Wheeling & Lake Erie stuff

Anything pertaining to railfanning in Ohio.
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Bellevue_Guy
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Re: Wheeling & Lake Erie stuff

Unread post by Bellevue_Guy »

Today a WLE train came out of the yard and started to head EB on the Brewster track, but right about 6:00pm it stopped next to the the Bellevue water treatment plant and started backing up. It stopped again near the end of Ohio Street and sat there for a while, blocking Center Street. At 6:15 a white car crossed the track at the end of McKim Street, drove down to the engines and let off a crew member who I'm guessing was the conductor. A little after 6:20 they proceeded EB.

This train had 130 cars, mostly tanks and covered hoppers (as usual), about 10 box cars, 2 loaded lumber cars and a reefer. It went by really slow taking nearly 20 minutes to get past me. This is the 2nd time I've seen a long WLE manifest pull out of the yard and then back up before leaving town. I'm wondering, do they assemble these trains in the old NKP east yard? Could the backing and forth stuff be because they are still assembling the train they have to pull partway out of yard to clear the switch for whichever track they need to back down next?

Here it is passing American Baler. The empty lot in the foreground is part of the former Armstrong site.
These 2 pics were taken from the same spot as the last pic of my 4-11 post, just looking north instead of south.

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There were several of these new looking FTIX covered hoppers on this train. I tried looking up what company that is, but all I could come up with was "FTIX Associates." Any one know what that is?
Bellevue water treatment plant in the background

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And to finish this post off, here's a bonus pic of the 3016 from yesterday's BNSF coal train

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Bellevue_Guy
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Re: Wheeling & Lake Erie stuff

Unread post by Bellevue_Guy »

There was another one of those NS powered covered hopper trains sitting WB on the Lakeshore track today. I have yet to catch one in motion so I'm not sure where they actually go from there. Anyone know what the deal is with these trains? Are the WLE trains that just always end up with NS power or is it some NS haulage or trackage rights thing?

redside20
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Re: Wheeling & Lake Erie stuff

Unread post by redside20 »

Bellevue_Guy wrote:There was another one of those NS powered covered hopper trains sitting WB on the Lakeshore track today. I have yet to catch one in motion so I'm not sure where they actually go from there. Anyone know what the deal is with these trains? Are the WLE trains that just always end up with NS power or is it some NS haulage or trackage rights thing?
If their on the lakeshore, I'm guessing they down south or maybe down the Fostoria District..These are contract trains with the Wheeling to use NS power to Smithville, Clarksfield, and Monroeville with direct NS power.
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Bellevue_Guy
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Re: Wheeling & Lake Erie stuff

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Had an interesting little chase today. Ended up following the same crew but two different trains.

Here is one of the Powder River coal trains rounding the New Haven Connection toward the Fostoria District a little after 2:00.

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Backing down the Sandusky District at County Line Rd.

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After clearing the crossing it stopped next to this NS train, and I got this pic from my driver side window while crossing the tracks.

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I turned around at the next driveway with intent to recross the tracks to get to another location, but much to my surprise the train had already started moving forward and I got caught by it as it pulled back toward Bellevue.

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So I turned around and went the long way back into town and managed to get to where Monroe St crosses the Lakeshore connection in time to get this pic. The former GE building site is to the left.

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Then I went out to Bauer Rd and saw this sitting on the Brewster track.

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The Powder River train approached on the Lakeshore track, then stopped not far from where it is in this pic.

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Right after that a white crossover pulled up and let off a crew member at the Bauer Rd crossing. I presume it was the conductor and I'm guessing that he must have ridden the last car when they were backing down the Sandusky district, then got off near County Road 34 and got a ride over to Bauer Rd while the engineer moved the train forward alone, since there would have been no time for him to walk back to the head end given that it started moving forward again so soon.

Anyway, the engineer stepped off BNSF 6099, walked over to WLE 6310, boarded it and fired it up. Meanwhile the conductor walked down to the Powder River train and appeared to be tying it down. Then he walked over to the covered hopper train, climbed up and released the hand brakes on a couple cars, then boarded the 6310. They were soon on their way eastbound.

So I jumped ahead to Monroeville to attempt a shot I've been meaning to try for awhile:

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That's the bridge over the west branch of the Huron River, taken from the former NYC bridge that has been rebuilt as a rail trail bridge.

This portion of the NCIT rail trail along the former NYC is complete from Norwalk to Peru Center Rd in Monroeville and from SR 99 in Monroeville to Prairie Road in Bellevue, with an unfinished gap in Monroeville. They originally planned to have a grade crossing where the NYC/WLE diamond used to be to connect this new bridge with the rest of the trail. Though apparently that idea didn't fly with the Wheeling, because they are now in the process of building the trail along the parallel Lake Shore Electric right of way so that it can stay on the south side of the WLE until Peru Center Rd, where trail users will be able to use that crossing to get over to the rest of the trail.

redside20
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Re: Wheeling & Lake Erie stuff

Unread post by redside20 »

Those appear to be flour hoppers heading for New Horizons Bakery in Norwalk.
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Bellevue_Guy
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Re: Wheeling & Lake Erie stuff

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Caught this eastbound from Toledo late on Tuesday afternoon. This was the first time in a while I've seen a WLE train with multiple engines that were all in their standard orange and black paint scheme, and the first I've taken a pic of.

