Eastern Railroad Discussion > What do you call an outta shape fat boy on a bicycle?

ME! I've been wanting to get a bicycle, a trail bike to be specific for several years now. Monday on the eve of non-essential businesses closing in Ohio and Kentucky I reacted by picking up a new cannondale. I kinda had regrets as it ain't cheap like bikes used to be and I found that I am really out of shape yesterday. Like any railfanning vehicle it turns around once you enjoy your first chase with it. The Blue Ash Job comes through near my house anywhere between 8 and 11 am and returns whenever. The Indiana and Ohio Railway Blue Ash Job serves the historic Meyers Winery in Silverton then various places in Blue Ash, mainly cardboard recycling type places. The railway itself was originally part of the large narrow gauge movement here in Ohio. It has went by the names Cincinnati Lebanon and Northern, Dayton Lebanon and Cincinnati and a couple others before being taken over by the Pennsylvania Railroad. It remained part of the Pennsy, then Penn Central and early Conrail before being sold to the I & O. The right of way is now actually owned by SORTA for the possible use as a light rail line. 

I was replying to another thread this morning where I stated that people should get out and railfan their own area as a project here in the next couple weeks. I can say I am a man of my word, I heard the horn and quickly dressed and rode the bike to the track. I only took my phone since it was on the verge of raining. 
1) This is actually at the end of my street which does not cross the tracks. The building tot he left of the train is the former Interurban and Rapid Transit carbarn. I am proud to say that my suburb is an old suburb of Cincinnati of Deer Park which was more or less started by the Interurban.
2) I chased the train on the bicycle and stopped north of Galbraith Rd. There are three cars between the first and second locomotive and five trailing. I had never seen them do this before but often i never see this anyways, only hear it.
3) For these first three images I actually edited them using the phone with some rather cool results. 

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I then had to go further north to a location that I just am not comfortable with parking the car at. The bike takes up no room.
4) This is the crossing at Alpine. Of extreme interest is possibly the only railway telegraph / telephone pole left on the entire line between McCullough Yard and going north. Other than crossing the B & O at grade at East Norwood this line was never signalled and never really busy.
5) Crossing Ronald Reagan Cross County Highway. Way back in the 1980's Indiana and Ohio Railway put up red signs with their name and unique ampersand on this overpass. 
At this point is started into light rain and as I was two and a half miles from the house I returned home. My neighbor gave me a headlight for the bike which I got creative but was able to put on the handlebar. Later I was on the toilet when I heard the horn in the distance. I took no chances and went down to the replica depot in Silverton at Montgomery Rd and Highland Ave.
6) The street they are crossing is Montgomery Rd. The IR&T interurban mentioned in picture 1 would have went into downtown Silverton then crossed the tracks at grade in the middle of the street. Montgomery Rd is also Ohio State Rt 3 and US 22 both of which end in downtown Cincinnati.

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=13pxSince there was no longer rain I took the good 35mm DSLR for the return shots.
7) No longer running DPU! Crossing Highland Ave. go-Metro's Rt 4 Silverton-Blue Ash crosses the tracks here. You can see a Rt 4 Blue Ash-Kenwood waiting on Montgomery Rd.
8) This is unknown to me where it was going to or coming from. NDYX 894117.
9) Finally, this is something that I always enjoy at the end of my day if come home this way in the car. It's on the large building you see in pict 6. I hope you all enjoy it too!

Thank you for looking!

Jim

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Keep up with the biking.  Before you know it your endurance will be way up and you'll lose weight and feel great!
Done lots of railfanning on my bike over the years starting from a young age.

Nice shots, nice story, your thread title made me laugh!

As someone else has said, the more you ride, the better it gets. Have fun.

There are some magical things in this world, things that have the power to bring real joy; cameras, bikes... oh, and trains... ;-)

Really love #6. Nice slice-of-life railroading scene there, increasingly rare.

somebody once suggested that i by a quad or dirt bike and motor around to do my foaming.  i said as long as i can peddle a bike, that i what i am gonna do..........

66

As a kid, I used to be on my bike or on the ballfield all of the time.  I would chase the train from one block to the next as it switched some industries near my home.  I even chased "The General" when the L&N ran it in the early 60s.   I never got fat until after I got out of the Army.  I should have kept up the PT that we did in the Army. 

John

Well done! Keep it up!

Great job, Jim!

Posted from Android

Enjoy your biking. I do here in northwest Indiana. Here's my Electra fat tire bike along the Oak Savanna trail in Griffith, Indiana. This is a great rail photography ride for full-figured guys like myself.
Camera and drinks get stored in the back bag. Radio goes in the handlebar bag. I refer to the pictured location as Grand Trunk Park. Enjoy yourself and be safe.

Gary 

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That electra's a cool-looking steed...

A great way to shot and chase the RN 425 trips in the Lehigh Gorge.  You can ride the bike train in to Penn Haven Jct. and ride the Lehigh Gorge trail to position yourself to see the rest of the days trips.  Hopefully, the trips will run again.
Doug

Nice pics as always....

Contax645 Wrote:
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> Enjoy your biking. I do here in northwest Indiana.
> Here's my Electra fat tire bike along the Oak
> Savanna trail in Griffith, Indiana. This is a
> great rail photography ride for full-figured guys
> like myself.
> Camera and drinks get stored in the back bag.
> Radio goes in the handlebar bag. I refer to the
> pictured location as Grand Trunk Park. Enjoy
> yourself and be safe.

As a former NW Indiana resident, I appreciate seeing photos from The Region. Is that trail the former Erie ROW? I believe that parts of the former Pennsy ROW (the line from Logansport) have also become a trail. 

As a kid in Schererville in the early '50s, I recall the PRR trains coming through town. There was a stand where the mailbags would be placed to be caught by a passing RPO. Great times! 

This trail splits from the Erie Lackawanna at Colfax Street in Griffith. It heads kind of NE, crossing the Grand Trunk where I shot the photo. From there it heads north to the former EJ&E Porter Branch ROW. This goes all the way out to Hobart, Porter and Chesterton. We have a great trail network here due to all the abandoned ROW. I liked them much better as operating railroads, but still enjoy them on my bike.

I vaguely remember the PRR in Schererville. However I remember the PC there much better.

Gary

Down the way from Griffith and Schererville is Hebron, Indiana.  In the early 1970's, a coal train up from Logansport occupied the piece of ground where a fast-food joint now sits.

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train513 Wrote:
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> Down the way from Griffith and Schererville is
> Hebron, Indiana.  In the early 1970's, a coal
> train up from Logansport occupied the piece of
> ground where a fast-food joint now sits.

Back in pre-I-65 days, we would drive to and from St. Joe College in Rensselaer on Route 231. The ROW parallels the highway between Hebron and Crown Point, if I recall correctly.I don't remember seeing many trains, however. The depot has been moved to the main street in Hebron, just across from the County Kitchen cafe, where we would stop for pie and coffee. I think that the depot now houses a historical society, but the last time I went through there several years ago it was not open. 

Thanks for a interesting post and photos.
I doubt you will regret the purchase.  Every bike i have bought--including some mountain bikes whose price was half that of the last new motorcycle I bought--have been the source of tremendous fun.  Keep riding and you will find the bike was well worth the price.