Bessemer & Lake Erie

[wm3798]

So anyways, my bedtime story for the last few nights has been the 1969 centennial history of the B&LE by Roy Beaver.  A very interesting read to be sure.  And then there's the post of the Hulett machine video...  And it all makes me think of steel.  So, I head over to Maps Live, and follow the B&LE from Conneaut Harbor east of Ashtabula, all the way down through Shenango and on to east Pittsburgh.  Lots of it is available in Birds Eye, so it was a pretty cool ride.  The line is about 111 miles altogether. 

I could see that Conneaut is still an active port, with lots of railcars, but I didn't see a ship in there (There was one in the aerial of Ashtabula).  There were also several trains in evidence as I headed south.  It looks like there's still some fairly significant steel operations along the way, the biggest being the one near Bessemer Jct. on the Monongahela (which is actually on the Union Railroad, which begins at North Bessemer a few miles past the Allegheny River Bridge.)

A couple of things I thought were interesting was the largely abandoned yard at Albion, the relatively intact shop buildings at Shenango, and the Union Railroad's roundhouse and shops at North Bessemer.  There's a lot of history still standing, at least as of the last batch of aerial photos.

Has anyone fanned this line?  I'd be interested to see some more ground level views of the line at work.  I'm assuming it's still independent...

I guess the reason my interest is piqued is the preponderance of F-7's on the property in the mid 1960's.  They've got a really cool orange and black paint scheme.  I've also been impressed reading about how the line was engineered and re-engineered to provide a veritable race track for heavy ore trains to make the run from Lake Erie to the open hearths of Pittsburgh.  And of course, since the rest of this part of the planet is dominated by CSX and NS, it would be nice to plan a trip around something a little different.

Thanks in advance,
Lee

[Chris333]

My favorite part of the line is Greenville, PA... cause that's where it crossed the Erie 

I keep wanting to go up to Ashtabula. If it was still the 1950's I would have been there by now.

[3rdrail]

Lee, the Bessemer went to the CN with the DMIR, but since CN has no connection, don't think much has changed physically. Probably a lot of clerical and management let go, though. 

[wcfn100]

I guess the reason my interest is piqued is the preponderance of F-7's on the property in the mid 1960's.  They've got a really cool orange and black paint scheme.

Those F's looked real good when they had DM&IR herolds on them. 



Jason

[wm3798]

In staring at the aerials and Birds Eye views, I did see a couple of B&LE cabooses with the offset bay window...  Of course,a  ton of hopper cars, but I couldn't recognize the markings.  Too bad about the CN...  I wonder if they'll re-start the car ferry to Ontario that was abandoned in the 1930's?
I also read where they had 5 Huletts working at Conneaut, installed between 1899 and 1916.  The book has lots of still pictures, but I really had no idea what those machines did until I saw the video posted here.  From the looks of the current aerials they are no longer there.
Lee

[GonzoCRFan]

  They've got a really cool orange and black paint scheme.  I've also been impressed reading about how the line was engineered and re-engineered to provide a veritable race track for heavy ore trains to make the run from Lake Erie to the open hearths of Pittsburgh.  And of course, since the rest of this part of the planet is dominated by CSX and NS, it would be nice to plan a trip around something a little different.

Lee,

Since CN took over, the orange and black has slowly been fading. So if you'd like to get out there, my advice is to do it promptly. I hear it's a hell of a fun chase down from Conneaut to the Pittsburgh area, but I never did it back when I was out there.

[wm3798]

Odds are you'll get there before I will...
Shoot what you can, Boys!
Lee