T&OC Depot in Johnstown, Ohio

[B-Town]

Many of you may be familiar with the Toledo and Ohio Central Railroad station in Bucyrus, Ohio, but here's one close to my home. At one point, Johnstown, Ohio was a major stop on the T&OC. This is where one or two pusher, steam locomotives were removed from heavy coal trains coming from the mines around Nitro, West Virginia. The T&OC was a successor to the New York Central system, but today this line has long been abandoned and removed. The railroad had passenger service up until the 1850's. The section between Johnstown, Alexandria, and Granville has been converted into a trail. Along that stretch are the remains and foundation of one of the railroad's water towers. Parts of this line are still being used; The CF&E has a portion of it out of Bucyrus and on the opposite side of Colson is a small yard, which was also saved. Another section is the West Virginia Secondary between Thurston, Ohio and Nitro (The other portion of the WV Secondary runs from Thurston to Columbus).

Here's the Johnstown depot, today:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/47491339@N04/6359350071/

[Brakie]

Brandon,The buildings being used by Transco are old T&OC shops as is the yard..In fact you can see T&OC on the main building..As for the yard its in pretty bad shape.

[bdconrail29]

There is also a depot remaining near Fulton, but it has been moved a few thousand feet north of the crossing there. The line south of Colsan was abandoned pretty early. As you know, CSX still operates a local, C735 northwest out of Colsan to Spore, to serve the stone quarry there. Main routing PC and CR used was the line south to Berwick, where trains turned southwest on that NYC line to reach Kenton to join in with the other OC line. Most trains would go out of Toledo on the T&OC down to Berwick, then turn and go to Kenton, then join the OC southward to Ridgway to avoid traffic congestion on the Western Div at that time. I was thinking the Ohio Central still used a small portion south of Heath where it crossed the Panhandle, but I haven't been there in awhile.

[Brakie]

Brett,I have seen several photos of CR engines that was assign to a local that worked out of Bucyrus..

Other then seeing the photos I can't seem to find all that much information on this local.

[B-Town]

I was thinking the Ohio Central still used a small portion south of Heath where it crossed the Panhandle, but I haven't been there in awhile.

The portion between Newark in Heath has been left to rot. They used to run excursions on that line, but several years ago, they discontinued that.
...That line runs only feet away from where four of my llamas were born and I remember seeing the passenger train passing the farm.

[bdconrail29]

Brett,I have seen several photos of CR engines that was assign to a local that worked out of Bucyrus..

Other then seeing the photos I can't seem to find all that much information on this local.

Good point. The Conrail local that ran up to Spore was out of Mansfield, WIMA-38. It was once/weekly up to Spore during Spring-Fall. However, MA-38 ran almost daily between Mansfield and Crestline. Before MA-38 was working Spore, WICR-10 was the local before that was abolished. CR-10 was stationed out of Crestline.

Today, they still run sporadically as C735, typically going to Spore with empties Thursday afternoon/evening and returning loaded Friday evening. They are taken to a customer in Wooster.

It is interesting to me that a CSX crew takes the cars from Spore to Wooster and returns lite to Crestline from Wooster. I've heard the lites get back in as early as 10:30 pm to Crestline.

Brandon, sorry to hear that connection and track in Heath is abandoned. I was in Heath Tower way back. Last time I checked it out I guess was in 1996 when it was in very bad shape. According to sources though, the diamond at Martel (RM Tower) was removed in the late to mid-60's. I could be wrong, but I don't think the diamonds there made it to Penn Central.

Last CR symbol to use the OC through Fostoria was a southbound empty hopper train that was turning at Berwick for Kenton, HOP-2X.

[JohnnyO]

I must say that I really believe that you saw the passenger train on the old B&O line that went from Newark to Shawnee, via Somerset, and not the T&OC that ran between Bucyrus and Thurston. That line runs toward but no longer reaches Hebron.

[B-Town]

I must say that I really believe that you saw the passenger train on the old B&O line that went from Newark to Shawnee, via Somerset, and not the T&OC that ran between Bucyrus and Thurston. That line runs toward but no longer reaches Hebron.

My mistake, you are correct.

[SW]

The section between Johnstown, Alexandria, and Granville has been converted into a trail. Along that stretch are the remains and foundation of one of the railroad's water towers.

Where are the remains located? I've biked this trail a few times and recall seeing some kind of concrete abutment or something on the north side of the trail; I believe it was between Alexandria and Johnstown.

The grade and trail, called the TJ Evans Bike Trail, continues east past Granville on to Newark. Looking at my old 1925 atlas looks like the T&OC ended further east at Zanesville.

[B-Town]

The section between Johnstown, Alexandria, and Granville has been converted into a trail. Along that stretch are the remains and foundation of one of the railroad's water towers.

Where are the remains located? I've biked this trail a few times and recall seeing some kind of concrete abutment or something on the north side of the trail; I believe it was between Alexandria and Johnstown.

That's probably it.