Eastern Railroad Discussion > Cleveland Drawbridge and a little NKP - Lake Erie Land

Sunday September 18, 2022
Cleveland Drawbrdige (DB) (Bridge 1)
Cleveland OH

Today was a journey a little further east than normal to Whiskey Island, site of the former PRR docks on the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, OH.
However our subject was the 1958 built former New York Central Drawbridge over the Cuyahoga, currently part of the NS Cleveland - Chicago line. It was also an opportunity today to shoot trains, planes, automobiles and a blimp.

1. - 3. A quick look at the bridge from the west end, north side. Image #1 looks up the twisting Cuyahoga River channel.



 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/18/22 18:05 by train1275.

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4. Train 13Q comes west, he will diverge west of Vermilion and head down the Nickel Plate to Bellevue. Power is NS 7613 and 7707.

5. Another view of the 13Q, that is former DB Tower to the right.

6. DB Tower at the west end of the bridge.

Back in NYC days one of the Big Four lines joined in over on the other side of the bridge and the PRR (C&P) connected over there to come across to access Whiskey Island (tracks to the far right). Whiskey Island got its name from a distillary that was located on the Island in the 1830's. It was largely settled by Irish immigrants who took part in constructing the Ohio and Erie Canal.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/18/22 18:25 by train1275.

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7. The L15, Sandusky - Maple Heights turn job comes over the bridge with NS 9467 and 7500.

8. Another view of the L15. The Cleveland Browns football stadium is in the background, today was a home game between the NY Jets and the Browns. At the end of the day the Jets squeeked out a narrow final seconds victory 31-30.

9. NS 4597 and 9526 on train 23G come west. At the far right side of the photo you can see the famous Terminal Tower, show piece of the Van Sweringen Brothers railroad empire. In the adjacent Midland Building was the office of Greg Maxwell last president of the Erie Lackawanna in room 1306.

On May 8, 1974 Train OV-8 was travelling from Columbus, OH to Cleveland Collinwood Yard with PC GP35 2318 leading PC GP40 3024. At 3:56 am Train OV-8 collided with the counterweight of the bridge as it was raised for a boat at the last minute. Both units were destroyed, sheared off at the frames with the lead unit almost hitting the boat. Accident reports state the bridge operator had radioed the crew after they passed Berea and told them to highball, but then raised the bridge for a boat he had forgotten. The home signal was supposed to have been at STOP, but the crew ran it, the engineer not initiating an emergency brake application until too late to stop, hitting the bridge at 33 mph. May 8, 1974 was a bad day for the Penn Central as on that same day the Poughkeepsie Bridge over the Hudson River on the New Haven line burned.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/18/22 19:16 by train1275.

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10. - 11.  Train 15N (Conway - Elkhart) is now seen over the bridge with NS 8024, 9792 and 9682.

12. At the football game opener, two F35's made a flyover. These planes can generate 40,000 lbs. of thrust with the afterburners and achieve Mach 1.6.

 

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13. Flying around up in the wild blue yonder was the Good Year blimp. See photo #11, that blob in the sky is actually the blimp.

14.  Also seen was this neat 1965 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible with the Chicago Line in the background.

15. Taking the long way home we find this eastbound on the Nickel Plate out of Bellevue (Train 10Q) coming through Shinrock where the NKP Huron Branch diverges (track arcing to the right).  Power is NS 4356, 4303, 5813 (GP-38-3 - ex SOU GP50 7031) NS 1228 and DPU 4203 on the rear.



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 09/19/22 06:52 by train1275.

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Great set of shots from a great location, TO needs more shots from Cleveland. Still a very good railroad and industrial town...

JG

16.  A going away shot of the 10Q at Shinrock, OH.

17. He was a long one and had an old SP autorack.

18. The NS 4203 DPU brings up the end to end the day. 

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train1275 Wrote:
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> Today was a
> home game between the NY Jets and the Browns. At
> the end of the day the Jets squeeked out a narrow
> final seconds victory 31-30.

I think it would be more accurate to say that the Browns served that game up to the Jets on a silver platter.

Great pics!

msw
wa

Here's the official NTSB report (cover and summary page) on the accident where OV-8 hit the drawbridge counterweight.  My father did some work for NTSB in the 1970s, and would bring me accident reports like this one.  Apparently, the NTSB had a rack in the lobby where one could take copies of the reports.  They sure make for some interesting reading.

Stan Hunter
Fair Oaks, CA

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So the 1965 Bonneville Pontiac brings back some memories. I was a gas pump jockey in 1965. A good customer was a Doctor who owned a 1965 Bonnevile convertible, it was white.
The Doctor had a beautiful daughter who would show up to fill the Bonneville's gas tank before her forays to wherever. So many opportunities lost! I was such a damn dumb shy teenager. Gosh, that girl was so beautiful and me so stupid shy! What may have been...
Doh!
Go

Great coverage

Posted from iPhone

I read part of that report several years ago. The actual cause of the accident was the crew disregarding two approach signals coming down the hill toward the stop signal at the bridge. I don't recall reading anything about the operator dropping a signal on them. Whatever was said on the radio, that does NOT supercede the signal indications, as I'm sure most of you know. I'm not sure if it is known whether they fell asleep, were gassed by exhaust fumes, or what. A tragedy regardless.

Great series. Thank you.
 

Thanks for your great images of the draw bridge, the browns stadium and the aircraft flyovers

GO BROWNS!

WHOOOOOSH! Go the loud fighter jets!

Here in philly, the philadelphia eagles have a monday night tilt

I have an old conrail video from high ball productions showing a few trains over that draw bridge

nick

Nice pics!!