Looking for NE OH railfan spots - Shortlines/Locals

[jonnyspeed]

Hello all,

New member here. I live in North Royalton and quite frankly I'm tired of railfanning Class I run-throughs. I've been all over the state over the last 10 years and I've had my fill. I've found that I really want to see older vintage equipment. I like the rustic look. I especially like to see locals and industiral switching. Does anyone have any good recomendations for his type of action? Is there a way to find out the schedules that industries have pickups/setouts?

Thanks,
Jon

[railohio]

Is there a way to find out the schedules that industries have pickups/setouts?

Yep, get out and look for 'em. Be warned, though, many shortlines and branch locals don't operate on weekend. I'd suggest looking for the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic, practically in your backyard at Peninsula. Best of all, they operate on the weekends and post their schedules online. You can also look in to following the Wheeling & Lake Erie which is a regional with considerable weekend operations. Dig up a copy of the July 2008 issue of TRAINS magazine for an in-depth look at their operations. Otherwise the shortines that are left are very hit-and-miss. There's Ohi-Rail down in Minerva; Ashtabula, Carson & Jefferson in Jefferson (and they have weekend tourist trains, too.); RJ Cornman has operations near Canton; the Ashland Railway runs from Willard to Ashland via Mansfield; and the cluster of former Ohio Central operations throughout eastern Ohio.