Eastern Railroad Discussion > Closing of B&O's Ohio Jct. Yard

Does anyone know when the former B&O Ohio Jct. Yard was closed?

where ???

In this case, if you don't already know where Ohio Junction Yard was, you probably don't know when it closed, either.
 

toledopatch Wrote:
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> In this case, if you don't already know where Ohio
> Junction Yard was, you probably don't know when it
> closed, either.
>  

so you posted a message and answered neither question ... good job ... i don't know when it closed but i was just wondering where it was



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/26/15 21:15 by Out_Of_Service.

Out_Of_Service Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> toledopatch Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > In this case, if you don't already know where
> Ohio
> > Junction Yard was, you probably don't know when
> it
> > closed, either.
> >  
>
> so you posted a message and answered neither
> question ... good job ... i don't know when it
> closed but i was just wondering where it was

I'am with O.O.S, I have never heard of this location either. A little more information would help. 

All pithy comments aside, Ohio Junction was located west of Youngstown, Ohio at MP 79.5 of the Akron Main Line Subdivision. It was the junction of the B&O Lake Subdivision that ran northward to Painesville and Fairport Harbor. OW Tower was the interlocking tower located at Ohio Junction.

I do not have an exact date of yard closure, but based on the abandonment of the Lake Subdivision in the 1980's (which subsequentally became the Newton Fall Subdivision), and the general down turn of the entire region, I'd say that a late 1980's time frame would be about right.

CG Tower



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/27/15 04:36 by CGTower.

CGTower Wrote:
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> All pithy comments aside, Ohio Junction was
> located west of Youngstown, Ohio at MP 79.5 of the
> Akron Main Line Subdivision. It was the junction
> of the B&O Lake Subdivision that ran northward to
> Painesville and Fairport Harbor. OW Tower was the
> interlocking tower located at Ohio Junction.
>
> I do not have an exact date of yard closure, but
> based on the abandonment of the Lake Subdivision
> in the 1980's (which subsequentally became the
> Newton Fall Subdivision), and the general down
> turn of the entire region, I'd say that a late
> 1980's time frame would be about right.
>
> CG Tower


Thanks CG. I know this area by OW Tower or just  the B&O yard, not Jct. Yard.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/27/15 04:47 by EL-SD45-3632.

Thanks CG Tower for your information.  It confirms what I suspected was the time frame the yard may have closed. The major sources of rail traffic in the area, US Steel's Ohio Works and MacDonald Works, as well as Youngstown Sheet & Tube's Brier Hill Works all shut down in 1979-80.  Although the mills closed down, it would take several years to dispose of scrap and other material generated by the demolition of the facilities.  Some of this material no doubt would be shipped by rail.  The Brier Hill Works reopened in 1986 as North Star Steel.  The Lake Branch from Warren north to Painesville was abandoned in 1981 and the tracks torn up in 1982. 

Ohio Jct is still an active yard, though nothing like back in the 70s and 80s, yardmaster in New Castle now controls the yard.  CSX and Ohio Central interchange cars there.  D762 local works the yard along with road locals Q330-Q331.  K919 stone train terminates there and is handed over to Ohio Central for dumping.  K593-K594 pipe trains, when they run, originate there loaded off the Ohio Central.  OW tower was destroyed by a fire in the late 80s early 90s.  Only crossover now is a facing point crossover at the east end of the yard called YANDA,  the crossing of the Y&A Youngstown and Austintown, now part of Ohio Central.

I was wondering if that was the case, I just did a Google Earth search of that area and saw the yard...

Thanks for the update!

CG Tower

FEC2000 Wrote:
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> Ohio Jct is still an active yard, though nothing
> like back in the 70s and 80s, yardmaster in New
> Castle now controls the yard.  CSX and Ohio
> Central interchange cars there.  D762 local works
> the yard along with road locals Q330-Q331.  K919
> stone train terminates there and is handed over to
> Ohio Central for dumping.  K593-K594 pipe trains,
> when they run, originate there loaded off the Ohio
> Central.  OW tower was destroyed by a fire in the
> late 80s early 90s.  Only crossover now is
> a facing point crossover at the east end of the
> yard called YANDA,  the crossing of the Y&A
> Youngstown and Austintown, now part of Ohio
> Central.

Thanks FEC2000!!!!  I certainly appreciate the information.

OW Tower burned down in the late 1990s.  I worked for the Y&A from 1993-96 and we talked to the operator at OW to get the crossovers unlocked at YANDA.   Even at that point most of the yard tracks were gone.

Rick Rowlands
Hubbard, OH
Youngstown Steel Heritage

Thanks Rick for the information!!!!