Eastern Railroad Discussion > Peak fall color in NW Ohio

Peak color is still weeks away in most of the northeastern U.S., but as far as I'm concerned, we've already hit peak here in northwest Ohio -- in the soybean fields. The plants' leaves become a bright yellow carpet before dropping off. Just as different trees or groups of trees can peak at different times, so too there is variation among the fields, but my morning down near Deshler yielded quite a few bean fields in prime condition.

Considering how bland the color tends to be with most of the area's common trees -- oaks, sycamores, and such -- northwest Ohio's soybean fields really offer the best autumnal color here every year.

CSX also helped with quite a bit of colorful power this morning, including these samples:

1) Q016 approaches Hoytville and the west end of the North Baltimore intermodal terminal with bright orange Schneider containers on the head pin.

2) Two BNSF units, a dirty CEFX leaser, and a CSX slug set lead Q342's 88-car train east from Deshler after turning the corner on the southeast transfer.

3) Motive-power highlight of the morning was this pair of bright red CP SD60s, 6243/6252 (ex-Soo 6043/6052) leading Q501 at State Rt 65 west of Deshler. It made the right turn to head toward Cincinnati around 1100.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/19/14 14:10 by toledopatch.

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toledopatch Wrote:
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>
> 2) Two BNSF units, a dirty CEFX leaser, and a CSX
> slug set lead Q342's 88-car train east from
> Deshler after turning the corner on the northeast
> transfer.
>

So they came down the Slippery Elm Trail?

LiveWire Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> toledopatch Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > 2) Two BNSF units, a dirty CEFX leaser, and a
> CSX
> > slug set lead Q342's 88-car train east from
> > Deshler after turning the corner on the
> northeast
> > transfer.
> >
>
> So they came down the Slippery Elm Trail?

Oops.

Nice pics patch!!! Pic 3 is probably my favorite.

Everything is starting to change early here in PA too.....

This isn't early for the soybeans. They usually turn at about this time every year. By early October most of the bean fields are just brown stalks with the beans on them.

Some of the trees are starting to turn around here, but that, too, is not unusual.

By the way, whatever the truth may be to rumors about CSX letting its portion of the SD80MAC fleet go to NS, I saw two of them on the Garrett Sub today -- 4592 leading a Q161, and 4599 trailing on a Q389.