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  • Bike trails next to active rail lines

  • Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in the American Midwest, including Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Kansas. For questions specific to a railroad company, please seek the appropriate forum.
Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in the American Midwest, including Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Kansas. For questions specific to a railroad company, please seek the appropriate forum.

Moderator: railohio

 #23689  by matt
 
I know we've done this before but I'd like to start a new list for the summer. I know there are many bikers, myself included, who visit these forums regularly and we can all agree that the riding experience is enhanced when there's rail activity nearby.

So far, my favorite trail has been the North Coast Inland Trail that lies on the former LS&MS/NYC Norwalk Branch, paved between Fremont and Clyde. It parallels the active NS Toledo/Bellevue trackage for the entire seven miles so you are pretty much guaranteed to see something if you ride back and forth.

I also enjoy the University Parks Trail in Toledo on the former TA&W ROW next to the lightly used NS line.

So lets have some more.....Anywhere in Ohio!

Thanks.
 #26924  by WNYRailfan
 
matt wrote: I also enjoy the University Parks Trail in Toledo on the former TA&W ROW next to the lightly used NS line.
Is that the trail on the UT campus?
Can you actually watch active rail lines there?

 #27043  by matt
 
The trail begins at the UT campus and runs 7 miles westward to King Road. It lies on the former Toledo, Angola, and Western ROW, which parallels the NS "spur" to Ottawa Lake, Michigan. There is only one customer here so traffic is sparse. Maybe 2 or 3 trains per week when the grain is selling.

The Fremont trail is the one to do if you wanna see trains.
 #32907  by Bigbob
 
In Struthers Ohio there is a bike trail that runs toward New Castle, Pa. The trail parrells the CSX East/West mainline and as you bike the trail you should see plenty of action. The first time I rode the trail we saw 7 CSX trains. If your out early in the AM you'll also see the east bound AMTRAK train #40 the Three Rivers. It usually carries up to 27 express cars, two/three coaches, snack car and sleeper.

 #38959  by Rabscuttle
 
There is a pretty cool trail that runs between Urbana and Springfield. It's called the Simon-Kenton trail and it runs right along an active rail line - not sure which one. Anyway, they just extended it all the way into Urbana, so you should be able to pick it up just north of downtown. (Previously it ran only to Route 55).


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I rode it from Route 55 to Tremont City Road - a distance of about 6 miles (12 round trip). Would have gone further but I had the kids with me. Evidently you can ride the line all the way to Dayton and perhaps even Cincinnati.

No trains came while we were there, so I'm not sure how much traffic the line sees. But it's a good ride.

Here's a couple of links

http://www.simonkentontrail.org/

http://www.miamivalleytrails.org/simon.htm

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 #38973  by nycrick
 
From looking at a trail map: the trail appears to be on the old EL ROW while the active rail line is the Indiana & Ohio (ex-Big Four) to Bellefountaine. The PRR and the EL shared the station in Urbana then the PRR turned west parallel to Rt. 36 and the EL continued south to Dayton.

 #173748  by ToledoRailFan
 
Sorry for dragging up such an old thread... I don't really know what your policy is for it on here - someone yell at me if I am in the wrong :)

At any rate, I used to live right next to the line through UT's campus, both in the dorms and my prior apartment complex. I also am a bus driver for UT, so we get to deal with the trains through campus... something I thoroughly enjoy.

Last Thursday night (9/29), there was probably the largest train I have seen on those tracks in a good year or so. I got held up on Parkside RD. by it for a good 16 minutes heading home from work.

Yesterday, a 2 locomotive train parked itself right outside of campus and sat for several hours while I was working, and then suddenly the locomotives detached from the train and left, just leaving the cargo cars sitting overnight. When I got to work this morning at 6:25, they were just coming through campus, and this was a rather long (10-12 minute) train, too.

The largest I can recall was last year - it had 3 locomotives, one of which was a very nicely painted BNSF unit.

~D.J.~

 #174409  by bambulance_dave
 
There is a trail that runs along the old PRR Panhandle line. The trail starts on the east end of Newark and runs east along the tracks. I know that it goes past Hanover (+/- 6 mi) but I do not know how far. It follows one of the old ROWs from when it was a multi-track line (three tracks in places at one time). Cedar St in Newark is one of the best places that I can think of to pick up the trail, lots of places to park and such. The line is still active all the way to Mingo Jct, and is used daily by three or four trains. It is operated by Ohio Central (CUOH).

