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DragonWolfACe — Custer Interlocking
Published: 2010-12-13 07:43:47 +0000 UTC; Views: 1652; Favourites: 49; Downloads: 25
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Description
Custer interlocking was a control point between mainlines 1 and 2 of the Panhandle mainline that ran from Pittsburgh to Columbus and eventually Saint Louis. It was located a mile west of a small quiet farm town named Jewett, Ohio and 30 miles west of Steubenville.The Panhandle mainline, before its downgrading, saw 30 plus trains a day. Two trailer trains, Mail 3 and Mail 4, if on time, usually met each other around this area. The two trains here represent those two.
The train in between the two is on the parallel Norfolk and Western mainline to Pittsburgh and Toledo and trains on that line had nothing to do on the parallel Panhandle line. In this area was a siding where N&W trains met each other on its single track line.
At this time, this was a busy place with upwards of 50 trains between the two lines. Today, the N&W line between Jewett and Bowerston is now a rails-to-trails and the Panhandle line is now single track. Former N&W trains, now W&LE trains use the Panhandle line between Jewett and Bowerston. Both lines where CTC signal controlled, neither are today. And between Ohio Central and Wheeling and Lake Erie, one would be lucky to see half a dozen in a days time.
For a current view of the same signal bridge, click [link]
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Comments: 11
sorry, clicked on your picture of the subdivision before it was downgraded, didn't realize I was still in the journal.
Up here in Canada, we had a similar trial, the Turcotte trial, where Dr. Turcotte, a cardiologist, had a breakdown (due to an impending divorce), drank lots of windshield wiper fluid, and then stabbed his daughter and son to death, 17 stabs in total. The jury found him guilty, but in the "sentencing" portion, he was found "not criminally responsible", on the grounds that he snapped. There's rumors they may try to get it appealed.
Had the Casey Anthony case happened in Canada, it may have ended up appealed (ditto for the OJ trial, for that matter), because here the prosecution is allowed to do that, I read that in the US, when someone is found innocent in a criminal trial, they're permanently off the hook for the relevant charge. Any truth?
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Wow, I never knew the Stubenville area was so busy as late as the 70's. Where did all the traffic go? I understand the PRR traffic was rerouted to the New York Central, but what about the N&W traffic. I assume it would have continued east of the P&WV line from here?
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Your right about the PRR traffic. Actually, I think alot of it ended up on trucks and factories going out of business. When the Panhandle was downgraded, the traffic was routed to Crestline and east on PRRs Fort Wayne line. Now the Fort Wayne Line west of Alliance sees 4-6 trains a day.
The N&W line suffered an even sadder fate. All the traffic that the N&W had was coal from the valley, steel from the mills and run-thru traffic on the "Alphabet Route". The coal mines where closed due to the EPA, the mills have shuttered their business to next to nothing due to EPA, corrupt labor, and inefficiant plants and the run-thru trains dissapeared when Chessie took over the Western Maryland.
Reports indicate that the railroads hauled more tonnage in 2007 than ever before recorded but you sure wouldnt be able to tell in areas like Jewett. I think that tonnage report is so high because 1 out of every 4 freight cars are loaded hauling coal out of the Powder River basin. 1 in 4! Thats ALOT of coal trains.
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So does this mean power plants in the Ohio River valley now get Powder River Coal?
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Yes and no. They are blending the coal to lower the emmisions. They got to as the eastern coal has the BTU but high in sulfer while the western coal is basically dirt but low in sulfer. The eastern coal is coming from southern West Virginia and south western Pennsylvania and some mines that are left. Two mines have opened recently.
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this is very well done. symmetry looks spot on great work!
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