Oak Harbor

Anything pertaining to railfanning in Ohio.
bkoole98
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 173
Joined: Sat Oct 08, 2016 7:25 pm
Location: Grand Rapids, MI

Oak Harbor

Unread post by bkoole98 »

So, a friend and I were out watching trains around 9pm to almost 11pm. There was a path just to the right of the Toledo district bridge, backed the car in and watched trains.. apparently this lady across the street called us in and the cops told us to leave. We weren't being noisy or disrespectful. Has anyone had a similar experience in Oak Harbor? I've seen videos on YouTube of railfanners taking video in the same exact spot we got escorted off from. Any further information on that or if someone can provide me some sort of background with that area would be helpful. Thanks!

ConrailDetr​oit
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 6066
Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2007 10:04 pm
Location: Detroit

Re: Oak Harbor

Unread post by ConrailDetr​oit »

Sitting by a railroad track at night is suspicious activity until it no longer is. Keep going back.

lakeshoredave
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 439
Joined: Fri Jun 05, 2009 10:10 am

Re: Oak Harbor

Unread post by lakeshoredave »

I sat across the street from the Chicago Line there by a Bus Garage. I saw other railfans there. This was before covid. Typically a good spot to sit at.

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SD80MAC
Ingersoll's Mr. Michigan
Posts: 10853
Joined: Thu Mar 10, 2005 4:59 pm
Location: Grand Rapids

Re: Oak Harbor

Unread post by SD80MAC »

ConrailDetr​oit wrote:
Wed Aug 09, 2023 4:08 pm
Sitting by a railroad track at night is suspicious activity until it no longer is. Keep going back.
Or, you know, maybe don't.
"Remember, 4 mph is a couple, 5's a collision!"
http://flickriver.com/photos/conrail680 ... teresting/
Image

CSXBOY
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 529
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2015 7:07 pm
Location: Just north of the CSX Detroit sub

Re: Oak Harbor

Unread post by CSXBOY »

This really right here is why I am losing interest in this hobby and really limiting myself on where I go look at trains. This happened to me a few times, one notable time was when I was railfanning the UP Triple Track in Nebraska at a rural grade crossing just east of Lexington NE. A family called me in and the sheriff oh boy was he not in a good mood. He threatened me with a ticket if I don't leave the crossing even though it was on a public dirt road as I was not on the tracks. The next morning, however, there was a crew getting on a coal train and the conductor told me that the train was gonna leave in a few minutes. I told him that the previous night at a different crossing about the sheriff pulling up to me and if I was okay where I was standing and he gave me a shocking look and said you are good just do not go on the tracks. The engineer of the coal drag tossed me a couple hats and some other goodies. I guess the situation turned out good but still I hate it when people call me in. I already deal with our dumb society enough as it is and railfanning and taking trips is like my escape from all of the craziness. Just keep going back to Oak Harbor, it still is a good spot to go on the Chicago line and if that lady really has nothing better to do than call you guys in obeying the rules then that's just sad.
Last edited by CSXBOY on Sun Feb 02, 2025 9:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

h2466
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 103
Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2014 1:57 pm
Location: Willshire Oh.

Re: Oak Harbor

Unread post by h2466 »

Myself if I'm in a new area, I always stop by the local sheriffs off and tell them I'll be hanging around the tracks taking pictures. I also tell them what I'm driving also.

MRC_Andrew
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 128
Joined: Sun Sep 21, 2008 3:28 pm

Re: Oak Harbor

Unread post by MRC_Andrew »

I used to visit Oak Harbor fairly regularly back in the late 90s/early 2000s, and my only interaction with locals (including law enforcement) was a friendly nod and a wave. I visited the area for the first time in several years over the Labor Day weekend and found my biggest problem was the vegetation that has grown up along the tracks west of the flyover! That used to be a clear shot. Was also interested to see the large community gardens and chicken-raising facilities at the (apparently closed) industrial plant west of the flyover. Time marches on, I guess.

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