Summer Vacation 2021 - Eastern OH and Northeast PA - Minerva and Alliance OH
Due to the Coved pandemic Sue and I have decided to forgo any airline trips for a while, so we decided to just drive around and ”See the USA In Our Chevrolet” as the old advertisement said. Sightseeing, antique malls, junk stores, yard sales, railfanning and hometown restaurants are our style.
On Saturday, June 19th, we departed New Philadelphia OH heading northeast toward Minerva and Alliance.
1. You can get the general idea of the location of Minerva and Alliance from this map. Generally they are east of industrial Canton. USGS Canton Quad. Click here for a larger map image.
2. My main interest in Minerva was the old NYC Alliance Branch that extended southeast to the coal producing area around Piney Fork and the interchange with the W&LE/NKP at Dillonvale. NYC used 2-6-6-2 Mallets on this line. The old NYC from Minerva through Freeburg to Alliance appears to be gone. It would have been parallel to Pennsy’s line. NYC Lake Div Cleveland SD map 1966. Click here for a larger map image.
3. Mahoning Valley Railway (the Genesee & Wyoming calls it “railway”) has taken over operations around Minerva from Ohi-Rail. MVRY operates 53 miles from Minerva Jct. to Hopedale, interchanging with Wheeling & Lake Erie at both locations. MVRY also operates around Youngstown. Minerva OH.
4. MVRY 5032. Minerva OH.
5. Going straight is the old NYC toward Alliance. The much better maintained track on the right is the connection between the ex-NYC and the former PRR Tuscarawas Branch which MVRY uses to reach NS at Bayard. MVRY shop. Minerva OH.
6. I don’t know anything about the building, but I doubt it was intended to house a locomotive. Ohi-Rail Corp 5032. Minerva OH.
7. OHCR 5032 is a former NS nee Southern GP38-2. Minerva OH.
8. Now from this point things got really confusing! Thank heavens I took a bunch of pictures. We’re looking south on the MVRY fka NYC Alliance Br. In the foreground is the W&LE Minerva spur off the Carrollton Br. Next is the former P-C nee-PRR Tuscarawas Branch. WLE crossing signal. Minerva OH.
9. This target signal controlled the crossing. NKP’s 1956 W&LE District employee timetable lists two targets with these special instructions. To cross the NYC the target had to be horizontal. To cross the Pennsy it had to be vertical. Were there two target signals? I don’t know. WLE crossing signal. Minerva OH.
10. WLE crossing signal. Minerva OH.
11. Looking east on the W&LE fka NKP Carrollton Br. It joins the former PRR and ends just out of sight. WLE crossing signal, Mnerva OH.
12. Looking west on the Carrollton Br. toward Minerva Jct. I think those are stored tank cars. WLE crossing signal. Minerva OH.
13. NKP Wheeling & Lake Erie District employee timetable for 1956. NKP Carrolton Br.
14. Looking north on the old NYC Alliance Br. W&LE in foreground. WLE crossing signal. Minerva OH.
15. Looking south on the old PRR Tuscarawas Br. WLE crossing signal. Minerva OH.
16. North end of Minerva Yard formerly NYC. The roundhouse would have been on the right. Ohi-Rail Corp yard. Minerva OH.
17. South end of Minerva Yard. Ohi-Rail Corp yard. Minerva OH.
18. NYC Lake, Toledo and Western Divns. employee timetable for 1966. NYC Alliance Br.
19. NS Cleveland Line (left) looking east at Bayard OH. Mahoning Valley Ry. looking southwest to Minerva on right. NS MVRY. Bayard OH.
20. MVRY (fka Tuscarawas Sec) looking southwest toward Minerva. Bayard OH.
21. Penn Central employee timetable for 1975. PC Tuscarawas.
22. MVRY Bayard OH.
23. The 2-story brick Bayard tower once occupied this area. I saw it in 1977, but didn’t photograph. Wish I had. The Bayard Br. under PRR continued on northwest toward Canton. It’s gone, and the line toward Alliance and Cleveland is the primary line. Bayard controlled the junction and the Tuscarawas Br. sidings. MVRY. Bayard OH.
24. Moving up the road a few miles to Alliance, the busy junction on Norfolk Southern’s east-west main line. NS 4306-CN 2978-2973 have eastbound 66R-18 (Chicago-CN to Reybold DE crude oil). The train originated at Lashburn, Saskatchewan for PBF Refining. NS 4306-CN 2978-2973. Alliance OH.
25. NS 4306-CN 2978-2973. Alliance OH.
26. NS 4339-4447 heads westbound intermodal 21Z-18 (Rutherford, PA to Chicago-Englewood). It picks up at Pitcairn intermodal yard near Pittsburgh. NS 4339-4447. Alliance OH.
27. NS 4148-BNSF 8173 head w/b empty oil train 67E-15 (Eddystone PA to Chicago-BNSF). NS 4148-BNSF 8173. Alliance OH.
28. NS 4148-BNSF 8173 67E swings northwest from the Fort Wayne Line to the Cleveland Line until they reach the former CR (NYC) main line at Cleveland. The Fort Wayne is in the foreground. The single track is the Cleveland Line. Alliance OH.
29. NS Pittsburgh Div. employee timetable #1, 06-01-1999. NS Cleveland Fort Wayne Line. Click here for a larger image.
30. This appears to be a popular railfan hangout! NS 4148-BNSF 8173. Alliance OH.
31. CP 8829-9801’s empty ethanol train (Sewaren NJ to Chicago-CP) got added in at Conway making a train of 4 buffer loads and 204 empties. It would split later. Coming at me is 12Q-18. Alliance OH.
32. NS 4464-8000 have eastbound Elkhart IN to Conway PA freight 12Q-18 with 67 loads and 26 empties.
Later.
Train images used by permission of Everett N Young