Eastern Railroad Discussion > Melvin Stone Train on the Oasis Secondary in Cincinnati Today

I ran a bus route earlier in the Winter and and never saw the Melvin Stone train move. Last month I ran the Rt 28 on Eastern Ave again and really thought it was the same train and that it still had never moved. Not really sure if it moved but definitelywas  sure that I wanted to get pictures of it whenever it or another Melvin Stone did move. This afternoon I happened to take the Norwood Lateral home from work and spotted the Melvin Stone train at East Norwood. I drove home quick grabbed my scanner and camera and headed back to Lester Rd at what is now part of CP Ridge on the Indiana and Ohio Railway Oasis Branch, of Secondary, or Line, not quite sure at that point. 
1) A Restrictive Signal for the backup move from the connection from the Midland Sub at East Norwood (GK Tower). This trackage was put in service when Cincinnati Union Terminal replaced the Pennsylvania Railroad's station along the Ohio River. The trackage went out of use at the start of Amtrak but then came into heavy use once again when the Norfolk and Western and later Norfolk Southern started using it again. Directional running and the closure of the Cincinnati District eliminated through NS trains using the connection and the Oasis Line is now track warrant controlled. 
2) The train is backing off the connection track. The track crossing Lester Road is the Oasis, formerly the Pennsylvania Richmond Branch. They will back up under Montgomery Rd to come forward on the Oasis.
3) The signal across I-71 from us is for the other leg of the wye track. The track is the border of the Cincinnati at this point. Back when the Cincinnati District, also known as The Peavine, was still in full use trains would often be held out of Gest Street here as there are no crossing for quite some way. Today's Melvin Stone train had forty loads.

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4) IORY 4085 is still in the RailTex colors and has been on the Indiana and Ohio for around twenty years now, hard to believe it! In the background is I-71 which is being reconfigured here and on up the hill to Kenwood. My new run I drive an express bus under this bridge going toward downtown (traffic going away from the camera). I had been wanting to climb up this little hill to see what the shot would look like for the last three weeks and finally got to it today!

Thank You for Looking!

Jim

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Nice. thanks for posting. Really like this area...Years back I remember going down I 71 heading to Louisville. 

From my years of living in Mariemont (mid 60's) with my parents (worked for PRR), I thought Oasis was the "tower" (one story) at the bottom of the L&N bridge where it connected with the PRR and the CL&N down by the river.  Clarification on this "duplication" would be appreciated.  

You are correct. Oasis was the name of the one story tower where the L & N split off and crossed the Ohio River to Newport and the Riverfront Running track continued along the river toward Gest Street Yard. The line itself was named the Oasis Branch and or Oasis Secondary at least as early as the Conrail era.

Jim

tq-07fan Wrote:
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> You are correct. Oasis was the name of the one
> story tower where the L & N split off and crossed
> the Ohio River to Newport and the Riverfront
> Running track continued along the river toward
> Gest Street Yard. The line itself was named the
> Oasis Branch and or Oasis Secondary at least as
> early as the Conrail era.
>
> Jim
Really unfortunate the line to Gest Street was torn out....

Great pictures Jim!