Western Maryland GP9 No. 5971 is in New Castle, Pennsylvania, on April 16, 1977. The unit was built for the Chesapeake & Ohio in September 1955, hence the blue car body paint. It was later painted into Chessie System colors and markings.
Photograph by Robert Farkas
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio has approved $1.4 million in grade crossing projects in Lucas, Medina and Warren counties.
In Mason, the Indiana & Ohio will install flashing lights and gates with surface reconstruction at the Western Row Road crossing by May 20, 2026.
The project’s total cost is $677,795; federal funds will cover $529,801 to complete the project. IORY will pay the remaining balance of $147,994, including 50 percent of surface reconstruction.
In Toledo, the Ann Arbor Railroad will install flashing lights and gates at the Erie Street crossing by Aug. 20, 2026. Federal funds will cover $406,871 to complete the project.
In Spencer the Wheeling & Lake Erie will install flashing lights and gates at the Ohio Route 162/East Main Street crossing by May 20, 2026. Federal funds will pay $398,123 for the project.
Baltimore & Ohio GP38 No. 3843 is eastbound in Akron in the late 1960s/early 1970s. It later worked for CSX and a few other carriers, including two Oregon short lines. In 2020 it was exported to Africa. B&O GP35 No. 3553 is in Connellsville, Pennsylvania, on April 9, 1977. It later worked for CSX, BNSF and Webb Asset.
Photographs by Robert Farkas
Erie Lackawanna F3B No. 7072 is passing under a signal in at JO Tower in Akron in the late 1960s. The unit was built as Erie Railroad No. 707B in November 1947.
Photograph by Robert Farkas
A Michigan regional railroad has repainted one of its locomotives intp a livery paying tribute to the Pere Marquette Railway.
Lake State Railway transformed SD70M No. 6437 into the Spirit of Pere Marquette, which has received the colors and markings of the PM.
The PM had routes in Michigan that it operated between 1900 and 1947 when it was acquired by the Chesapeake & Ohio.
The PM also served in Ohio, Indiana, New York, Wisconsin and Ontario.
An Amtrak train named the Pere Marquette that is funded by the Michigan Department of Transportation operates daily in part over former PM trackage between Chicago and Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The 375-mile Lake State operates former PM trackage in Michigan between Plymouth, Saginaw, Bay City, and Midland.
Some Amtrak Midwest corridor trains have been adversely affected in recent weeks by locomotive issues involving Siemens Charger SC-44 locomotives.
A failure on a recent trip of an Amtrak Wolverine Service train in Michigan left passengers stranded without lights, air conditioning or working toilets for more than five hours.
The problems have been attributed to malfunctioning sensors in the SC-44 units.
A news report quoted an Amtrak spokesman as saying the carrier’s 33 SC-44 locomotives used in Midwest service will continue to operate until the sensors are replaced and that the matter is not considered to be a safety issue..
However, the spokesman declined to answer questions posed by a Trains magazine reporter seeking information as to what the sensor in question does, how long Amtrak has been aware of the problem, and when the issue will be resolved.
It is a summer day in 1985 in Cleveland where Norfolk & Western 4-8-4 No. 611 is westbound through the Flats. This may have been one of the roundtrips between Erie, Pennsylvania, and Bellevue that operated on the weekend of Aug. 4-5.
Photograph by Robert Farkas
I still remember this day well. My good friend John Woodworth was the driver and I was faced with a dilemma. How could I get enough elevation to not have a fence limit my photography?
John told me to get up on his car’s roof in order to take photos, and I did. Thankfully, John’s car was a beater. It was a beaten up bottom-of-the-line Studebaker Lark.
Here is a view of Penn Central locomotives around a turntable in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 12, 1974. If you look closely, you can see locomotives from Baldwin as in PC 8276, locomotives from EMD, and locomotives from Alco.
John, thanks for letting me use your car’s roof. This photo still brings a big grin!
Photograph by Robert Farkas
Here are three image of Penn Central trains on the former Pennsylvania Railroad in Akron. The images came from damaged negatives. I’ve put them in order of taking them.
It is 1968/1969 in Akron, Ohio where an eastbound PC train is nearing the Route 93 bridge east of me. The series included ex-PRR 6120 and PC 1454. Note that the 1454’s older car body has old-style number boards.
Also included are a couple of maintenance of way cars, including ex-PRR passenger car 492504.
Photographs by Robert Farkas
Don Woods will present his second program of the year at the Akron Railroad Club’s August meeting on Friday (Aug. 22).
His slide show program will have highlights from the 1999 rail festival held at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento.
Don’s program will feature a ferry move of former Southern Pacific 4-8-4 No. 4449, which is painted in the Daylight passenger livery, from Portland, Oregon, to Sacramento.
Also in the program will be images of exhibits at the museum, and photos made on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.
The meeting will begin at 8 p.m. in the fellowship hall at the New Horizons Christian Church, 290 Darrow Road (Ohio Route 91) in Akron.
The program is expected to begin at approximately 8:30 p.m. following the business meeting.
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