Railroad Forums 

  • Backside of Toledo Terminal Doomed

  • 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

 #845249  by dti406
 
As a matter of fact, I started for High Voltage Systems in 1973 and we worked for Toledo Edison up to 1975 on transmission and distribution lines. I don't remember the lines that paralleled the TT as well as those that followed the PC branch up to Ottawa Lake Michigan. That line had Myers single poles with three lines down one side of the pole. By the way we did not purchase any materials, Toledo Edison purchased them all, so they were all probably alike. All we did was supply people and equipment.

I can't remember what the voltage was on the upper river bridge, even though I lived right behind it. But the lower river crossing was 345KV using 2362.5 MCM cables (We built that one also). I remember those most vividly when a shackle let loose during a windstorm in either 1979 or 1980 and the line dropped into the river and also across the 138KV lines going up to Point Place next to the river. I heard stories how they kept the circuit breakers from popping by jamming them in with wooden wedges.

Rick
 #855002  by gettingrey
 
Reading that the T.T. rails were finally tore out in south Toledo made me feel like a member of my family passed on. I grew up with those tracks in my back yard. My earliest railroad memories are of a steam engine pulling a passenger train past my house. I am guessing that would be about 1956. Another guess is that would have been a B&O train heading for Detroit via the T.T. to Gould tower then on the Wabash down to the NYC to Toledo Union Station.
 #855194  by shlustig
 
IIRC, B&O passenger trains did not use the TT but ran through Bates to the NYC mainline connection just east of the Maumee River Bridge, then over the NYC to the station. Depending upon the year, B&O trains used either the NYC to Detroit or the PM/C&O from Alexis via Plymouth, Mich.

The Wabash Toledo - Ft. Wayne service did operate via Gould Tower.
 #855339  by gettingrey
 
Thanks shlustig, my next guess is that the passenger train was a detour move. When I was in grade school the TT ran a passenger train for the teachers on their in service day. This would have been in the early 60's.
 #866297  by B1Bill
 
I grew up in South Toledo and remember both the TT and N&W tracks being active when I went to Bowsher (67-71). That said, I have been researching the Cloverleaf Line (T&SL RR) and have seen early railroad maps showing a "Copeland Tower" between Gould and the TT Maumee River bridge. I believe this line ran from the old Michigan Central Jct yard next to the Anthony Wayne Trail (South St on back toward the Zoo) on down adjacent to the old canal and crossing the TT. Would be interested in finding out more about this abandoned potion of the Cloverleaf.
 #1040440  by nycrick
 
NS started using the new routing to Ottawa Lake on November 8, 2011. Grain trains for O.L. now leave Airline at Nasby go north on the TTRR to Vulcan to get back on the Old Road, all this was done as part of the improvements to the Intermodal facility there. There's a new crossover near Wenz Rd. too. The Old Road is cut at Vulcan and no longer in service into Airline Jct. they plan on paving over the all the grade crossings sometime this year. The new "connector" is one continous piece of track, no turnouts were used - the diamond is gone.
 #1040584  by bluestreak81
 
Was trying to find pictures of the new connector or at least map views, but nothing has been updated yet of the new connector. Do you know if any of the TTRR is in use from the wye at Schneider Rd. to the dead-end at South Ave? I can see on Google maps a new crossing was added on Research Dr. (however it's listed as Technology Dr. on PRIS http://gradecrossings.puco.ohio.gov/ite ... 1&Reason=2 ) it appears that there's been some use on this portion based on the rails in the picture, but I can't think of any customers on this portion.
 #1041410  by nycrick
 
There's a steel fabrication plant (Allied or Heitdman Steel????) on the south side of Airport Hwy just west of the TT grade crossing. I have seen a NS loco with one boxcar go there but that was over a year ago. The PUCO document indicates that this track gets daily use, that's suprising. I wonder how this operation will be affected by Metroparks (& others) having bought the RoW from CSX to build a bike trail?