B&O GP40-2 4232 at Akron Junction, Akron, Ohio on March 4, 1983, photo by Chuck Zeiler. The building is Tower AY, the tracks the locomotives are on are former B&O rails between Warren and Columbus, Ohio, and the former PRR's Akron Branch, which split off of the ex-PRR Valley Main at Hudson, Ohio, and ran southwest through Akron and Orrville, ending at Columbus. The tracks below are B&O rails running between Chicago and Pittsburgh. Fred Stuckman offers the following additional information: In this photo, the train is headed west on the New Castle Sub. which is the Pittsburgh-Chicago line. The tracks below are the old Cleveland line. It originates in Cleveland and winds its way through eastern Ohio and ends at the Ohio River across from Wheeling West Virginia. That line was originally called the CT&V (Cleveland Terminal & Valley, part of the B&O). The line today is abandoned from Urichsville Ohio to the river. CSX still owns a small portion in Cleveland, CVSR (Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad) from Cleveland to Akron, Metro, our bus company, from Akron to Canton. Wheeling & Lake Erie operates the Akron-Canton line for the industries and CVSR runs passenger excursions on it June through August. South of Canton, it's abandoned to Dover. From there to Urichsville is operated by RJ Corman. Finally, the Pennsy, CA&C (Cleveland Akron & Columbus, part of the old PRR) came onto the main just 100' or so to the left of that image at AY interlocking, and ran concurrent with the B&O until Warwick Ohio. (Clinton) From there, it would continue to Columbus. Each company owned one main track between AY and Warwick. From Hudson south, most of it is torn up. The track through Hudson is the Cleveland & Pittsburgh line. That has been PRR/PC/CR/NS, still quite active today. The tower/depot at Hudson still stands, but efforts to preserve it have failed and so it will be razed soon. |