Grafton, OH: Tower: CSX/Big Four vs. CSX/B&O

(Satellite, the tower has been moved to get it away from the tracks.)

Tony Marre shared
[ That is probably the depot in the background given the bay window for the agent.]
Richard McGill: Our gas station was on the other side of the tracks across from the tower... When a train would go through and it had a "Hot Box"(flames shooting out of the bearing boxes) on our side we would go over and report it to the guy working in the tower... I used to enjoy going up in the tower at night when things were slow, it had a fantastic view all the way down main street... We used to put coins on the track and then hope that a slow freight was coming through so we could find the flattened coins... Passenger trains were usually going at 60 mph, so you could kiss your coins goodbye !!! Great Pic Jim Huber, thanks for the memory!!!
Across from the tower was also the US mail pick up and drop off... A canvas bag was hung on an upper and lower hooks, A crank was provided to raise and reposition the bag at the proper height at 90 degrees of the corresponding mail car pickup... Also there was a back stop made of rail road ties used to stop the thrown off mail bag, now this was all happening between 60 and 70 miles an hour!! More than once I helped the postoffice worker pick up mail off the tracks after the canvas bag broke... The mail would get sucked under the passenger cars and some would get cut up by the RR cars wheels... Talk about "Undelivered Mail"
John Ux: identical to the one in New London

Jim Bobel posted a 1982 photo when it was still in its original position and train orders are being grabbed.

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Street View

George Siss III posted
Grafton, Ohio. The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St, Louis ("The Big Four") Railway/New York Central Railroad switch tower. Built in 1890. Located about 75 yards east of North Main Street (Ohio Route 57), perpendicular to Cleveland Street, by the CSX Corp railroad tracks. Friday afternoon, November 5, 2021.
Dan Davidson: Moved from it's original location at the SR57 crossing.
Tom Davidson: I believe the supports are reused rail.
Thomas Wentzel shared

The B&O was always just single tracked.

1979 Grafton Quadrangle @ 1:24,000

I'm a little surprised that Conrail and CSX has kept the double track in the Big Four route. The two connections have been removed.

Satellite

7 of the 18 photos posted by Moses Zacharewicz with the comment: "Today [May 4, 2024] was the B&O Railroad Historical Society mini convention in Grafton OH.   It is a true pleasure to hear in person the stories of the railroad, some which have been passed down for generations.   I brought a few models along, including the B&O (CV&T) station in Cleveland, and a couple attendees told me stories how they used to work in the actual building."

Moses Zacharewicz shared

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1 of 15 photos posted by Daniel Frizzi
The BORRHS Mini Con was a great success, and was fortunate to be able to be there on a rainy Saturday.  Some of the sites we toured are shown with several passing trains.  When I departed Grafton, I took the path less traveled (unless you are a RR buff) to Lester and Lodi.  The Lodi viaduct over the Black River was more accessible this trip as the gate was open, so I took advantage for some closer shots.  Enjoy!
Daniel Frizzi shared

Coal & Steel Railroad Photography posted six photos with the comment: "Inside of the New York central tower At Grafton Ohio which used to control the diamond between the NYC Main Line  and B&O  Branch line. which the B&O position light signal still guard approaches but at the diamond they have been replaced with Conrail try lights signals."

Josh Cohen shared

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Train orders, Armstrong levers and passing Train through the window just think how many operators back in the day saw this same scene play out thousands of times.

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What a beautiful scene with the Christmas tree all lit up outside from inside the tower.

Duane Plas: The switch board was lost after the tower was closed. A few years back, during an episode of American Pickers, someone noticed the board in the background. Through a series of events the board was tracked down and replaced to its original location after nearly 40 years. https://chroniclet.com/.../we-cant-put-a-price-on.../

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John Springer: So much to see in this picture! The towers were never insulated very well or at all. You can see the electric heater under the desk, my dad used one not like this one at Woodlawn on the Central. That looks like first generation radio to talk to the crews.

