Taking a ride to Erie along the newest portion of the Bayfront Highway from I-90 & the RT430 exit is worth it as the road parallels the ALY RR from Shannon Rd past their "Erie Transload Yard" (a long siding where jumbo covered hoppers filled with plastic pellets dropped off year round for Erie Plastics on the east end and loads of gravel for the making of asphalt are left on the west end when the plants are in operation) just east of McClelland Ave then under the new NS overpass before climbing over the CSX (former NYC) with OD Yard ("Outer Depot") to the west and the CSX Erie Yard (formerly NYC East Yard) to the east. Just north of the East 12th St. intersection the former PRR trackage to the lake comes back to the west along the roadway. During the week, around 11am or so, the Erie Yard job (Y120) makes it run down to the lake yard with loads of coal for Erie Coke Corp. in tow plus flatcar loads of I-beam steel on the tail end. (Gone are the boxcars and covered hoppers of roofing granules for GAF.)
If you continue going west on the road, it'll take you past the old lake yard with the track ending at the GAF plant. There's a new library, intermodal (bus) hub,( plus the good old Public Dock), as other non RR points of interest also. Metro Machine (I believe) has the old Litton Industries dry dock and facilities. It's slated to get a siding into the property sometime later this year. Eventually, the W.Bayfront becomes I-79 with the big bridge over CSX and NS. I-90 is about 5 miles south of that.
The remnant of the NKP W19th trackage passes under the bridge also. The NS local out of Conneaut, Ohio, (the C1A) services a plastic shop on the line plus occasionally goes into the old B&LE (West Erie Shortline) Yard at Greengarden Blvd. I've seen the train with an old NW red cupola caboose in tow several times depending on the motive power on the train.
GE continues to produce locomotives at a record rate with a rainbow of lash-ups at the EEC (East Erie Commercial)/CSX interchange just west of the Franklin Ave bridge usually waiting for pick up by CSX. Lately, UP, BNSF, and CSX units are there ready to go.
The new NS alignment along the CSX through Erie makes for quick passage of the NS trains compared to the street running of W19th St. The "new" W19th sure seems different, much wider, than the old days. On the new main, at Cascade St. is a bidirectional signal plus a equipment detector about four blocks to the east (complete with a voice recording featuring a Southern accent, maybe Virginian). It sure isn't the same without the street running.
The construction of Waldameer's "Ravine Flyer" rollercoaster started this past week. It should be something to see it zip over Peninsula Drive going to and fro from Presque Isle.
Erie's still a nice place to visit (but sadly, as with many other places, getting more difficult to maintain a home at).
Hope this helps.
