August 2009 In Review

Author: Kyle Montgomery
Category: Updates

August was a really busy month here at Ohio Valley Railroads. Summer was in full swing and I took the opportunity to get out of town a little bit. The biggest article of the month was a two part series on the Mad River & Nickel Plate Museum in Bellevue. Even with two articles I barely scratched the surface of the place so try and check it out sometime.

One of my other really good history articles was written at the beginning of the month, with a look at the unique dual-spouted water tower at Hageman on the CL&N.

This month also included a couple of rare finds on the tracks north of Columbus, with the ‘s Rio Grande locomotive seen just outside of Clyde.

Finally I wrote a couple of articles based of books that I read. My favorite of the two was the article on the Florida East Coast Railway I wrote after reading Last Train to Paradise.

Sadly, September means classes and responsibilities. Expect the posts to trickle down to a more weekly schedule instead of the 3 to 4 a week I’ve been pushing. That doesn’t mean the content will suffer though. Next month I’m planning an extensive article on a DL&C brochure from 1912. In the meantime, don’t forget to subscribe and check out our page on Facebook.

Guess the MOW

Author: Kyle Montgomery
Category: Uncategorized Railroads: ,

While driving along Norfolk Southern’s Sandusky Line I spied all this equipment stored on an interchange track. Unfortunately, I am terrible with MOW equipment and know very little about which piece is used for each task. If anyone knows that these things are, post a comment or give me an email.



Ohio’s Railway Age in Postcards

Author: Kyle Montgomery
Category: History

The other day I was browsing for railroad books at my local library. Immediately when I saw the title of this book I knew I would be writing an article on it for this site. Ohio’s Railway Age in Postcards describes a popular trend of the early 20th century, postcard collecting. Many of these postcards revolved around the focal point of the community, the railroad.

The book features postcards of both the steam railroads and some interurbans. Mostly depots were shown. The author tried to pick out depots that were unique in some aspect and chose depots all around the state. I didn’t recognize all the lines and felt that there were few southwestern rail images picked, but that just could be my bias towards the area.

Sadly the information that goes with each post card is limited to a short caption. There is also a brief introduction to set the scene before each chapter. I flipped through the book relatively quickly. Overall, the book was nice to look through but I’m not sure I would purchase it. If you would like to check out Ohio’s Railway Age in Postcards, it is available to buy on Amazon.

UP 1989 Leads Amtrak Zephyr

Author: Kyle Montgomery
Category: Off-Track Railroads: ,

It wasn’t that long ago we discussed one of the few remaining locomotives in the Rio Grande paint scheme. I recently found this Youtube video that features Union Pacific #1989 pulling an Amtrak train. 1989 is one of ’s heritage locomotives, with a paint scheme created to represent fallen flag’s of the railroad’s past. This particular locomotive was painted to represent the Denver & Rio Grande Western.

Rarely do these locomotives leave home rails, so don’t expect to see one in Ohio anytime soon. Only a failure in one of Amtrak’s locomotives made this video even possible to share. For a slow look at the engine check out this related video.

Mad River & NKP Part 2

Author: Kyle Montgomery
Category: Photo Essays Railroads:

Yesterday I started sharing some highlights of the Mad River & Nickel Plate Museum in Bellevue, Ohio. Today I’ll be looking at the museum’s Coach Yard. This is the area for overflow equipment, privately owned equipment, and pieces awaiting restoration.

The coach yard occupies the space of Bellevue’s former New York Central depot. The first thing you’ll notice is the massive derrick crane. The 280,000 pound crane was built in 1923 and originally was steam powered. It was dieselized in 1959 and donated by in 1993.

Bellevue also joins the ranks of Lebanon and Waterville with their very own ex-Erie Lackawanna Commuter Coach. This one is notable for still having its electrical equipment in-tact.

Also noticeable for those with keen eyes are some relics from earlier times. The brick walkway was originally built for the depot and features bricks made from around the area. Above is pictured the concrete base where Bellevue’s semaphore was located.

Looking across the tracks one can see the Restoration Barn where most of the museum’s restoration work takes place. Today N&W #402 was parked in front. This was an instructional car built from and old baggage car.

