Rebirth

I don't know why, but I am drawn to a tiny stretch of track between two crossings near Avondale, south of Zanesville. It is only 100 yards long or so, long abandoned, a gentle curve before the line disappears into the weeds again.


I think back to how it must have looked when New York Central trains 61 and 62 mosied through in the middle of the night, on their run between Fultonham and the interchange at Zanesville, probably dragging a few cars of cement, and maybe a box car or two.


We may have a chance to see trains here again- the former Buckeye Scenic has plans for the former NYC Glass Rock line. They plan to reincarnate the Zanesville and Western, a NYC predecessor, as the Zanesville and Western Scenic Railway. Nothing official yet, that I can find, just rumors through the railfan grape vine. Hopefully it will come about this summer.

UPDATE: http://www.bassrun.org/

Lucky Break

Wednesday was a typical crappy Ohio spring day, except that it is the middle of winter. A light jacket sufficed for my duties in Coshocton in the morning, which included a spin past the ethanol plant to see if there were any signs of life, since I have been disinvited there twice now in the past two weeks. Hopefully an invitation to a grand opening will appear on my desk later this week.

It rained all morning, and was a light drizzle when I was on my way back to Zanesville. As I crossed the tracks in Trinway there was a headlight in the distance, so I stopped and grabbed my gear. Less than a minute later an NS Sd70m-2 was charging past with a coal train.

Just a lucky break, I guess.

edit: found out today that it was the NS852-06

NS 2688
HLCX 5947 (dead in consist)
NS 8884

114 x 0
15,000 tns
6,025 ft.

OHCR 5122 (rear helpers)
OHCR 4028