Yesterday i was deadheading by taxi/van with another train crew whom were by chance both fellow RR enthusists on our way back to Bellevue, Ohio from Portsmouth. We took a different route taking Rt.36/37 from I 71 back over to Rt. 23. I hadn't been this way for several years. The old Big 4 main line /now CSX loop track thru town wich isn't used much passes thru town just east of the river and on the north west side of the tracks on Rt.36/37 is a grain elevator where a old Conrail double door box car used to sit. On the southwest side of the tracks stands the old brick Big 4 depot wich used to be a flower shop and on the southeast side of the tracks the old wood freight house.

Yesterday i about had whiplash as i jerked my head north and south in amazement looking at the RR equipment i saw there. On the north side by the mill was a Plymouth center cab close by the road with about 4-5 nice looking RR coaches behind it and another center cab loco and maybe another coach or 2, plus a Pennsy N5C caboose wich was in primer. Across the street on the southeast side by the freight house sat the Conrail double door boxcar wich looked repainted and a nicely painted C&O steel center cupola caboose in the yellow Chessie paint scheme.

I didn't have more than a few seconds to take in everything i saw. Anybody know what's going on there at Delaware Ohio with this equipment, and where did it all come from? Does the outfit there possibly run utilizing the old loop track wich passes thru town? I didn't even get a chance to look at the brick depot to see who was using it now. I know the line in town was rerouted and straighted out years ago farther east of our NS line as we have 2 bridges that pass over the loop track and i rarely see any CSX trains on the loop track below when passing overhead. Last time i did see a train on that track it was a auto rack train and that was several years ago.

Here's a Google StreetView image of some of this equipment:

https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Delaware,+Ohio&hl=en&ll=40.300775,-83.057955&spn=0.001238,0.002553&sll=44.33986,-76.473194&sspn=0.297109,0.653687&t=h&hnear=Delaware,+Ohio,+United+States&z=19&layer=c&cbll=40.300742,-83.057844&panoid=gqvXD9vbCWPUamga2IkRrQ&cbp=12,338.82,,1,-2.85

And across the road:

[url]https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Delaware,+Ohio&hl=en&ll=40.300742,-83.057845&spn=0.001246,0.002553&sll=44.33986,-76.473194&sspn=0.297109,0.653687&t=h&hnear=Delaware,+Ohio,+United+States&z=19&layer=c&cbll=40.300828,-83.058143&panoid=3lqMhuilDWXrfHUD_sd2gA&cbp=12,150.89,,1,5.71
[/url]

On the end of the old freight shed is a sign reading Columbus, Cleveland, & Northern Railway:

https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Delaware,+Ohio&hl=en&ll=40.300711,-83.057732&spn=0.001246,0.002553&sll=44.33986,-76.473194&sspn=0.297109,0.653687&t=h&hnear=Delaware,+Ohio,+United+States&z=19&layer=c&cbll=40.30068,-83.057623&panoid=1aD2tufA52xpVjcz8NvTAQ&cbp=12,244.28,,0,-9.63

Perhaps somebody local can tell us more, that's where the trail goes cold on Google.

Steve Hunter

I saw equipment there as well, on 4-4-2011 and I took really lousy camera phone photos. At that time there were two passenger cars (one looked brown with an orange stripe over the large windows and a yellow pinstripe on each side of the orange stripe; the other dark colored (brown?) with a yellow? pin stripe below the windows - kinda looked like diners), a little black critter (16 ton?) with yellow railings, a larger 44/45 ton diesel - also black with yellow trim.

Can not make out the writing on any of the equipment - will try blowing up the photos tonight.

Yep, that's what I saw 4-4-2011. Didn't realize there were two diners - explains why I had two photos of the "same car". I also had a photo of the boxcar and caboose but I could not tell what it was the photo was so bad.

The small critter I saw was behind the passenger cars is present in Google areal view but not in the street view.

Robinson's Flower Shop appears to be in the blue frame station where the boxcar and caboose are (the S is missing on their sign in street view).
http://www.robinsonsflowershop.net/
No mention of the cars on their web site.

There is also a baggage car next to the station.
https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Delaware, ... ,3.22&z=20

The boxcar, caboose and baggage are on isolated sections of track, the plymouth and passenger cars are on the end of the stub track servicing the grain elevator.

One more note, the blue station appears to be a freight shed and the brick passenger station is across the tracks

https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Delaware, ... ,-4.6&z=20

This station also says Robinson's Flower Shop on it, and it appears to have the correct address that is on the web site. Perhaps the blue station is for storage.

