Nice writeup for the Train operations at the Lorain County Fair (OH) this week in the fair supplement of the Elyria C-T. Unfortunately it didn't make the internet edition. The schedule of operations can be found at the link below and includes the special Bicentennial trains operated with L&WV/WLE cooperation. If you are in the area, stop in and say hello.

http://www.lakeshorerailway.org/schedule.htm
lamontdc@adelphia.net

How about telling us more about the Lakeshore Railway? Wasn't this moribund trackage that hadn't seen a train for 30 years or so before it was revived by volunteers? That's a story in itself.

ryarger@rypn.org

> How about telling us more about the
> Lakeshore Railway? Wasn't this moribund
> trackage that hadn't seen a train for 30
> years or so before it was revived by
> volunteers? That's a story in itself.

The true story of the revival of the L&WV is something that it would be very difficult to publish without a lot of legal advice. It involves politics at it's finest up to some pretty high levels and is something that is best discussed over a coupla beers ...as it is still going on it is best to concentrate on the historical and operating aspects.

Historically the L&WV was closed after the July 4th 1969 storm caused a "large washout" to occur. Property splits caused a series of ownerships that are slowly being overcome as we try to sew the line back together again. LSRA now owns about 20 miles of ROW (map on website) with a mile owned by the Ohio Turnpike Commission at the site of the now building St Rt 58 interchange site. LSRA has a license to build thru the interchange (whole nuther story) to tie the two segments together. NS still owns (whole nuther story) the northern five miles. A new way into Lorain to tie into the waterfront development is being looked at (see map on website). One thing for certain is the fact of ROW ownership and the laws of the State of Ohio governing RRs ..."they" can't take it away from you or it's intended purpose.

It had taken the locals many years, and administration changes, to realize that the L&WV is a corridor that runs the length of Lorain County, tying three major cities together, and can be used for many economic development purposes while still carrying the RR. but the light is slowly dawning. The newspaper article is a positive step towards overcoming a lot of prior political adversity.

As a tourist railroad the L&WV has been slowly rebuilt by both volunteer and contractor labor. Digging a railroad out of 30 some years of growth is a slow expensive job. Before the politics became a primary concern we were marching along at a steady two miles a year after clearing out and making operable the Wellington yards. The naysayers have provided points of no return that we keep building through ...the big washout, you'll never get past that ...one great Saturday, seven cars of ballast, a lot of cribbing and the washout was gone, stabilized and holding fine. The bridge at MP2 cannot be used ...inspect same, get plan, get recommended work done, bridge is fine, etc, etc, etc.

The end result is that there is the L&WV historical Corridor listed on the National Register and a 25 mile railroad connected to the WLE, connected to the OCRR with a place to run many types of equipment and many interesting places to visit.


lamontdc@adelphia.net

> The true story of the revival of the
> L&WV is something that it would be very
> difficult to publish without a lot of legal
> advice. It involves politics at it's finest
> up to some pretty high levels and is
> something that is best discussed over a
> coupla beers ...as it is still going on it
> is best to concentrate on the historical and
> operating aspects.

Sounds like a book to me. One I'd definitely buy. You I'm sure could add chapters like "The Wagner Palace Car that got away" and "NIMBY's from hell" which would be very insightful for all of us. Me, I'm going home tonight to commeserate over a couple of beers while contemplating a now empty
carferry apron....

TJ
> Historically the L&WV was closed after
> the July 4th 1969 storm caused a "large
> washout" to occur. Property splits
> caused a series of ownerships that are
> slowly being overcome as we try to sew the
> line back together again. LSRA now owns
> about 20 miles of ROW (map on website) with
> a mile owned by the Ohio Turnpike Commission
> at the site of the now building St Rt 58
> interchange site. LSRA has a license to
> build thru the interchange (whole nuther
> story) to tie the two segments together. NS
> still owns (whole nuther story) the northern
> five miles. A new way into Lorain to tie
> into the waterfront development is being
> looked at (see map on website). One thing
> for certain is the fact of ROW ownership and
> the laws of the State of Ohio governing RRs
> ..."they" can't take it away from
> you or it's intended purpose.

> It had taken the locals many years, and
> administration changes, to realize that the
> L&WV is a corridor that runs the length
> of Lorain County, tying three major cities
> together, and can be used for many economic
> development purposes while still carrying
> the RR. but the light is slowly dawning. The
> newspaper article is a positive step towards
> overcoming a lot of prior political
> adversity.

> As a tourist railroad the L&WV has been
> slowly rebuilt by both volunteer and
> contractor labor. Digging a railroad out of
> 30 some years of growth is a slow expensive
> job. Before the politics became a primary
> concern we were marching along at a steady
> two miles a year after clearing out and
> making operable the Wellington yards. The
> naysayers have provided points of no return
> that we keep building through ...the big
> washout, you'll never get past that ...one
> great Saturday, seven cars of ballast, a lot
> of cribbing and the washout was gone,
> stabilized and holding fine. The bridge at
> MP2 cannot be used ...inspect same, get
> plan, get recommended work done, bridge is
> fine, etc, etc, etc.

> The end result is that there is the L&WV
> historical Corridor listed on the National
> Register and a 25 mile railroad connected to
> the WLE, connected to the OCRR with a place
> to run many types of equipment and many
> interesting places to visit.


Port Huron Museum
tjgaffney@phmuseum.org