Uploaded August 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In June 2019, my father, my son and I celebrated Father's Day with our first-ever "Three Generations" railfan trip. Our goal was to visit old "stomping grounds" from previous trips my father and I had made and to take my son on his first "real" railfan trip.
Exiting I-75 at Ohio Route 18, we grabbed a quick breakfast at the local McDonald's, then spent a few minutes at Galatea, where CSX's ex-B&O Chicago line crosses CSX's, ex-Conrail (NYC) "Toledo Branch". Although I attended college nearby in the 1990s and railfanned the area extensively, I had never managed to photograph a train at Galatea...and nothing changed on this day. The scanner was silent, the signals were dark, and there we no headlights, so we moved on.
We followed the old B&O eastward toward Fostoria, seeing no action along the way. Finally, as we reached the outskirts of Fostoria we saw several eastbound NS freights on the old Nickel Plate waiting for their turn across the diamonds. The show was about to begin.
We had scarcely parked at the Iron Triangle Rail Park when we heard the first horn and hurriedly set up our shots. We caught 20 trains in all before leaving Fostoria. We saw locomotives from CSX, Norfolk Southern, Canadian Pacific, Canadian national, BNSF, and Citi Financial. Most of the units were GE's, from old Dash 9s to the newest Tier 4 offerings, but a few EMDs showed up as well, including several SD-40-2's.
Dad and I had railfanned here many times since the 1970s, but this was his first trip since the park opened.
This portion is divided into four sections, as my video rendering software can only handle videos of 8 minutes or less (but it's free, so....)
Enjoy!
In June 2019, my father, my son and I celebrated Father's Day with our first-ever "Three Generations" railfan trip. Our goal was to visit old "stomping grounds" from previous trips my father and I had made and to take my son on his first "real" railfan trip.
Exiting I-75 at Ohio Route 18, we grabbed a quick breakfast at the local McDonald's, then spent a few minutes at Galatea, where CSX's ex-B&O Chicago line crosses CSX's, ex-Conrail (NYC) "Toledo Branch". Although I attended college nearby in the 1990s and railfanned the area extensively, I had never managed to photograph a train at Galatea...and nothing changed on this day. The scanner was silent, the signals were dark, and there we no headlights, so we moved on.
We followed the old B&O eastward toward Fostoria, seeing no action along the way. Finally, as we reached the outskirts of Fostoria we saw several eastbound NS freights on the old Nickel Plate waiting for their turn across the diamonds. The show was about to begin.
We had scarcely parked at the Iron Triangle Rail Park when we heard the first horn and hurriedly set up our shots. We caught 20 trains in all before leaving Fostoria. We saw locomotives from CSX, Norfolk Southern, Canadian Pacific, Canadian national, BNSF, and Citi Financial. Most of the units were GE's, from old Dash 9s to the newest Tier 4 offerings, but a few EMDs showed up as well, including several SD-40-2's.
Dad and I had railfanned here many times since the 1970s, but this was his first trip since the park opened.
This portion is divided into four sections, as my video rendering software can only handle videos of 8 minutes or less (but it's free, so....)
Enjoy!
![CSX ES44AH / ET44AH @ Butler Street [8/10/2020]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wBaZDVuDarY/mqdefault.jpg "CSX ES44AH / ET44AH @ Butler Street [8/10/2020]
CSX ES44AH #3080 and ET44AH #3339 lead a southbound CSX auto rack train The Old Way on the ex-B&O Toledo Subdivision on August 10, 2020.
Most southbound trains divert onto NSs ex-Pennsy line between Butler Street and Winton Place (Cincinnati) instead.")
![CSX #5122 and Another CW44AH at Butler Street [8/6/2020]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wDTQfyjNBIg/mqdefault.jpg "CSX #5122 and Another CW44AH at Butler Street [8/6/2020]
CSX CW44AH #5122, the last one built, leads a second CW44AH and a mixed freight southbound The Old Way at Butler Street Interlocking, Hamilton, Ohio on August 6, 2020.")
