Eastern Railroad Discussion > North Ohio Railman Parks

Question for Ohio and nearby members.  Next month, we visiting cousins that we haven't seen in quite a few years.  Around the visits. we will have an afternoon and the next morning to visit some or all of the railfan parks at Deshler, Fostoria, and Bellevue.

The question is how does each rank in terms of action and photographic access?  NS is less of a priority because we have two days on Altoona for that.

Thanks

All three are wide open views of the tracks.  I had no complaints for either one.  In my opinion, my order of favorites are Deshler, Fostoria and Bellevue. 

Deshler is right on the tracks; in fact, you have to be careful to not trespass on railroad property (there is video surveliance).  There are protected public road crossings nearby for views down the tracks.  Nearby signals, including classic B&O position light signals on the Toledo sub, reveal when trains are coming.

Fostoria is fenced and has modern facilities for visitors; good views all around with a few obstructed views, but not a big deal.  The CSX views are somewhat far away from the viewing platforms, but you can walk up to the fences to get close.  It is the top one for numbers of trains. 

Bellevue is simple (built on the foundation of an old trackside building), and overlooks the "Mini-Plant" interlocking.  Last time I was there it was feast or famine for the number of trains.  A top-notch railroad museum is nearby.

Marion  if  it  is  Saturday. Depot  and  Tower  open!!!

I’ve only been to Fostoria and Deshler and I’d rank them equally.

Traffic is probably greater at Fostoria and there’s facilities and nearby restaurants (Fostoria Dells was a good place to eat when I was last there in 2018), but as others have said Deshler has a unique charm and adequate traffic.

They’re actually not that far apart and both can be done in the same day.

Posted from iPhone

If you visit Bellevue, make sure to visit the Mad River Railroad Museum. You can actually take photos of moving trains from the cab of this restored Wabash F7. (The guy in the photo is a former friend of mine.) It works better when the museum is not busy because it seems other visitors were in the cab every time I wanted to take a photo when a train went by, <G>

The viewing platform to see more than one route is within walking distance of the museum.

Victor Baird



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/15/25 20:19 by wabash2800.

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