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Bellevue_Guy
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Re: Wheeling & Lake Erie stuff

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While walking on the north coast inland trail yesterday I was passed by an eastbound manifest that had about 55 cars, mostly covered hoppers and tanks with a few boxes and reefers.

Anyway, the trail is open in Monroeville between SR 99 and Peru Center Road and while walking down this new section I noticed some piece of equipment that the WLE has next to the tracks with wire running from it to the rails. It's located just east of the Huron River bridge, right where the diamond with the NYC Norwalk branch used to be. What is this thing?

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penn central
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Re: Wheeling & Lake Erie stuff

Unread post by penn central »

Bellevue_Guy wrote:While walking on the north coast inland trail yesterday I was passed by an eastbound manifest that had about 55 cars, mostly covered hoppers and tanks with a few boxes and reefers.

Anyway, the trail is open in Monroeville between SR 99 and Peru Center Road and while walking down this new section I noticed some piece of equipment that the WLE has next to the tracks with wire running from it to the rails. It's located just east of the Huron River bridge, right where the diamond with the NYC Norwalk branch used to be. What is this thing?

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Hello Bellevue_Guy that looks like a wheel flange greaser.

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Re: Wheeling & Lake Erie stuff

Unread post by AmtrakCSXRailfan »

Saw this yesterday in Bellevue for my first trip!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/77988653@N08/7173282867/
-Brennen Williams Railfan of Northwest Ohio

Please check out my YouTube Channel http://www.youtube.com/user/AmtrakCSXRailfan

Also, my Flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/77988653@N08/

Happy Railfanning!!!!!

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Bellevue_Guy
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Re: Wheeling & Lake Erie stuff

Unread post by Bellevue_Guy »

^ Nice catch.

And thanks PC, that makes sense. I walked by it again yesterday and could see that there was grease on the rails there.

While walking on the trail yesterday I got passed by this, and decided at the last moment to try and get a pic of it with my phone. This was westbound between Norwalk and Monroeville near Halfway Rd.

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It had about 40-50 cars, half regular hoppers and half of these boxy looking hoppers

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I remember seeing a set of those boxy type hoppers all the time when the Flat Rock quarry was still going, though I haven't seen them nearly as much since then. These ones appear to be either another set of them, or the same ones with new paint (as well as a very OSU like logo.) Anyone know which is the case?
Google tells me these belong to Osborne Inc, which is a northeast Ohio aggregates, asphalt and concrete conglomerate.

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Re: Wheeling & Lake Erie stuff

Unread post by redside20 »

I think those hoppers maybe coming from Huron Lime and going to either Medina or Darrow Road in Akron adjacent to Brittain Yard..
here is the Medina location
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=41.1486459&lo ... 18&l=0&m=h

and the Akron location
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=41.066764&lon ... 18&l=0&m=h
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AARR
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Re: Wheeling & Lake Erie stuff

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Bellevue_Guy wrote:I remember seeing a set of those boxy type hoppers all the time when the Flat Rock quarry was still going, though I haven't seen them nearly as much since then.
Is the Flat Rock quarry still open? Do they still ship by rail?
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Bellevue_Guy
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Re: Wheeling & Lake Erie stuff

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They no longer blast and they no longer ship by rail. Though they are still pulling some stone out of there via non blasting methods and trucks.

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Bellevue_Guy
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Re: Wheeling & Lake Erie stuff

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Saw these 2 units today on a WLE train from Toledo that was completing the first leg of the New Haven wye turnaround move, pulling onto the Fostoria district. The 6381 is listed on the WLE roster at nsdash9.com, though I can't find anything on the 6533, which appears to be a former UP unit.

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Re: Wheeling & Lake Erie stuff

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Bellevue_Guy wrote:...though I can't find anything on the 6533, which appears to be a former UP unit.
Son of a gun, W&LE is getting a SD50 it looks like in 6533 :shock:
PatC created a monster, 'cause nobody wants to see Don Simon no more they want AARR I'm chopped liver, well if you want AARR this is what I'll give ya, bad humor mixed with irrelevant info that'll make you roll your eyes quicker than a ~Z~ banhammer...

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Re: Wheeling & Lake Erie stuff

Unread post by sd70accsxt700 »

6533 is a NS unit, not going to the WLE.
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Bellevue_Guy
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Re: Wheeling & Lake Erie stuff

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Saw another Solae bound covered hopper train this morning

I was walking east on the NCIT between Section Line 30 and Young Rd and saw a train coming west toward me. The Young Rd signal indicator turned yellow and the train went into Yeomans siding with 25 cars and passed me heading toward Bellevue. It must have stopped for a while between Route 4 and Bauer Rd, because a half hour later when I drove back into town it was just then crossing Prairie Rd on the Lakeshore track.


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Bellevue_Guy
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Re: Wheeling & Lake Erie stuff

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Saw this EB manifest with an interesting lash-up sitting on the Lakeshore track at Prairie Rd this morning.

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Bellevue_Guy
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Re: Wheeling & Lake Erie stuff

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This morning there are 2 WLE trains sitting in Bellevue, each with some interesting power. One sits on the Brewster track waiting to get into the yard, the other sits on the Lakeshore track waiting to head east on the WLE.

The yard bound train has the 6315 in former WC maroon and gold, between two normal black and orange units.
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The east bound train has both Rio Grande tunnel motor units, surrounding the 4000
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