![A Day @ Dearborn Station, Chicago - 1959 [Classic Home Movies]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xTtWjCWTnEs/mqdefault.jpg "A Day @ Dearborn Station, Chicago - 1959 [Classic Home Movies]
A Day at Dearborn Station, Chicago - 1959
Home movies from an anonymous railfan.
Here is the lineup:
00:52 Shortly after sunrise, a Grand Trunk Western passenger train approaches Dearborn Station led by a pair of GP9’s while a Chcago & Western Indiana ALCO RS-1 waits to complete a switching move.
While GP9’s are generally considered freight locomotives, they were actually “General Purpose” locomotives and many railroads had their GP7’s and GP9’s equipped with steam generators for passenger operations, particularly those like GTW and N&W who were late holdouts for steam power.
The C&WI was a terminal railroad which owned Dearborn Station (aka Polk Street Station) and the associated yards. The C&WI was, in turn, owner jointly by the railroads that utilized the station.
01:41 In inbound Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, or simply “Santa Fe”, train appears, led by an A-B-B-A set of passenger-equipped F3’s. Santa Fe preferred to use multiple F units on their transcontinental passenger trains instead of passenger “E” units or ALCO PA’s.
02:07 An Erie Railroad train approaches, led by a pair of “E” units, while a C&WI RS-1 and a Santa Fe Fairbanks-Morse H-12-44-TS perform switching duties.
The H-12-44-TS is a rare locomotive, not only because it was built by the short-lived (in the railroad business) Fairbanks-Morse, but because only 3 examples were ever built. The units include the prime mover and associated features of the H-12-44 switcher, but ride on the longer H-16-44 style frame and body in order to accommodate a steam generator in the short hood. These units were built exclusively for use at Dearborn Station.
02:32 An unusual Santa Fe light power movement including an F7, an E6B (or possibly an E3B), and an E8m. As stated above, after the E6 series, Santa Fe decided to utilize F3’s and F7’s as the primary passenger power, mainly due to maintenance concerns for the double-engine “E” units and the F units had better traction in the mountains. Therefore, Santa Fe purchased none of the popular E7 series locomotives, and their only E8’s were rebuilt from earlier E1 models (thus the “E8m” designation).
02:57 A quick look northbound into the station tracks.
03:07 Another inbound Grand Trunk Western train behind a pair of GP9’s approaches while a C&WI RS-1 pulls a string of cars out of the station.
03:31 An outbound Grand Trunk Western, this time led by a single GP9, passes a waiting Santa Fe train at the station.
03:56 An outbound Santa Fe train led by an A-B-B-A set of F3’s.
04:15 An inbound santa Fe with A-B-B F7’s leads a long string of heavyweight Pullman cars.
Santa Fe preferred to keep their “passenger” F units in A-B-B-A sets at this time, while “dual service” freight / passenger F units tended to stay in 3-unit A-B-B sets like this one...
05:00 ...and a C&WI RS-1 carries out its duties.
05:09 A pair of Monom F3’s appears on the scene, passing other trains in the terminal, including a C&WI RS-1 and an unidentified Santa Fe switcher (likely an ALCO).
05:28 Another outbound Grand Trunk Western train with a pair of GP9’s leading the way.
05:58 An inbound set of A-B-B-A F7’s lead another Santa Fe train.
06:45 A Santa Fe H-12-44-TS performs switching duties…
06:56 ...as an outbound Erie train passes, led by a pair of E8’s.
07:20 Now at midday, an inbound Chicago & Eastern Illinois train arrives, led by an FP7 / F3B / F3A lashup.
07:44 As shadows grow longer, another A-B-B-A set of Santa Fe F7’s lead bi-level cars. This is likely either the Super Chief or El Capitan.
08:21 An unidentified Santa Fe ALCO switcher pulls a cut of cars out of the station.
09:02 At twilight, another Santa Fe A-B-B-A set of F7’s leads a train into the station.
On May 1, 1971, Amtrak moved all remaining intercity passenger trains from Dearborn Station and other Chicago stations to Union Station. One platform at Dearborn Station remained open for Norfolk & Western’s ex-Wabash commuter train operations until 1976.
**Originally recorded on 8mm film. The full original digitized version may be viewed at the Prelinger Archives here: https://archive.org/details/098244")