This NYC snowplow was built in 1943 and weights 42.5 tons. It is steam operated with blades that can be extended to cover two tracks.

One of the more unique pieces of equipment is this car pusher build in 1920 by the Atlas Car Company in Cleveland. Its an electric locomotive that was used by the PRR at the coal docks in Sandusky, Ohio. It was donated to the museum in 1992.

I could go on writing posts all day about Bellevue, but you will just have to visit for yourself. It is clearly one of the better rail attractions in Ohio. The museum is open 12-4 daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day and some weekends in May, September, and October. For more information, be sure to visit their website. For more photos click here to go to the Ohio Valley Railroads Facebook page.

Mad River & NKP Museum 1

Author: Kyle Montgomery
Category: Photo Essays Railroads:

While on a trip north of Columbus I was lucky enough to visit the Mad River and Nickel Plate Museum in Bellevue, Ohio. The museum was constructed in 1976 as Bellevue’s bicentennial project. It has continued to grow and today occupies multiple buildings. It is one of the premiere railroad museums in the area.

The name of the museum references two key railroad’s in Bellevue’s history. The Mad River & Lake Erie Railroad was the first railroad chartered in Ohio. It was built from 1837-1849 with strap iron rails eventually running from Sandusky to Springfield. Once there the Mad River connected with the Little Miami Railroad, forming the first rail link from Lake Erie to the Ohio River.

The museum’s ticket and gift shop area is located in the former home of the Bellevue Monument Company. We were given a guided tour brochure which features a few sentences on the majority of rolling stock on the property. The main building opens with a wooden scale model of the Sandusky built for the World’s Fair. The Sandusky was the Mad River & Lake Erie’s first locomotive and one of the first locomotives to operate West of the Alleghenies. You can see an original photo of engine on the museum’s website.

Also inside “Monument Station” are two very well preserved wooden cabooses. Like many of the other cars on display it is possible to climb the side and tour the interior of one the cabooses.

Outside the main building is a recently constructed Annex used for protecting the museum’s streamliner passenger coaches. Right now a diner, a sleeper, a coach, and a done car are currently on display. These cars are currently the focus of much of the museum’s restoration efforts, the CB&Q Silver Done Car #4714 being of particular interest. This was the first dome car constructed, rebuild from an old coach in 1945.

Once through touring the streamlines we headed across the street of the Museum’s original site. This property was at one time the residence of Henry Flager of Florida East Coast fame.

When touring this area, you’ll notice a lot of Nickel Plate and Norfolk & Western equipment. Bellevue was a major terminal on the Nickel Plate until the N&W acquired the company in 1964. Today Bellevue is still a major terminal with N&W successor Norfolk Southern and the museum continues to share a close relationship with the railroad. Many of the pieces were donated by the railroad in honor or memory of specific employees.

Some highlights of the collection include:

  • A Wabash F7A diesel built in 1951 and a Fairbanks-Morse built H-12-44-4 switch engine. The switch engine was built in 1952 for the Milwaukee Road.
  • The private collection of Ted and Sarah Church of Erie, Pennsylvania. This collection of documents and other memorbellia are displayed in 3 former troop sleepers along the edge of the property.
  • PRR Post Office Car #6570 built in 1910 and used for mail sorting en route.
  • #900 and #329, a GP30 and RSD-12. Both were donated by Norfolk Southern in 1992 and 1981.

The above list is just a sampling of the equipment on display. Nearly all of the cars and locomotives in the main museum were cosmetically restored and painted relatively recently. Tomorrow I’ll finish up this virtual tour with some highlights from the musuem’s Coach Yard and maybe some more photos from the main property. For more photos of the museum check out the Ohio Valley Railroads Facebook page.

The Overseas Railway

Author: Kyle Montgomery
Category: Book Reviews Railroads:

Last week from my local library I picked a copy of Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean. The book touched on the formation of the Florida East Coast Railroad and focused mainly on the historic Key West Extension.

Little do most people realize the connection between Ohio and the Florida East Coast Railway. Henry Flagler was born in Bellevue, Ohio. He co-founded Standard Oil with the better remembered John D. Rockefeller. Then he retired from the oil business, and for his second career he built the state of Flordia almost single-handedly. He is remembered for constructing the Florida East Coast Railroad, founding the cities of Miami and Palm Beach (among others), and developing a chain of luxury resorts down the coast.