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Duane Plas: The photographer is standing about where the tower originally stood. The railroad wanted to raze the tower in the 90s, but the people of grafton pulled their money and paid to have the tower persevered and moved to its current location. The tower was moved around 1999 or early 2000s.

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One of the approaches

James McKee Ridgway Jr.: Fixed Signal (at Approach).

Just a reminder of Interlocking ahead…

[An example of a B&O Colored Positional Light (CPL) signal.]

Hazelton, ND: Grain Elevator

(Satellite)

Another example of a conveyor built across the mainline of a railroad is what caught my eye. But then I noticed in the satellite image that the wood elevator and conveyor are gone. So I took some extra street views of the old elevator. There are several storage bins further south along 7th Avenue. 

Brian Ziegler posted two photos with the comment: "Slide scans of the Hazelton ND elevator with the railroad tracks and station sign still intact on June 20, 2005.  Moon behind the clouds for a night time exposure. The DMVW RR abandoned the track later in the year and has since been torn out."

[DMVW must have been a shortline. In 1928 the tracks were owned by the Northern Pacific.]

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Dennis DeBruler commented on Brian's post

I see by a satellite image that the old wood elevator and the conveyor have been removed. Fortunately, the street view car hasn't been down the road since Sep 2011 so it still has images of the wood elevator.

https://www.google.com/.../data=!3m6!1e1!3m4...

Dennis DeBruler commented on Brian's post
https://www.google.com/.../data=!3m6!1e1!3m4...

West Bend, IA: Grain Elevator: MaxYield Coop loads 100 cars in under 15 hours

(Satellite)

The loading chute swings back-and-forth so that they can load a stationary spotted car.

Street View

You don't need a balloon (loop) track to handle a 100-car train. This elevator does it with two Trackmobiles, 8 workers, and a few yard tracks.

Satellite

In addition to four generations of concrete silos and two generations of metal bins, there are two long buildings.

Satellite

This video was the motivation for the post. Judging from the logos on the hopper cars, UP bought this segment of the Rock Island.

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Jefferson Junction, WI: Ethanol/Ladish Malting Plant

(Satellite)

safe_image for a Matt Diestler Photo Album
Jefferson Jct., WI - UP/Ex-CNW

Tom Oconnell

It is my understanding that bins closest to the Ethanol plant are being used for storage for the Ethanol Plant. That is older info from a friend who retired from there in 2015. Great pictures

Dennis DeBruler

Author

This view shows that it has a lot of grain storage.

https://flickr.com/.../510659.../in/album-72157718757937371/

Former Ladish Malt Plant at Jefferson Jct., WI

Former Ladish Malt (later Cargill) plant at Jefferson Jct., WI now owned by Valero Energy.

South western side looking North east.

Lebanon, PA: Bethlehem Steel Works

(Satellite)

"The Lebanon operation began in 1881 as the Pennsylvania Bolt & Nut Company. Bethlehem Steel Co. acquired the plant in 1917 from the former American Iron & Steel Manufacturing Co." [GlobalFastenerNews]

This plant got at least some of its iron ore from Cornwall, PA.

Abandoned, Old or Interesting Places - Eastern PA posted
Bethlehem Steel Company Furnaces, Factory Railroad Lebanon PA
Pinterest

Andrew Denelsbeck shared

Michael Maitland

Thanks for picture. Always wondered what kind of facility this was. Looks like early blast operations. What did the mill become known for - output and input?

Dennis DeBruler

Michael Maitland

 Output was fasteners (nuts, bolts, rivets, pole hardware, etc.). That would explain why the plant survived after the blast furnaces became obsolete.

https://www.globalfastenernews.com/1985-fin-bethlehem.../

James Torgeson

Admin

Group expert

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Dennis DeBruler And the sister fastener plant to Lebanon was Bethlehem Seattle, now Nucor.

Dennis DeBruler

Michael Maitland https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=23112779...

