Sun, Snow and an Immaculate W&LE Loco

From the Route 261 overpass in Kent.

Saturday, December 18, 2010, dawned bright and amazingly clear in Northeast Ohio. With several inches of snow having fallen in the past week, it would be the perfect day to get out for some winter rail photography.

I started out up at Falls Junction to see the Cleveland Commercial’s “new” LTEX GP39-2, the 2372. I then headed to Brady Lake to catch 20R on the Norfolk Southern.

With NS and CSX being quiet I headed over to shoot Bob Rohal’s “Flash” in the snow at Shelly Materials just west of Kent.

As I was doing that I heard horns. There was nothing close on CSX or NS so I figured it was the Wheeling & Lake Erie.

A short drive to the Wheeling bridge over Mogadore Road in Kent found the W&LE scrap train heading south for Canton with immaculate GP35 No. 112 in the lead.  

I didn’t realize exactly what I was shooting with the 112 on Saturday. That unit “was” the 2679, one of the two high hood red and yellow painted locomotives. The Brewster shops  finished it earlier in the month, and this trip had to be one of its first runs as it shows being released for duty four days prior.

It’s now a GP35-3 with new electronics, a new short hood, and a new paint scheme.  Gotta love the Wheeling.  Who else is putting out GP35 rebuilds that look this good!

The chase was on! All in all I caught the train at 18 locations. Here are a few of them.

Article and Photographs by Roger Durfee

Another view from the Route 261 bridge in Kent. The slow speed of the train made it possible to get horizontal and vertical angles.

At the Howe Road crossing in Brimfield.

Coming out of the wood and coming up a grade near the Mogadore Country Club.

Another view of the train near the Mogadore Country Club.

The snow was just as pristine as the locomotive.

Stopped at the Route 532 crossing in Mogadore to handle the Mogadore north switch.

Passing through AC&Y Junction in Mogadore. The line from Akron is to the left.

Passing through some pin oak trees at the Wingfoot Lake Road crossing.

Passing through downtown Hartville.

Between Hartville and Middlebranch.

Another view at a location between Hartville and Middlebranch.

In Middlebranch with the Essroc silos in the distance.

LTEX 2372 of the Cleveland Commericlal slumbers at Glenwillow.

NS 20R kicks up some snow near Brady Lake. The view was taken from the Lake Rockwell Road bridge.

"Flash" semi-buried in the snow at Shelly Materials in Kent.