The site of Flagler’s residence in Bellevue is currently the site of the Mad River and Nickel Plate Railroad Museum.

The book begins at the end, so to speak, telling the story of the horrific Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. The storm is described in the ways that only a novelist could, and Les Standiford leaves the reader hanging at the perfect moment. The narrative then cuts to the present day and a trip down the current highway built through the keys. The drive is told with such excitement it makes me one to hop in my car and make the journey myself.

Henry Flagler’s early life and accomplishments are summarized, and then the historic trip he took down to Florida with his sick wife is told. He became interested in Florida, and constructed his famous Ponce de Leon hotel in 1885. As he expanded his hotel business, Flagler realized the need Florida had for better transportation facilities. There were few good options for traveling south of Jacksonville.

Like any good millionaire, Flagler saw a need and moved on his own to meet it. He purchased the first predecessor railroad of the , the Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Halifax River Railway, on December 31st 1885. Soon he added three more companies to the growing empire, the St. John’s Railway, St. Augustine and Palatka Railway, and the St. Johns and Halifax River Railway. All his railroads were soon made standard gauge to better operate as one combined system.

In 1892 Flagler began building his own railroad tracks south from Daytona Beach. By 1896 the tracks reached the site of present day Miami. Flagler helped build utilities and fund the newspaper of the small settlement. In fact, had the citizens got their way the town would have been named after Henry Flagler, but he convinced them to instead use the native Indian name of Miami.

In 1905 the grand extension of the railroad to Key West was planned. Many said it was not possible, as the 153 mile route included multiple spans over open water. Not a cent of government money was used, no environmental studies were commissioned. It’s hard to imagine such a project ever taking place in this day and age.

The Overseas Railway was completed in 1912, just 16 months before Henry Flagler’s death. The Key West Extension never made a dime in profit. The deep water port in Key West never developed, and the traffic from the newly constructed Panama Canal never arrived. The argument can be made that Flagler never really expected a return on his investment. Instead it was to be his lasting legacy to the state of Florida.

On Labor Day Weekend 1935 a hurricane of unprecedented magnitude struck the keys. It was the strongest Atlantic storm to ever strike the United States before or since, with sustained winds of 185 mph. The Key West extension, always vulnerable to hurricanes was severely damaged and the bankrupt FEC could not rebuild it. Instead, the roadbed was sold for pennies to the state of Florida. The state used much of the route constructing US 1, the first highway to the Keys. In fact, much of the railroad bridges were so strong the roadway was build directly on top of them.

Today, Flagler’s legacy still exists in the keys. Though much of the bridges have since been bypassed, the railroad bridges still serve as fishing piers and access to a few remote Islands. There is even talk of building a multi-use trail along the old railroad route and across the old spans. The railroad he built has survived receiverships and mergers for many years while maintaining its independence. In 2008 shortline conglomerate Rail America purchased the road and moved their headquarters into the FEC’s building in Jacksonville.

Last Train to Paradise provided a comprehensive look at the life of Henry Flagler and his Overseas Railway. My only complaints are some slower parts of the book, focusing more on the individual bridge construction and less about outfitting the railroad as a whole. It was, however, interesting to discover an Ohio connection where I never expected there to be one. For those who might also want to read this book, it is currently on sale at Amazon.

The Tour Continues

Author: Kyle Montgomery
Category: News Railroads:

The folks down at the Whitewater Valley Railroad went through the trouble of emailing me the press release for their annual steam event so I figured I’d pass it along. It’s only fair considering we covered the visit of Flagg Coal #75 to Mason extensively.

The Whitewater Valley Railroad is based on Connorsville, Indiana. For those who remember, we discussed the tourist operation earlier this year.

STEAM RETURNS TO THE WHITEWATER VALLEY

ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND STEAM LOCOMOTIVE FLAGG COAL CO. # 75 TO VISIT HISTORIC METAMORA, INDIANA.