When looking from another angle in StreetView I noticed signals, etc. obviously displayed at the eastern end of the baggage car beside the freight station.

I've never heard of the Columbus, Cleveland, & Northern Railway. I'm wondering if this might be a model railroad club occupying the freight shed?

Steve Hunter

I suspect based on this newspaper article summary. Alas I do not have access to read the entire article.

http://delgazette.com/tag/columbus-clev ... -building/

1. Amtrak baggage #1182, built in 1946 by AC&F in Lot #2910 as NYC baggage-express #9112. Still in Amtrak Phase I paint.

2. RPCX #1919, built in 1940 by P-S in Lot #6663 to Plan #7441 as IC 48 seat diner #4100 "Palm Garden". Sold to 18th Amendment Lounge in Shorewood, IL, in 1971.

3. RPCX #5688, built in 1947 by P-S in Lot #6766 to Plan #7531 as IC 56 seat coach #2640. Sold to William W. Kratville's Autoliner Corporation in 1972 as ALC #560 "Roaring Camp". Sold to Amtrak in 1974 as AMTK #5688. Sold to Ted & Sarah Church of Erie, PA, in 1976. To Lake Shore Chapter NRHS in North East, PA. I have it noted as going to Mad River & Nickel Plate Historical Society (Bellevue) after Lake Shore Chapter, so that must have been its last location before ending up in Delaware.

4. RPCX #7, built in 1927 by Pullman as NYC business car #1, renumbered to #8 in 1930, renumbered to #11 in 1939. To PC in 1968 as #11, renumbered to #7. Sold to private owner at unknown date.

5. CR boxcar #276944

6. Chessie System (C&O) caboose #900206

7. Plymouth 50-ton diesel-electric centercab switcher

8. Plymouth MLC 35-ton switcher

9. Big Four (CCC&StL) passenger depot built in 1887, originally for the CCC&I

10. Big Four freight depot built in 1895

Pictures:

1. AMTK #1182: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1504791 (Gwennyth Patrick photo)

2. RPCX #1919: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2045093 (Ryan King photo)

3. RPCX #5688: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2045094 (Ryan King photo)

4. RPCX #7: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2612590 (Steve Nordahl photo)

5. CR #276944. Couldn't find a photo.

6. C&O #900206: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1504789 (Gwennyth Patrick photo)

7. Plymouth 50-ton centercab: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2570539 (G Gerard photo)

8. Plymouth 35-ton: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2570540 (G Gerard photo)

9. Big Four passenger depot: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3380068 (Bob McGilvray photo)

10. Big Four freight depot: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2570538 (G Gerard photo)

Sources:

1. Terry Link's Canada Southern NYC business car roster at: http://www.canadasouthern.com/caso/NYC-MODELS-PASS2.htm

2. IC roster pages at: http://icrr.net/passenger.htm

3. Ohio Railroad Stations Past & Present, info listed under Delaware County: http://www.west2k.com/ohstations/stations.htm

A private museum owned by a Mr. Norse that had (has ?) a car dealership in Columbus, Ohio.

Kevin K.

Now we are getting somewhere. Oh, and it is Carl "Nourse". He had several dealerships in central Ohio but now only only owns a group of them in Chillicothe.

It seems Carl is an avid Lionel collector and used to have Christmas displays at his dealerships until they were sold. Now the "kid friendly" display is at the station in Delaware where he is from, and includes a 20 minute ride on a real train - apparently the one parked nearby. Looks like it's been done for three years now, December 2010, 2011 and 2012.

The rail line next to the station is a 5.9 mile "V" shaped branch that comes off the old NYC line from Columbus to Cleveland and connects to the that main (about two miles east of town) on both ends. This is likely why they are able to run the train on that line. Not sure who owns the line but CSX currently owns the old NYC main.

Here are some illuminating articles:

http://delgazette.com/2011/12/7-years-r ... he-tracks/
http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Carl-Nourse/1521886036
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories ... 8RQC4.html
http://cs.trains.com/ctt/f/95/p/155620/ ... px#1717790

Wanted to add at this site is:

RPCX 1100; Frisco business/observation car #1100, apparently named Arkansas; private ownership in Athens, Oh, unknown owner; private ownership, George Silcott, Worthington, Oh, named "OHIO," painted blue; private ownership moved to Delaware in 2012, after install of roller bearings in original trucks, painted dark green with Frisco lettering.

Bob Bunge