Trip to Summerail in Marion, OH - 2

Hi, The second day began with a stop in Bellevue, OH.

On the way from Norwalk, where we spent the night, we encountered the Wheeling and Lake Erie transfer to Bellevue on the outskirts of town.

The south end of the yard in Bellevue is a railfan hangout complete with a viewing platform. This view of a southbound or westbound train (its either headed to Fort Wayne, IN or Columbus, OH) is from across the tracks from the viewing platform.

Looking south and across the street from the viewing platform an old tower used to control the complex approaches to the yard.

Here another southbound or westbound departs the yard (above and below).

Another northbound approaching the yard

gets a wave from a young railfan. He was one of a group of four from northern Virginia who had been driven out by one of their moms and had spent a few days prior to this in Fostoria, OH.

The final train we shot in this area was this local on the line to Toledo.

Next we drove up to the north end of the yard keeping as close to the tracks as possible. At one point we crossed the line coming down from Sandusky, OH where we encountered this train of empty coal hoppers. Up until 1964 this was Pennsylvania Railroad trackage.

Ohio Route 4 looks down on the hump and engine house. Typical hump power is an SD40 and two slugs. One of the slugs pictured is from an Alco.

The power from the Wheeling and Lake Erie transfer came down through the yard.

The power of an arriving train included two former BN SD60Ms with the three window windshield.

Note that this is a two track hump. As soon as the crew of the train on the left has pushed the final car over the hump they will return to the receiving yard for another cut of cars and the train on the right will begin to hump its cars. This greatly improves the humps productivity.

An eastbound headed to Cleveland leaves the yard.

The final stop before Marion was at Bucyrus, Ohio. This train is on the Sandusky Line. All of the trains we saw in Bucyrus were on this line.

The building to the left is the former Toledo and Ohio Central Station and that railroad, which was a New York Central property and is now abandoned here, stopped on the other side of the station.

The train then crossed the former PRR mainline between New York City and Chicago, now down to a single track.

Here another southbound is crossing the former Pennsy mainline.

Our last train in Bucyrus was a northbound, again crossing the former Pennsy mainline.

Thanks for looking.