the Corman’s Cleveland Subdivision. In the top image it is shown sitting in Warwick while in the bottom image it leads a southbound train at Canal Fulton. The 1824 was built for the Atlantic Coast Line in February 1951 as a GP7. By the time it reached the Corman it had been rebuilt into a GP16.
Photographs by Robert Farkas
Here are a pair of R. J. Corman photographs on the Cleveland Subdivision. In the top image, SD40-2 No. 7107 is running south ward at Warwick. The photographer said this was the first time that he thinks he has seen this particular unit. In the bottom image the same train is shown at Canal Fulton.
Photograph by Robert Farkas
A northbound R.J. Corman train crosses the mainline of the Wheeling & Lake Erie near Brewster on May 19, 2021. The Corman train is on a former Baltimore & Ohio line that once went to Wheeling, West Virginia, and served the southeast Ohio coal fields.
Photograph by Robert Farkas
On on Friday I went to Lima, Ohio, where the R.J. Corman was switching the yard and then went west to Elgin, Ohio.
Elgin is as far west as a train can go on the former Erie Railroad mainline as it is abandoned west of there.
Here are some pictures of the train with the top images showing it passing the depot at Spencerville and two others from Elgin.
Excursion trains were once a regular sight on the Wheeling & Lake Erie. Many of them were operated by the Orrville Railroad Heritage Society and featured day trips.
W&LE GP35 No. 104 is shown pulling one such ORHS excursion eastbound at the crossing of the Wheeling and R.J. Corman line at Justus east of Brewster on Oct. 13, 2012.
Here is an out-of-the-ordinary pair of images. At first glance there may be little to surprise you. These two photos were taken about two hours apart.
In the top image R.J. Corman SD40T-2 No. 8336 is backing up westbound into the Wheeling & Lake Erie’s yard in Brewster, Ohio, on Oct. 9, 2019, on W&LE tracks at the W&LE/Corman diamond.
In the bottom image, W&LE SD40T-2 Nos. 8795 and 5413 plus one other locomotive are westbound at the west end of the yard.
Yes, 5413 is a Rio Grande heritage unit, but that was not what surprised me.
Nos. 8336, 8795, and 5413 are not only in three different paint schemes, but all three are tunnel motors.
R.J. Corman SD40T-2 No. 8336 is shown on Oct. 9, 2019, with just another routine manifest freight.
In the top image, it is backing a string of gondolas west into the Wheeling & Lake Erie railroad yard in Brewster on W&LE tracks at the RJ Corman/W&LE diamond.
The middle image shows another view of the backup move.
Having dropped off the gondolas and picked up mixed freight, No. 8336 is southbound at Justus, Ohio.
The R.J. Corman branch to Warwick (Clinton) is, arguably, one of the most overlooked rail operations in Northeast Ohio.
In a region with busy Class 1 mainline railroads it is easy to forget about the Corman.
Bob Farkas made this image of RJ Corman 1804 northbound at Warwick on Aug. 3.
An R.J. Corman train cruises southbound along Warwick Drive NW between Clinton and Canal Fulton.
Since last Sunday was the best weather from the past few days I went to Alliance to railfan. The first couple hours I had two eastbound stack trains but nothing westbound.
I found out that Norfolk Southern was doing track maintenance near Conway and no trains were being run. After noon, I went over to the Sebring model railroad club. Trains were moving here, albeit of the model variety.
After 2 p.m. NS opened the floodgates and I saw four trains in an hour. I relocated to Rootstown, catching another train.
Then I got word that an R.J. Corman train had just gone into Warwick to pick up some cars from CSX. I figured it would take 30-40 minutes to drive there so off I went.
I was just arriving as the train pulled out heading back south. Luckily, it doesn’t going very fast and made for an easy chase.
I got it several times at Canal Fulton and a couple more at Massilon. By now it was after 5 and the light was fading so I ended my chase here.
Article and Photographs by Todd Dillon
Coming through Canal Fulton.
Passing the large pond of a home south of Canal Fulton.
It must have been a slow day as the railfan chase crew was out in force. I see Bob Farkas at left near the train.
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