I will be traveling to Forstoria OH the week of 8/1/15-8/10/15 along I-90. I am looking for info on good spots to photograph the old NYC in the Buffalo/ Erie locations. I also remember a museum of the “Central” in the Erie area but cannot remember its location.
I would also like some info around the Prince WVa area.
You may be thinking of the museum in North East, PA. Try this link:
There is also a museum, not as big, in Conneaut, Ohio.
I don’t think there’s any place around Prince, West Virginia, to land a Cessna!
I’m not sure what type of information you’d be looking for about that area, but here are a couple of things:
Nearest civilized city: Beckley (motels, restaurants, etc.)
Nearest civilized railroad city: Hinton (former C&O division point to the east)
Prince: passenger station built in 1946, still in good condition and used by Amtrak’s Cardinal. This would be the station serving Beckley.
Thurmond: Also a flag stop for the Cardinal; occupied by ghosts, railfans, white-water rafters, and a few hardy natives.
Quinnimont: between the two, and I can’t remember how to get there.
All three of these places have, or had, branch lines joining the C&O’s main line at one time. Those branches were neat to explore at one time, and there are still vestiges, in some cases operated by shortlines. The main line is but a shadow of its former self, when it ws an efficient conveyor of coal to Newport News. Besides the thrice-weekly Cardinal, you might find a manifest in each direction, and I believe a stack train or some other high-priority freight also uses the line, at least until the old B&O main line is fully transformed into the National Corridor. You will find the New River bubbling by at all three points. You may find trains, or you may find solitude. Either is good. The area will grow on you.
There are plenty of places around Prince to land a Cessna – plenty of places to land a sailplane, too, if your ridge lift runs out.
The situation with taking off again is another matter entirely…
(Seriously, Beckley is only about 16 miles distant and should have ground transportation)
Bellevue and Marion Ohio would be nice stops around Fostoria to check out as well.
stay safe
Joe
While you are in North East, just East of the museum, Just off of I-90, Bort rd, has an old wooden deck one lane bridge above the old NYC line, now CSX, and has a level crossing with the old NKP line, now NS. You can get some very good photos and videos here of both lines. (My favorite spot in North East. Second favorite spot is the museum grounds. Best lighting in AM for EB trains, evening is WB trains. Poor lighting for opposite directions at these times.)
And, the museum, open Wed-Sun 12-4, is good for railfanning all year long, and grounds are accessible at all times. They have an old NYC GE U-boat, along with several other pieces, only accessible when they are open. (They will open cabs, etc… If requested and have a person available. On all equipment except the crossing shanty, due to safety issues with the shanty.) A nice railfan gift shop is inside the museum, only during their normal operating hours. Also inside is a scale model of a NYC steam locomotive, along with several other displays.
Another spot to watch/film/photograph from, is west of there in Harborcreek Pa, along US route 20, just northwest of Walmart, across from the township building, is a little railfan park. It is right along the NS line, and has a few benches, some trees, and a neat little sign about the Harborcreek gauge wars from when the track gauges were different, and the rule became to standardize. (This has fast become my favorite location to watch trains outside of Erie. Nice location, shaded most of the day from trees in the park, and pretty good view of all three rail lines, NS [best view], CSX [pretty good, some greenery,], and EEC GE test track [ok, not great, but ok, more greenery though]. Again, best lighting early is EB, later in day is WB, but mid-day any train will work.)
Walbridge Rd in Harborcreek, just west of the park, crosses at grade both NS, CSX, and the EEC (East Erie Commercial) GE test track. There is a strage facility in between the CSX tracks and the EEC, offering a good parking pla
A realy interesting viewpoint is from the US 19 bridge over the New River Gorge about 20 miles north of Prince, WV, and about 700’ above the river and CSX.