Bellevue, OH: Unique Signal Mast at NKP+Pennsy vs. W&LE+NYC(LS&MS) Junction and Mad River Museum (Flagler Home)

Junction: (Satellite)

Museum: (Satellite)

Henry Flagler's House: (Satellite)

Dwayne Fuehring posted, The signal in service in the late 90s, photo by Charlie Wise.

The High Mast at Center Street

A landmark of the NKP in Bellevue is the iconic high signal at Center St. When Bellevue Tower was erected in 1946, the W&LE crossing was interlocked and new signal hardware was installed. A high westbound signal was erected to control movements on #2 main for trains departing Bellevue. It was a peculiar set up with all the different tracks involved and didn't conform to normal placement practices. The signal was on the right side of the right of way of a double track main but only controlled movements on #2 track. To make this more bizarre, the controlling signal was on the left hand side of the high mast which would normally mean it was intended for #1 track. The right side of the high mast was left empty of a signal aspect. This unusual arrangement made photographs very identifiable as taken in Bellevue. After many confusing situations and stop signal violations at Center St., Norfolk Southern finally decided to simplify the interlocking in 2003. At that time the high mast at Center St. was removed. My father, the late Bill Fuehring, discovered the signal at the local scrap yard just days after being removed. He was able to rescue the signal but the main mast that held it high in the air was already destroyed. I've been storing the remaining hardware in my garage for the last 5-6 years. The other day, my 15 year old son Dwight told me he needed credit for a restoration project for a FFA program at school. I couldn't think of a better thing to work on than the Center St. signal. When completed, it will be placed on a base as a stand alone signal. We will erect in at the Mad River Coach Yard in Bellevue and identify it as the iconic Center St. signal. Once in place, it may be used from time to time to govern the movements of such NKP equipment as the NKP 349 (SD9) and NKP 783 (cupola caboose). These are pieces that without a doubt have been under the authority of this very signal in the past.

Bryan Monaco, Jun 2021
[Taken from the Kemper Rail Park. I'm glad he didn't let the locomotive skunk the junction tower on the left.]

Stu Nicholson posted
Tower at Bellevue, Ohio junction. I believe this was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad. Still standing, but not sure if it's in use in 2021.
B Tupper Upham: Wheeling. Nearby MR&NKP Museum has the model board.
Built by the Pennsy. Two tricks manned by W&LE employees, one trick NKP.
Jeff White: There is a railfan park across the street. The tower is still used by the NS Signal department.
Larry Stone: I'm really surprised it's still standing. I was working for the N&W nearby in Sandusky when Bellevue Tower closed in 1980 or 81 with tower functions were moved to a yard tower a couple of miles away. It affected us in Sandusky as trains originating in Sandusky could no longer pick up their clearance card and orders on the fly at Bellevue (it was yard limits to Bellevue so no need until then), N&W experimented with faxing clearance cards and orders to the Sandusky yard office at a glacial six minutes per page, the state of the technology then. Since they were faxed and not copied, N&W's logic was that meant a yard clerk could handle them rather than an operator.

There used to be two diamonds just north of the tower for the W&LE and two diamonds a little south of the tower for the NYC/LS&MS. The NYC was abandoned by the PC so those diamonds were simply removed. The WE/W&LE diamonds were removed by adding a connector in the northeast quadrant. I presume that WE trains now go the the yard rather than roll through town.

1959 Bellevue Quadrangle @ 1:24,000

Mad River & NKP Railroad Museum posted two photos with the comment:

The first photo was taken in December of 1974 by Bill Fuehring. The Mad River & NKP Railroad Society accepted this former Wheeling & Lake Erie caboose as their first piece of rolling stock. It’s being stored at the France Stone quarry until a museum site can be established, the location had not been determined at this early date. The quarry was located on the west side of Bellevue and the road in the foreground is US Rt 20. Notice the GE switcher in the background, that’s our locomotive as well before it was painted in the patriotic bi-centennial paint scheme.

The next picture is the same area today. The quarry, trackage, and loading temple are long gone. This area has been developed in the last 30 years with a subdivision to the left and a pizza restaurant on the right. If you look close at the pavement surface, you can see the roadbed outline has settled the asphalt. The telephone pole to the right of the track (in front of the caboose) is in the same spot as the earlier photo. 

Both the caboose and the locomotive enjoy the winter inside these days. The W&LE 0911 is tucked tightly in the Monument building while the locomotive spends most of its time inside the Mary Cooper Building.

Dennis DeBruler shared

Dennis DeBruler shared

1

2

Henry Flagler built the Florida East Coast Railway out to Key West.

Doug Cowern posted
My all time favorite railroad picture . Henry Flagler at his Knights Key terminal in 1909 . Surprisingly , this facility almost become the terminus of the oversea railroad . Due to a conflict with the US Navy . Concerning the dredging of fill material for a port in Key west ( material they figured , they might use themselves at some point ) . Henry believed it was his opponents in the government trying to hinder and block  his work . Ultimately though, Mr Flagler won and his railroad reached Key west .
George Keller: The Mad River and NKP Railroad Museum in Bellevue, Ohio sets on the property that Henry Flagler's house sat on. Henry married a Bellevue girl and after he left Bellevue his Father in Law bought the house . Later it became the YMCA and the Nickle Plate Road crews stayed there on lay overs between Fort Wayne going West and Conneaut Ohio going East.
Troy Nolen: The port of Key West would never figure into modern freight shipping because it's not a deepwater port. The area around the keys is relatively shallow. As it is, only smaller cruise ships can call there. The channel draft is only 32 feet, compared to Miami which is 50 feet, Jacksonville and Savannah are 42 feet. Hell, Tampa is 45, but the limiting factor there is the air restriction at the skyway bridge which is 180 feet.
There is no way Key West would have ever worked as a major freight port, lack of roads and the railroad would kill it.

The roadside plaque is titled "Henry Morrison Flagler."

Street View