Good slide show in this link Lew-->

[Beachcomber]

The Cunard Queens

[Lew]

I still think it's amazing that, in 2008, a scene like that could still exist. It's like if you're ever in Durango, CO, and they have a working rail yard with 4-5 steam locomotives running, and I have pictures that, if you didn't know the date they were taken, I could say they were taken 70 years ago (nothing in the background to give away that it's the 21st century).

[Beachcomber]

I know what you mean Lew. My only disappointment was that all the pics in that slide show were taken when it was dark. Some nice daylight pics to see all the ships in detail would have been nice. Like at the outbreak of WWII when the Normandy, QEI and QMI were all docked together for 2 weeks on "Ocean Liner Row" in NYC. QEI actually met her demise in Hong Kong when it was converted to a University. Fire broke out and it sank in Hong Kong Bay.

[Beachcomber]

Lew have you ever taken the train ride from Connersville to Metamora, Indiana? My parents went on that back in the 1980s and seemed to enjoy it. I'm not sure if it even still runs. I loved the train ride in Greenfield Village up in Dearborn, MI. It burns coke instead of coal so it smells better and you ride that in the fall, on a crisp day with all the leaves in color, and you feel like you are in the 1800s...

[Lew]

GL-

I actually worked (well, volunteered) on that railroad for a year while I was in law school. I had heard an ad on the radio that they were holding classes and I jumped at it. I was a brakeman and got to go through all the motions, coupling/uncoupling cars, air hoses, switches, etc. After 2 years, I could have qualified to become an engineer, which really would have been a dream come true.

As I was studying for the test, my grandfather (ever the ex-railroader) wanted me to "practice," i.e. he was looking for an excuse to go play railroader again. So I kid you not, one morning he gets out his work boots and gloves, and we drive to Maplewood yard (which was in Lockland) and, in an act that probably qualified as a federal crime (certainly the state crime of trespassing) and we went into the yard and threw switches and laced air hoses (obviously we couldn't couple because we had no locomotive, though if there had been one I'm sure he would have tried to fire it up).

I know from a legal point of view, what we did was wrong. But the way I look at it, it got my grandfather's juices flowing, it was quality time between he and I, and I actually learned a lot from him. So as far as I'm concerned, if CSX has a problem with it, they know what they can go do with themselves.

And in case you're wondering, we left everything as we found it, and there was no danger to anyone or anything (that yard had been busy in his day, but by the 90s it was fading and a few years ago they took it out altogether, just an empty field now). The day we were there, no one was working, there was no activity of any kind, just a few empty cars sitting in a dying yard.

Anyway, I went on to pass my test at Connersville and I worked as a brakeman that year.

Now this is going to sound awkward, I know, but I only did it for the one year. And the reason was, they more or less forgot about me. We were supposed to get called every so often, but for whatever reason, they never called me much. I'd call them to remind them that I was available, but no dice. Now, maybe they had more volunteers than they needed, that's certainly possible. But, and I don't mean this to sound arrogant, you'd have thought that they would have taken interest in a young person (I was 23 at the time) who is excited to be a part of it. I mean, I had looked forward to qualifying for an engineer someday. And it wasn't like I didn't get along with them, and to my knowledge there were no complaints about me. I actually had a good experience, but they just kind of ignored me so I didn't go back. Obviously they've survived just fine without me, but I think I could have been an asset to them (not an ASS, Gae, I said ASSET). Such is life.

[Beachcomber]

Good experience to remember though Lew, how many people this day and age and as young as you can say they did that? Not many. Over by the old Ferguson Hills Drive-In there used to be an old railroad yard. Back in the 1970s when my parents would set up at the flea market on Sundays at the drive-in (we cut the grass there too up until it was sold in 1996) I used to sneak over with a friend of mine and explore the old abandoned yard, got into some old boxcars, went up into the silo that was there. We even hopped on a box car one time in transit to the yard and ran off before they could catch us. Fired up an old bulldozer too one time. Then WalMart bought the drive-in in 1996 and that entire yard was bulldozed and filled in. There was a bridge for Ferguson Road that is gone, they filled in underneath and leveled it off.

[Lew]

You're talking about what was known as Cheviot Yard (even though, as you well know, it was nowhere near Cheviot). That line ran north to Richmond, IN, but it had a steep climb coming out of Cincinnati. There was then (and still is now) an alternate route north to Hamilton, west to Cottage Grove, IN, and then north to Richmond, that obviated the need for that line through the west side of Cincinnati.

The story I've been told (and I don't know if it's true, but I've heard it many times and for many years now) is that the city and CSX had been looking into keeping the line for possible future commuter rail use. But in the early-mid 80s, there was a kid who was killed while walking crossing one of the many trestles that existed on that line. After that happened, CSX went in and tore out the whole thing.

I go around and like to follow abandoned rail lines, in many cases there are all kinds of remnants. But as for chasing the C&O out of Cincinnati through Western Hills, there is almost nothing left to tell you that a railroad ever passed through there. As you said, the shopping complex was built over the yard and the overpass was filled. The remains of the piers that carried the brider over the Miami River (near Rumpke park)are still in place.

The guy who owns Western Hills Photo & Hobby documented that line thoroughly in photographs, I've been to a couple of his slide shows from time to time and it's amazing. I remember one time it was at the Westwood library, I thought there would be me and 3 or 4 railfans, I get over there and the place is packed with west-siders. Not so much railfans, but they liked seeing the old pictures showing what that area looked like when they grew up. I asked him if he's ever going to do a book with these photos and he told me that he plans to but it's just something that he's never gotten around to doing.

I don't know if this link will work, because Gae is more interested in ballroom dancing with me than she is showing me how to post links on here, but if this link works here is a picture of where you used to trespass...

http://www.cincyrails.com/CSXvintage/DPO-CO-4181-01.jpg

[Beachcomber]

Thanks for that pic Lew. That tower I went up into, my friend and I went into it up the conveyor belt (on the opposite side of the tower not visible in that pic) I guess we're lucky we didn't get hurt but what 14 or 15 yr old thinks about getting hurt?

[cincygreg]

Thought you two might enjoy this...


VIRTUAL TOUR QE 2