For Immediate Release – Friday August 7, 2009

Metamora, Indiana – The Whitewater Valley Railroad is proud to announce that after three successful visits, steam locomotive Flagg Coal Company #75 will once again return to the historic ex-New York Central Railroad’s Whitewater Branch Line…

The Whitewater Valley Railroad will be hosting Flagg Coal #75 starting the weekend of August 28, 2009 for three weekends of education and fun. Historic Metamora, Indiana is only one stop on a nine month long tour of different rail operations in the US. After the WVRR visit, the locomotive will visit North and South Carolina, before heading off for additional stops in Florida.

There is a new and exciting addition to 75’s visit this year. Celebrating the 200th anniversary of the 16th United States President’s birth, Abraham Lincoln will be visiting Historic Metamora to ride Flagg Coal #75 on Saturday August 29 and Sunday August 30, 2009. Mr. Lincoln will be available for photo’s and questions before and during each train excursion. When the train arrives back in town, Mr. Lincoln will present one of his many speeches from the viewing stand near Flagg Coal #75.

Festivities with Abraham Lincoln reanactor Dean Dorrell will begin at 10:30 AM with four departures of Flagg Coal # 75 at 11:00 AM, 1:10 PM, 3:00 PM, and 5:00 PM. Along the way, remnants of the Whitewater Canal locks, the restored Laurel Feeder Dam, and portions of the West Fork of the Whitewater River can be clearly seen. Fares for the scenic ten mile round trip excursion pulled by Flagg Coal #75 are $16 per person and children ages 2-12 rides for half price.

To kick off the event on Friday August 28, as well as September 4, special running’s of the Laurel Hotel Train to Dinner with Flagg Coal # 75 on the point are scheduled. Departing from Historic Downtown Metamora at 6:00 PM on each evening, the trains will carry a Wild West theme. To provide the evenings live entertainment, The Circle D Rangers from Muncie, Indiana will be aboard. The $65 fare includes round trip train fare, entertainment, meal and tip. These excursions have limited seating and have sold out in past years. Reservations are required for these trains.

On Saturday September 5 and Sunday September 6 in conjunction with the 11th Annual Metamora Folk Music Festival and Labor Day – Monday September 7, will see four departures of Flagg Coal # 75 at 11:00 AM, 1:10 PM, 3:00 PM, and 5:00 PM daily. Along the way, remnants of the Whitewater Canal locks, the restored Laurel Feeder Dam, and portions of the West Fork of the Whitewater River can be clearly seen. Fares for the scenic ten mile round trip excursion pulled by Flagg Coal # 75 are $16 per person and children ages 2-12 rides for half price.

The third weekend will take a slightly different twist as #75 will be carrying a detachment of the Union Army to protect the train. While along the line a relentless group of Confederate soldiers plan and wait. On Saturday September 12, and Sunday September 13, Festivities will start at 10:30 AM in Historic Downtown Metamora, with four departures of Flagg Coal # 75 at 11:00 AM, 1:10 PM, 3:00 PM, and 5:00 PM. Along the way, remnants of the Whitewater Canal locks, the restored Laurel Feeder Dam, and portions of the West Fork of the Whitewater River can be clearly seen. Fares for the scenic ten mile round trip adventure are $16 per person and children ages 2-12 rides for half price.

In addition to #75, the regularly scheduled excursions from Connersville to Metamora will be operating as normal. All trains operate rain or shine.

Metamora is Indiana’s treasured 1838 canal town. Nestled in southeastern Indiana’s beautiful countryside, Metamora is steeped in history and famous for its preservation of Indiana’s oldest and still operating water-powered grist mill. Located 60 miles east of Indianapolis and 35 miles west of Cincinnati, A must see town that retains all of its traditional charm and languid atmosphere. Shop in stores housed in buildings dated back to the early 1800s, eat and above all else… Enjoy the slow relaxing pace of the past! For more information on Historic Metamora, visit Metamora online at www.metamoraindiana.com.

Flagg Coal Company # 75 is a 40 ton saddle tank locomotive built by the Vulcan Iron Works of Wilkes Barre, PA in 1930. # 75 went into service in December of 1930 as # 2 for the Flagg Coal Company of Avoca, PA where it was used as a switch engine. In 1935 it was sold to the Solvay Process Co. in Jamesville, NY and renumbered 75. There, it was used to push 4-wheel hopper cars from the steam shovel to the crusher at the rock quarry. In the early 1950s the Solvay Process Co. disbanded their railroad operation in favor of trucking and in 1953, # 75 and twelve other locomotives were sold to Dr. Groman and his planned Rail City Museum in Sandy Pond, NY. There, the locomotive sat untouched until 1991 when John and Byron Gramling purchased it with the intent to restore it to operating condition. The father son duo painstakingly disassembled the locomotive, moved it to their shop in Ashley, Indiana and over the course of the following ten years returned it to service. For more information on # 75 visit the locomotive online at www.FlaggCoalCompany75.com.

Travel through time on Indiana’s most scenic railroad. Established in 1972, the Whitewater Valley Railroad is a non profit railroad history organization. It is an operating railroad museum dedicated to the preservation of a historic branch line railroad, the restoration of railroad equipment, and to the conduct of railroad educational programs. The railroad is operated by trained volunteers and all proceeds from this event will be used to further the organization’s mission.

Come to Historic Downtown Metamora for this spectacular railroading event, and return to a time when the railroad moved the nation and the short line railroad was a small town’s best friend. Call (765) 825-2054 for more information and reservations. Visit the Whitewater Valley Railroad’s online at www.whitewatervalleyrr.org.

Rio Grande in Ohio

Author: Kyle Montgomery
Category: Photo of the Week Railroads:

Did you know that a rare D&RGW roams the rails in Ohio? It was a wet, overcast morning in Clyde, Ohio when I happened to see engine #301 in the distance. I apologize for the poor photograph, as I wasn’t exactly watching the tracks at this point.

Engine #301 is a GP40 that was sold to the from Union Pacific in 2001. I took the photo on the original W&LE line (ex-Nickel Plate) now owned by Norfolk Southern. The “new” W&LE was spun off by in 1990, taking their name from the original railroad that was bought by the Nickel Plate. The trackage rights to Toledo for W&LE trains were granted as part of the Conrail split in 1999.

The D&RGW was a transcontinental bridge route running from Denver to Salt Lake City. The mountain railroad featured the highest main line route in the United States. In 1988 the railroad merged with the Southern Pacific, and the combined company was purchased by the Union Pacific in 1996. There are only a handful of locomotives left in D&RGW paint.

3C at the State Fair

Author: Kyle Montgomery
Category: News

On Tuesday I had a chance to attend the Ohio State Fair in Columbus. In the corner of the commercial building there was a booth for the Ohio Department of Transportation. In a dark corner of this booth there was the poster (pictured above) advertising the proposed 3C Rail Corridor.

While their were plenty of display space in the booth for advertising a hybrid bus or a stop sign with flashing red LEDs (PDF link), one of the most important transportation projects in the state was banished to the side. Although in the interest of full disclosure I also need to point out that Operation Lifesaver was there with post cards available with 3C information. Overall though, I think it’s a clear indication of the hostile climate that passenger rail faces in the state.

Speaking of 3C News, there is a long-ish article on Building Cincinnati about the possible use of the Oasis Line into Cincinnati. Sadly this article features some relatively uninformed NIMBYs who really had no concept of the pros and cons of a twice daily passenger train. In fact the president of the East End Area Council, Laurie Keleher, was quoted as saying, “Diesel engines are notorious polluters, is that being taken into consideration?” when in fact a diesel locomotive is no worse a polluter than a couple of tractor-trailers passing by per day.

The article does end on a positive note. David Lyman, a citizen of the neighborhood, provides a fresh perspective with the following:

“Barges on the river already create more noise than we’re likely to have from train traffic, and besides, we’re not talking about dozens of trains a day. If a high-speed train is routed through Columbia Tusculum, it certainly won’t be traveling at those high speeds in such a densely populated area.”

On a housekeeping note, I added a link top to the new Ohio Valley Railroads Amazon Store. I tried to place some items in the store, especially books, that were discussed on the site. I also set it up to pull items from general railroad and model railroad categories. Last but not least, I set it up so the Amazon banner up top would only display items from the store. Believe it or not, this has long been the plan since I did the site revamp back in April. I keep getting distracted by less important things like writing content.

Also, I’m a little late with this news, but Summerail is Saturday at Union Terminal.

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