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After another restful night at the Knights Inn and the now usual Continental Breakfast, this time we didn't walk to the Holiday Inn to board the bus to Dennison. This time Chris Parker and I drove over to Dennison which put me near the first in line to board the train. Today's trip would be a diesel trip west to Morgan Run, then we would pick up the Ohio Central 1293, a 4-6-2 ex Canadian Pacific engine that came to this railroad via Steamtown. The steamer would takes us west to Newark, turn around then takes us back to Morgan Run where our diesels would return us to Dennison.
The exact same train from the other trip with the Ohio Central 7220 and 271 for power.
It is not every day in life you can take a picture of a Alco C-420 leading a passenger train!
Ohio Central SD-40-2 4023 and mate ran through Dennison before our train could be spotted at the Dennison Depot. Once the train was spotted I boarded a took a seat in my usual car, The Pennsylvania Railroad RPCX 101 and took a pair of seats saving one for Chris. I walked forward to get a Coca-Cola and a few minutes later Chris found me then moved his stuff here. Our train departed Dennison on what started out to be another hot and humid morning right on schedule at 8:30 AM and started my new mileage as we rolled west.
Passing the Dennison Depot.
A mile out of Dennison we crossed the former B&O line to Cleveland that RJ Corman owns but doesn't use at this point in time.
Our diesels take a slight curve on their way to Morgan Run.
The all too familiar Ohio countryside. I have truly enjoyed all of the green I have seen on this trip so far. We made our way to Morgan run where we would pick up three things, a steam engine, Tool Car 5012 and passengers who had taken the shop tour this morning. The diesels were cut off and put into a siding then the Ohio Central 4-6-2 1293 took over control our train.
Our train passed the Morgan Run Shops which Chris Parker and I will tour on Saturday morning before our last convention trip. In the picture you can see our diesels waiting for our return this afternoon.
The 1293 takes a curve as we leave the Morgan Run Yard. Our train passed through Coshocton passing both the old Pennsylvania Railroad Depot and Freight House which we will see on the return trip. also in this town are the headquarters for the Ohio Central Railroad.
Just west of town we passed some more stored railroad equipment. We traveled by a large grain elevator and by the Clow Water System Company Plant which makes Ductile Iron Pipes. Our train next passed the AEP large coal fire generating station at Conesville. This plant gets unit coal trains for on line mines on the Ohio Central. On the old Wheeling & Lake Erie tracks that runs to the south of us are miles of stored freight cars. On the highway to the north of us we all enjoyed watching the train chasers drive and watching the Ohio Highway Patrol officer following the pack. It then announced that we would do a Photo Runby at Trinway. Trinway is where the Ohio Central line towards Zanesville takes off south and down this line is one of the mines that Conesville gets its coal from. The steamer pulled into Trinway and we all detrained for the Photo Runby.
I walked to the head end of the train for my first ever picture of the 1293.
While the passengers were still unloading I took this picture of our whole train. I met the official convention videographer Joe Harper and exchanged information with him. I then walked back and started a Photo Line that everyone respected and used.
The 1293 then backed the train for the Photo Runby.
Photo Runby #1. After we all returned on the train we got our lunches, car by car, half a car at a time which worked a little better than the first trip.
Longaberger corporate headquarters in Hanover. Ohio which is th world's largest basket. After seeing that our train steamed into Newark. In Newark passenger could get off the train while it was being turned for our trip back to Dennison. Knowing that if I was first off and walked quickly I could go get a picture of the front of our train then get back on before the last person got off that I could ride as we turned the train.
My plan worked as here is our train in Newark while the passengers were unloading. I made it back on just before they were going to move the train. I love it when a plan comes together!
To turn this train we had to pull forward to access the track to our south.
At the westward point, the switch was thrown and we started east heading down the other track.
Our train headed down the track east and you can see the track we will return on to complete turning this train.
Before the crossing we turned south but would cross it on our move north.
Our next move we will cross the line we came in on.
We curved to the south entering the former B&O line that went form here north to Sandusky on the shore of Lake Erie and south to Marietta, Ohio.
A friend from Dennison on Monday was in the yard to greet me.
We pulled south to the north end of the yard and after the switch was thrown we started north with the 1293 again pulling the train.
We pulled across that crossing and then down far enough to clear the switch where we would start to back around the other junction leg to take us back to the Panhandle Line.
Once we had backed and cleared the switch we stopped while the 1293 took water and was serviced.
Now was the time for our on the ground passengers to return to the train.
While we waited, a light set of Ohio Central motive power 7133, 4602 and 2913 went east.
The 1293 now serviced and watered then pushed us back onto the mainline and we were ready to leave Newark. the weather was turning nasty with dark clouds moving in and gusty winds. I was on Stromwatch!. Could we stay ahead of this storm that was coming?
Right before we left Newark, Ohio Central GP-35 2912 brought a local over the same tracks we had just been on.
The Newark Court House.
We left Newark at 2:02 PM with the 1293 working hard. They announced that we would do a Photo Runby at Trinway weather permitting. I relaxed in my seat for awhile before I rode a vestibule the rest of the way to Trinway. We detrained and I made the photo line just as a bolt of lightning hit the earth just to the north of us.
Not knowing how long we would be here I shot this picture of the 1293 as the day grew darker. The rain started with half the train on the ground and another crack of lightning over head made the crew cancel this Photo Runby.
Knowing that it would take a few minutes to get everyone on the train I ran down for this picture just as the sky broke lose with a down pour. The temperature dropped as I returned to the train through the first open door I could find. I enjoyed a Coca-Cola as the rain fell.
This is what it looked like about the time we would have been doing the runby. A good call by our NRHS Convention Staff and the Ohio Central Railroad Crew. Here we had to wait for coal train to head south at the junction. While we waited, lightning hit a transformer on a pole which exploded. You don't see that everyday now do you?
The coal train came with one unit on the head end with two units on the rear end.
The stacks of the Conesville Power Plant through the rain.
The Ex Pennsy Freight House in Coshocton.
The Depot in Coshocton.
the 1293 steamed the final lap through the yard back to Morgan Run.
At the Morgan Run Shops the 1293 cut off and our diesels picked us up for our return to Dennison.
The Morgan Run Shops.
The line of steam engines behind the shops.
Time to say goodbye to 1293 for now!
Goodbye to the Morgan Run Shops until Saturday morning.
A GP-10 and caboose on the line to Sugar Creek we will travel on Saturday. I returned to my seat and enjoyed the last miles back to the Dennison Depot.
The passengers detrained after an excellent steam train trip on the Ohio Central Railroad. Chris and I went straight to the car and back to New Philadelphia stopping at Applebees for dinner. Stef who is our waitress is studying at Kent University to become a High School Math Teacher. I had a steak and salmon combination dinner which was excellent. We returned to the Knights Inn for a very deserved rest. Tomorrow a driving tour of Ohio with the main stop be the NKP Museum in Bellevue.
