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Not at all familiar with Ohio, but I'm familiar enough with the popular locations of Deshler, Fostoria and the numerous Toledo locales. Never been to Vickers or Berea but I know of them.

Any hidden gems worth mentioning?

Hoytville, Ohio is pretty cool, it’s where CSX’s North Baltimore Intermodal yard is, there’s actually a road (that is public) which parallels the main and the yard lead, I once filmed a trio of Remote Controlled SD40-3’s pulling a consist west on the shoulder of that road, and while they were pulling their cars a westbound took me by surprise and made for a pretty epic shot. Hoytville is east of Deshler by about 20 minutes or so.

One spot that is definitely worth your time is Attica Jct. Alot of people I've talked to have never heard of it before, but it can get quite busy. CSX Willard Sub crosses NS Sandusky District. I'd say about 15-20 a day on NS and CSX about 40. Another spot not alot of people know about is Greenwich. This is where the former CSX Big Four and B&O lines cross. Expect about 45-55 movements a day with the busiest lines in this order from busiest to slowest: Willard Sub, New Castle sub, Big Four line. W&LE puts in about 4-6 movements a day, too. Another spot is Winton Place in Cincinnati. This spot isn't all that underated, but it's a great spot. About 40-45 movements a day split evenly between CSX and NS, along with Amtrak and the I&O RR. Another great underated spot is Leipsic. This is where the NS Toledo sub crosses the NS Fostoria district. The I&O RR also comes into town and crosses NS too, but at a different location. Expect about 30-35 movements in total, with CSX putting in most of the action. Not the busiest, but still a pretty good spot. Another spot you could try is Alexis Jct on the north side of Toledo. This features NS and CSX main lines into Toledo that cross at grade, along with the Ann Arbor RR. I'd expect about 25-30 movements a day split evenly between both Class 1 railroads. Another underated spot is the parallel NS-CSX mainlines along Lake Erie in NW Ohio east of Cleveland. CSX has about 35-45 a day and NS, about 12. You can pull off along the tracks anywhere and you'll be set. My last underated spot, I've never actually been there, but I'm very curious about, is Ridgway. This is where CSX Mt Victory sub crosses the Scottslawn sub at grade. This spot only sees about 15-20 trains a day, but it's a very interesting setup. Theres about 8-10 trains that head east-west on the Mt victory sub, 2-4 that head north south on the Scottslawn sub, and both the SW and SE connectors see 2. Not that busy, but since it's underated, it's worth a shot. Hope this helps.

David Collins wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 06, 2022 5:04 pm

Hoytville, Ohio is pretty cool, it’s where CSX’s North Baltimore Intermodal yard is, there’s actually a road (that is public) which parallels the main and the yard lead, I once filmed a trio of Remote Controlled SD40-3’s pulling a consist west on the shoulder of that road, and while they were pulling their cars a westbound took me by surprise and made for a pretty epic shot. Hoytville is east of Deshler by about 20 minutes or so.

You can get a great view of North Baltimore Yard from the Bulk Water Station (NWWSD)/Water Tower off of Deshler Road. Stumbled on that quite by accident several years ago.

Marion is also a great spot! The Durand of Ohio as I like to say!

I'm going to say any spot between Millbury and Amherst on the NS Chicago Line. Very peaceful locations and easy access to a busy mainline!

lakeshoredave wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 14, 2022 11:52 am

I'm going to say any spot between Millbury and Amherst on the NS Chicago Line.

Millbury is claimed to be so over-rated by railfans around the area (Michigan/Ohio/Indiana), I completely disagree, It’s close to civilization (Toledo) but you also feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere at once, which I quite frankly like.

David Collins wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 14, 2022 12:00 pm

lakeshoredave wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 14, 2022 11:52 am

I'm going to say any spot between Millbury and Amherst on the NS Chicago Line.

Millbury is claimed to be so over-rated by railfans around the area (Michigan/Ohio/Indiana), I completely disagree, It’s close to civilization (Toledo) but you also feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere at once, which I quite frankly like.

I completely agree with your assessment of Millbury, especially the nice wide spot underneath the tree next to the Cherry St. Crossing and the WB CP281 signals. Far enough away from Toledo to feel like you are in a rural small town setting but so close still to multiple truck stops and gas stations just a handful of miles away. Heck the travel time from my home in Metro Detroit to this particular spot is just 56 minutes,even!

Edgewater Station in Cleveland. NS Chicago Line passes over the Nickel Plate and RTA.

NS over Nickel Plate / RTA - Edgewater, Cleveland by tcamp7837, on Flickr

RTA - Edgewater, Cleveland by tcamp7837, on Flickr

Lima - Lots of variety, and old signals.

I & O 2097 - I&O Diamond, Lima by tcamp7837, on Flickr

CSX & CFE Race in Lima by tcamp7837, on Flickr

Ironville in Toledo

Wheeling & CSX meet at Ironville, Toledo by tcamp7837, on Flickr

Hopple St Overpass in Cincinatti.

NS Autorack Train - Cincinatti, OH by tcamp7837, on Flickr

CSX Queensgate Yard - Cincinatti, OH by tcamp7837, on Flickr

Myself, I like Millbury and Wauseon for the NS Chicago line. On the CSX side of things, I usually split time between Deshler and Hamler - that's "home turf" after all!

Marion isn't bad at all. It's extremely underrated. Along with Greenwich and Willard

I'm glad I found this thread.

Thanks for all the info.

The former depot in Bryan. You can have a beer and eat BBQ a few feet away from the NS Chicago line.