SIGNALS!

I have read about signals in trying to learn about railroads, and this I have learned, you have to know the railroad and its system! Fortunately, green still means go and red still means stop. But the mysterious yellow (or white) signal means maybe?
So when I see a green light! Hey a train is coming! Then you have to ask? When?
Here are some signal photos.






Near Portsmouth with NS getting the green light. Click on the photo and notice that the lights on the photographer side are red.
Here in Fostoria are some more signals. Experts in railroad yore can tell you the type etc. I don't have to know what they are to know that red means stop! Green means go! But I think they are old B&O signals?















Here is a NS freight near Chillicothe.













Back to Fostoria, it isn't hard to figure out that red light!

























That's all for signal lights. The top photo is in Fostoria.

Fostoria, Ohio
Having read about Fostoria, I decided to take the time and visit the city. It was worth the drive. CSX, NS both run through this town. But that wasn't all! UP! BNSF with brand new cars westbound for the coal mines! I mean these cars were right off the lot-well from the factory. My nephew could read the date on the fast moving hoppers and he told me it read 06-06. That is fairly new!
So enjoy the photos! From top to bottom: UP with coal heading east. BNSF with those new cars heading west. NS heading west. To the right, out of the photograph, is the Fostoria station (not open) which has a parking lot between the CSX and NS lines. Good location. The bottom photo was taken near the F tower, near the CSX diamonds and NS. The CSX is heading east. Go to http://www.trains.com/trn/default.aspx?c=a&id=529 for more info.

Down on Route 104.

Going back to Chillicothe, my nephew and I looked around town and decided to head south on 104 towards Portsmouth. Route 104 parallels the NS line south and has some good photo spots along the way. If we could get ahead of the train! NS engineers sure don't drive slow! Try to follow a NS train on a twisting, curvy, dipping road!
After taking some shots of the NS we headed back north, took off to Route 35 (Old 35) and stopped to view a CSX heading north with a load of coal. Enjoy the photos!

West Virginia Secondary
My nephew is visiting and we have been busy looking around at various Ohio railroads. These photos show some of the West Virginia Secondary, a NS line that runs from Columbus to Charleston, WV.
We started at New Lexington and ended up on the Ohio river.
About half way down the line, on Ohio route 13, near Glouster, we stopped to look at the coal conveyor crossing the highway. While there were no cars being loaded, it was interesting to look at. Possible modeling idea here.
The off we went on our jaunt and eventually we stopped where the line crosses the Ohio river.
Across the river is Point Pleasant, WV and on the Ohio side we are near Kanauga, OH. Also nearby is the CSX railroad.
Unfortunately, we didn't see any trains on our little jaunt. To railfan this line you will need a scanner to listen for movements. Or just plain luck.

Tunnels! Tunnels!
The top three photos are of the tunnel on the West Virginia Secondary Line (NS) at Moxahala (OH). The top photo shows the NS line looking down on from the top of the tunnel, reached after a 15-minute hike across the land of a nice farmer who actually escorted us through the greenbrier, blackberry bushes, old pasture and hillsides to show us. Very nice of him!
The second photo shows the air exhaust for the tunnel and the third shows the well worn face of the Moxahal tunnel. If you go to look at this tunnel, be sure to ask permission before hiking to the tunnel. I doubt you would find it anyway on your own.
The bottom tunnel is the famous (at least locally) Moonville tunnel. The B&O main from Parkesburg, WV, Athens, Cincinnati to St. Louis used to go through here. Now it is just a hiking trail near Lake Hope State Park. It is an easier walk to get to, just watch out for the poision ivy!

Down at the tracks

It is a rainy day in Ohio-first at Chillicothe and then at Portsmith. Here is the old station in Chillicothe. NS no longer owns the station and it is all boarded up. There used to be a business there, now it is gone.
Just down the way, the old B&O main to St. Louis connects to NS's main from Portsmouth. The B&O mains is mostly gone now, bits and pieces still exists here and there. CSX and NS still run North-South through the town.
The first photo shows the station, the next one shows the same train approaching the station, and the last the next a NS coal train passing the station.
Just to the left of the NS line in the second photo is where the old B&O line connects. CSX now owns this piece of track.
After the coal train passed by, I decided to head down to Portsmouth on the Ohio River to checck out the NS yard. On the way it started to rain, so photo opportunities were very poor.
In the next two shots you see NS power waiting to leave. There is heading out the gate and north towards Chillicothe, Columbus and on with many, many trailers hold containers and semi-trailers.
The last shot is of a coal train. It sat there the entire time I was watching and never moved. Quess it wasn't time for it to leave yet. Then the rain started coming down and it was time to head back home.