 #174557  by midland sub
 
There are a couple of trails in Washington Court House that follow rail lines. The city built one on the abandoned DT&I ROW near the park where the C&O steam engine sits. It begins just north of where the line crossed the B&O Newark Div line and Paint Creek. It runs for a half mile or so before curving off into the park behind the city pool. It actually extends a bit farther but it has yet to be paved and I believe it ends a short distance north of there. This should eventually be extended farther north to where the future YMCA facility should be built. It follows the former B&O Wellston Sub that currently is operated by the I&O. There's some decent photo locations along this trail if one can find something worth taking a picture of. One day the I&O may start running their Flat Rock-Cincy trains up their Midland Sub then north on the DT&I. Then there might be something more interesting to photograph. Though the trail gives you a good vantage point to photograph any of the engines the I&O has sitting in Wch. There usually seems to be one of the NYSW SD70Ms or one of the former SP SD45T-2s sitting around.

There also are trails that sort of follow the former Wellston Sub through town as it snakes out to the end of track in the industrial park. It begins just south of the Midland Sub crossing of Paint Creek. It then heads south following Paint Creek and parallels the tracks to the north. It also crosses under the DT&I trestle over Paint Creek next to the high school football field. The trail crosses the tracks just before the line crosses Paint Creek near North St. The trail then juts over to the former Pennsy Morrow Secondary ROW. The trail then ends a mile or so later to the east where the PRR crossed Old Chillicothe Rd.

It's hit or miss with what one can catch with the I&O in Wch. During the week there's always at least a local working during the day. Plus they run a turn to Norwood with empties from the industrial park. This is powered by whatever six axle power the I&O has in town and it departs around 7 or 8 in the morning. Otherwise you never know what to expect.

Mark

 #174663  by GOLDEN-ARM
 
Hey, Midland sub, a question for you. When I was running from Midland City to WCH, there was an old, abandoned ROW just outside my window, all the way to the courthouse. Old bridges, culverts, etc., clearly visible. Was this some type of interurban route, or was a competitor actually following the Midland sub, just 15 feet away? Never did make it out to see that steam engine. There was that little "tea-kettle" in Cinci, at the old depot. Nobody around the I&O seemed to know where that little tank engine came from. Regards :wink:

 #174714  by midland sub
 
It's the Pennsy Morrow Secondary ROW. The PRR line was the first rail line through the area but it was always in the worst shape and had the least amount of customers. The B&O and PRR ran side by side from Wilmington to Wch. The PRR line was on the northside of the B&O from Wilmington to Sabina. In Sabina they crossed and flip flopped sides. More of the PRR ROW is visible from Sabina east as it crossed more creeks and both lines were built higher than the surrounding farm land. The PRR was granted trackage rights over the B&O between Wilmington and Wch sometime in the late '50's and the line was pulled up sometime afterward.

The Pennsy and B&O came together in Wilminton near the current Rt 22 grade crossing. In Sabina the spur into Sabina Farmer's Exchange is part of the PRR line. A few miles west of Wch there still is a disconnected siding into Carter Lumber, though CSX removed the switch 10 yrs ago. The PRR regained their own tracks in Wch just east of the Rt 35 overpass at the westend of Potter Siding. The I&O still uses the connector track at the eastend of Potter for bad order cars and to store that POS former Conrail caboose and the DT&I caboose. On the line back to the industrial park there is one last segment of the PRR still in use to serve the Clark SW grain elevator. The book PRR Lines West has a photo in Wch of the 3 way crossing of the PRR/DT&I/B&O.

Are you still working for the I&O? They were using 9392 and 9400 on the WCH-C for the past week or so. I've heard about the tank engine in Cincy but I don't know anything about it.


GOLDEN-ARM wrote:Hey, Midland sub, a question for you. When I was running from Midland City to WCH, there was an old, abandoned ROW just outside my window, all the way to the courthouse. Old bridges, culverts, etc., clearly visible. Was this some type of interurban route, or was a competitor actually following the Midland sub, just 15 feet away? Never did make it out to see that steam engine. There was that little "tea-kettle" in Cinci, at the old depot. Nobody around the I&O seemed to know where that little tank engine came from. Regards :wink: