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 NS 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.