Eastern Railroad Discussion > NS double Track - Ohio

It's probably like beating a dead horse, but since I am unable to find info online in a subject I'm interested in, figured some here could help.

When was the NKP/NW/NS double track pulled up along the lake shore communities (Cleveland, Lakewood, Rocky River, Bay Village, Avon Lake, Sheffield Village, Lorain)...

And, probably not as baffling, why was it removed?

- Denny



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/24/14 17:00 by RAILWATCH.

I'm pretty sure it was pulled up during the mid-1990s. I don't know why for sure, but I'm guessing management at the time saw the extra track as excess capacity.

Sheesh.. that seems not too long ago, and I should've know, having lived near the tracks in Lorain. Then again, mid & late 90s I wasn't home much.

Wonder if there are any regrets now.

Probably too costly to replace it now.

If you folks want to know, We have lost half of the railroad trackage. compare a 1950 map to a current one. It will just shock you. Point being. I have no love Class one railroads crying because they are conjested.

We all seem to forget that RRs paid property tax to many towns, cities and countys on that extra and not needed rail back in the day. Think of it as a third or forth car in your driveway that you don't need or drive, but you are forced to buy insurance and registration anyway. Time to go!

SeaboardMan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We all seem to forget that RRs paid property tax
> to many towns, cities and countys on that extra
> and not needed rail back in the day. Think of it
> as a third or forth car in your driveway that you
> don't need or drive, but you are forced to buy
> insurance and registration anyway. Time to go!

Ding ding ding, Why keep something double tracked that only has seen 6-12 trains a day for the last 4 decades.

Even before the Conrail break-up, when NS ran a lot more traffic on the Cleveland District east of Vermilion, there weren't nearly enough trains to justify double track.

I moved to Ohio in 1993 and it was already single track by then. Same with the stretch between Colby and Iler (Fostoria), which I'd imagine to be higher on any second-thoughts list now.

The line between Lorain and Cleveland was single tracked in the fall of 1992. The line on the west side of Lorain may have been reconfigured a year or two before that, and Colby to Ilers a few years before that. I would have to look back at some of my Bellevue trips for that one. It was also in that 1992 time frame that they started running more trains such as 205/206 and 083/084, plus the stack trains and then later the auto trains. It was great seeing so many trains on the old NKP again, which then seemed to vanish overnight in 1999.

In addition to the tax burden, it's not really the best use of those assets is it? Also keep in mind that there were programs in the 1970's & 1980's where the railroads were paid to take extra capacity out of corridors. Given the business situation of the time - and what was forecasted, it was absolutely the right thing to do.

BelltuckyFoamductor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SeaboardMan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > We all seem to forget that RRs paid property
> tax
> > to many towns, cities and countys on that extra
> > and not needed rail back in the day. Think of
> it
> > as a third or forth car in your driveway that
> you
> > don't need or drive, but you are forced to buy
> > insurance and registration anyway. Time to go!
>
> Ding ding ding, Why keep something double tracked
> that only has seen 6-12 trains a day for the last
> 4 decades.

I have a Lake Division track chart book from 1992. It confirms that the earlier posts were correct. Double track is still shown thru Lakewood and west toward Lorain. East of Cleveland the double track sections between Conneaut and UD (Euclid) have been altered with sidings, Conneaut to Reed (Kingsville), Ashtabula to Sanborn, and Unionville to West MA (Madison).

I was an locomotive engineer working the Lake "C" district out of Conneaut at the time and was called for the work train that picked up the rail from the retired westbound main from Reed to KG (the east side of Ashtabula where we crossed State Route 84).

It was sad to see the double track disappear. We operating employees urged amongst ourselves that they keep the section of double track from KG to Blake Road as a siding to better handle traffic thru the single track and congestion of Ashtabula proper which included cross traffic at the Conrail diamond at NP tower. Waiting at Reed, over 8 miles east of KG, for eastbound traffic at Geneva or Madison, seemed to be a waste when they had a fine 2 mile piece of track available for siding with signalling and switch in place at KG. Automatic signals were in place at Blake Road. Putting in a switch at Blake and signalling same would not have been that difficult and would still be paying benefits to this day (IMHO). DAM

I looked through some of my past Bellevue trips. Colby-Ilers was still double track in June of 1987. Have not found anything (yet) to pin down the single tracking.