Bill Gailey posted

𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻: 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗻𝘀𝘆𝗹𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗮 posted
Postcard image of Bethlehem Steel • Undated! 
James Torgeson shared
Tom Sedor: they made bolts
James Torgeson: Tom Sedor Yes, a fastener plant, along with mine bolts, etc.

Michael Maitland provided three images as comments on James' share.

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Was this the same mill?

Randy Jaye posted
Early 20th Century Large Industrial Complex - North Lebanon Furnace, Lebanon, Penna.
Historic Pennsylvania Postcard - ca. 1905.
James Torgeson shared

Another Pinterest photo of the blast furnaces

A Pinterest photo after the blast furnaces have been removed and the buildings to manufacture steel products have been built.

This photo verifies that the cluster of buildings in the middle of the town was the Lebanon Works.

Hagley
Steel-works, Bethlehem Steel Corporation (Lebanon, Pa.)

This topo map provided the railroad names.

1955 Lebanon Quadrangle @ 1:24,000

The blue line and the green connection on the south side of the plant was Pennsy. The railroad along the north side of the plant that still exists was Reading and now it is owned by Norfolk Southern.

RR Aban Map

Newspapers

Closeup of Text

In 1984, the employees did vote to accept a pay cut to make the plant more competitive with respect to imports. But the plant closed in 1985 anyhow. Bethlehem filed for bankruptcy in 2001 and closed in 2003. [ldnews, absolute paycount of 3] Employment peaked at 2,400. Babe Ruth used to play on the company's baseball team. Conestoga Log Cabins & Homes is one of the companies that now uses some of the buildings that Bethlehem Steel sold for $500,000. [ConestogaLogCabins]

Bethlehem also manufactured fasteners in Seattle, WA, and Birmingham, AL. The five operations in Lebanon were fasteners such as nuts, bolts and rail spikes, bar mill and roll shop, mine roof bolts, sucker (well) rods, and cooper shop. [mcall] (Did the cooper shop make the silo rods? Or were they really making barrels in the 1980s?)

Zachary Ryan Batdorf posted three photos with the comment: "Tomorrow Is the public sale for Keystone Spikes, This, to the best of my knowledge would be the last remaining continuously running shop left from the closed Bethlehem Steel, Lebanon PA plant which shut down in the mid 80's. It was once the counties largest employer, manufacturing industrial hardware. This shop making Boat Track and mine Spikes.  Hopefully this is not the end of the line for the machines, but will be the last of the forgings coming out of this plant which spanned 5 city blocks. A shame to see, no doubt. Did anyone on this page work here back in the day? I Thought maybe this would be of some interest here."

Rick Yerly: We had two spikers at keystone steel and wire. When they closed our nail mill was told only 6 in the world capable of making 12”x 3/8s spikes.

Zachary Ryan Batdorf: The cold forge spike machine shown here is advertised as being able to do up to 3/8 X 12’s. Might be one of the 6, I don’t know.

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Hagley has several more photos of these plants including interior shots of the machinery.

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Frankfort, KS: Grain elevator building a jump-form silo

(Satellite)

The reason for saving this photo is that it caught a large-diameter silo being built with jump forms. And it shows a huge grain pile.

Chris Eiel posted
Huge train shuttle loading facility in Frankfort, Kansas. As I drove toward the facility I could literally see the clouds line up in huge parallel rows. To say this facility was busy is a vast understatement.

Mike Bartels

Farmers Cooperative, based in Dorchester, Neb., with 61 locations in southeast Nebraska and northeast Kansas. There is a history booklet on their website, www.farmersco-operative.com.

[The comments discuss weather or not one or two new silos are being built.]

Dennis DeBruler commented on Chris' post

That is a relatively new loop track elevator. Their original elevator (lower-right corner of excerpt) had nine silos and six bins. As expected, the new construction has yet to be caught by a satellite image.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer...

Bob Summers: The balloon or loop layout is used because it requires just half of the actual rail length compared to traditional straight sidings because after the entire length is spotted with the empty cars it is fully occupied with the loaded cars after the unit /shuttle train is loaded.