Near Columbus - Best Spots?

Are there any good spots for a Railfan' in and around Columbus? Any type of trains will do, Just looking for a safe spot that I can get some pictures. Thank you in advanced for any suggestions.

Marion is considered the best spot around Columbus and it's an hour away.

There isn't one spot in the city that all the traffic passes which is what most foamers are looking for. I know many people hang out at Cooke Road just off I-71 on the north side but otherwise I'd say the places to sit and watch are rather limited.

Actually, Scioto tower is a GREAT spot to see most of the city's freight traffic. If you go downtown and head west on Broad St. (I think), there's a pair of rr overpasses just west of the Convention Center. On the south side of the street is the old T&OC depot--a fabulous pagoda-style structure that's been preserved and now houses Volunteers of America (I think). As soon as you cross under that first bridge (heading west), you should be able to turn right and head up a really cruddy road, past a Head Start school, and you'll wind up next to what's left of the tower.

You'll find the CSX main to Kentucky crossing the NS main heading east out of Cincinnatti and Buckeye Yard and the NS' former T&OC cutting across to head down to West Virginia. To the north across the river, the old Pennsy Panhandle crosses CSX to reach where Union Station used to be (under the new convention center), and the CSX/OC line to Newark splits off to meet the Panhandle--but this is a bit beyond where you can see from Scioto and isn't real busy.

To the west, there's another pair of switches where the T&OC accesses the Cincinnatti line to cross 315 (the state wouldn't pay for two new bridges...). And just beyond that, the (former?) CSX main from Cincinnatti cuts into the NS main. CSX traffic would then jog over to Scioto to head south into their terminal (Parsons Yard? Or has senility set in?).

Pretty consistently, if you spend a few hours at Scioto, you should see at least CSX traffic, if not also NS. The T&OC is the least busy, but I would often catch a train there in the early evenings. It's much busier than Cooke Rd, with better variety.

This area looks kind of cruddy and has a fair amount of foot traffic, but I never had any trouble there, and neither did the tower operators. It was also a great spot for photos, but once CSX chopped the stairs off the tower, it got a little more challenging...

The other thing you could do is head south down US 23 to where the CSX and NS mains are both nearby (around Circleville or Waverly?). These are both pretty busy lines. Or you could head over on Trabue Rd. where it crosses the hump leads for Buckeye Yard. West of the yard, however, traffic is more sparse.

Thank you for the insightful information, it is greatly appreciated, I will post some pictures soon as I have a chance to get down there.

railohio wrote:Marion is considered the best spot around Columbus and it's an hour away.

Marion is great if you want to sit in the same place all day. You can be a successful train watcher in Columbus if you visit more than twice a year, and are patient. It has more activity than Marion, and though I'm not going to lie; it takes experience, good timing, and luck to see a lot of action.

railohio wrote:There isn't one spot in the city that all the traffic passes which is what most foamers are looking for. I know many people hang out at Cooke Road just off I-71 on the north side but otherwise I'd say the places to sit and watch are rather limited.

True, if you're a foamer, but who's going to admit that? Plus, who determines what a "foamer" is anyway? (the following is based on my assumption of the above description of a foamer---) If one wants to avoid the "foamers", then Marion is not the place to visit. If you think you may fall under the "foam" category, then Columbus's Cooke Road is for you, but don't call the people there foamers.

SlowFreight wrote:...you should be able to turn right and head up a really cruddy road, past a Head Start school, and you'll wind up next to what's left of the tower.

The cruddy road and the school are still there, but the tower was demolished in November of 2005. The only things that are left besides the occasional passing drifter are newly erected "No Tresspassing" signs. The area is not as rail enthusiast friendly as it once was.

Well i think Valley Crossing is a great place to take pictures and maybe the northend of Parsons Yard. Also the area around Bixby Road is good too

>"Well i think Valley Crossing is a great place to take pictures"

Where is that exactly? I am sort of new to Ohio

Wisconsin Railfan wrote:>"Well i think Valley Crossing is a great place to take pictures"

Where is that exactly? I am sort of new to Ohio

Valley Crossing is located at the Williams Road grade crossing at the southend of Watkins Yard, and is where ns crosses the IOCR line to Logan.