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GN in Cleveland
Yes, there are still precious remnants of the old
Great Northern Railway, if you know where to
look. The Midwest Railway Preservation
Society in Cleveland, Ohio, has at least 4 pieces of ex-GN rolling stock,
that I saw on my recent trip there.
GNRHS Member
Ben Ringnalda hosted an
afternoon presentation, onboard his PV (private varnish), the
GN #1292 "Going-to-the-Sun Mountain"
observation car. Also offered was the "Twilight Experience" of riding this
tall-window car after dark with period (1951) accouterments.
This G-T-T-S observation was the last car on the fabled
Empire Builder and later
Western Star passenger
trains during the post-WW2 glory days. Let's go ride Great Northern's finest
once more!
Friday, April 11, 2025
But first, I gotta get there.
Today's voyage is on Delta: GEG to MSP to CLE
(Spokane-Minneapolis-Cleveland), an all-day slog across three time zones. At the
Twin Cities, my flight to CLE is overbooked and they offer $600 of gift cards
for some sucker to take a later flight.
Cleveland Hopkins is a walking advertisement for the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame -- which I have
absolutely NO interest in visiting. They try though. "Artist" concert pictures
are everywhere. Even in the jetways. Of course, there's a HOF gift shop selling
vinyl records, CDs and concert tees. No thanks.
The shuttle bus system, to the distant rental car lot, is agonizingly slow. For
pure entertainment value, however, I find myself seated across from three old
queens REEKING of pot. The most flamboyant of the trio looks like
Dick Shawn from
It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World.
I drive over to the hotel, settle in, and give my buddy, Ben, a call over at the
museum. He sounds exhausted and says he's been working hard all day to get
G-T-T-S Mountain ready for tomorrow's presentation. We agree to have dinner
another evening, when things are less hectic for him. I promise I'll be there
tomorrow at 12:30pm for the show.
I'm tired myself. Time to hit the hay.
Saturday, April 12, 2025
I awake to a cool, cloudy morning. After a Holiday Inn Express "complementary
breakfast", I'm off to check out the
Berea, Ohio
"Railfanning Area" (as Google Maps calls it). A two-story, brick signal
tower is the centerpiece, plopped down between CSX and NS mainlines.
A trackside parking lot faces the tower and just to the NE, is the old Berea
Union Depot, last used as a restaurant (closed January 2025).
I only stay for about 45 minutes, but still photograph two trains, plus saw a
third I was "out of position" for. Tomorrow, I'll be back for more pictures and
hopefully sunnier skies.
A Christmas Story House!
This was the SECONDARY reason I came to Cleveland.
If you're a big fan of the
movie, as I am, this is a shrine to visit. In the gift shop across the
street, I signed up for the
first tour of the day at 10:15am.
The place was hopping. Look at all the people on my tour. And the details --
right down to the button light switches,
Randy's fire engine under the
tree, and leg lamp in the "front room window" are perfect.
Now let's go upstairs. Here's the bathroom where
Ralphie got his mouth washed
out with Lifebuoy soap; the phone where
his mom called Mrs. Schwartz,
and where he
decoded Little Orphan Annie's secret message. "C+". Twin beds in
Randy/Ralphie's room.
Outside is the shed where
Black Bart and
his gang were thwarted by Ralphie and his
Red Ryder,
carbine-action, 200 shot, range model, air rifle. Note the "Golden Age" sign
where Ralph hung a Daisy paper target -- then promptly shot his eye out.
After our 30 minute tour, the guide took us through the museum across the
street.
Whaddiya know? There was a real-life person named Black Bart. And here are some
of the outlaw uniforms used in the filming of that scene. "Cheese it boys, the
jig is up!"
The holiest of holies. A blue-steeled beauty. One of the six BB guns made for
the movie, is on display behind glass. Nuff said.
The Old Man's car - a 1937
Oldsmobile Six touring sedan.
Next, there was plenty of time to browse the gift shop with every conceivable
doo-dad and knick-knack you could imagine. The entire experience put a big, old
smile on my face, especially when touring the Parker residence. Oh, fudge!
Fun with Private Varnish!
And now for the piece de resistance, my PRIMARY reason for this trip, a visit to
Ben's classic GN Observation Car, "Going-to-the-Sun Mountain", a.k.a., GN #1292.
The Midwest Railway Preservation Society
(ex-Baltimore & Ohio roundhouse) is less than
10 minutes away from the Parker House. As I come around the corner from the
parking lot, I see G-T-T-S for the first time. Whoa! Kick! Ben has just
installed a GN Ry Empire Builder drumhead in glorious neon! This is a surprise,
adding that extra, authentic, POW! to the car. Well done, Mister Ringnalda!
1. MRPS sign; 2.
Track
sign from Cleveland Union Terminal; 3. Smokebox door from GTW #4070.
4. 2-8-2 GTW #4070 being
worked on; 5. Builder's plate of 4070;
Nickel Plate Road
coach #90.
I find my way inside the roundhouse, where a nice lady beeps me in. Ben's still
trying to get everything set up, so attendees are given an impromptu tour of the
roundhouse and sooner rather than later, we are invited inside the sacred
confines of GN #1292.
Welcome Aboard!
A good crowd is on hand to enjoy Ben's detailed PowerPoint presentation and
learn all about the restoration of this classic passenger car.
After the show, we took a more expansive tour of the yard
tracks. First up is Ben's recently-purchased ex-GN "slant" caboose, X-7.
Everyone was impressed with the comfy cupola seats out of a Chrysler minivan!
Steve Eckman and Mike Shockey guide us through the inner workings of the caboose
(last image).
Next, Ben's original "Iron Mistress",
Saint Nicholas Mountain, GN #1291,
is lovingly memorialized with its own website, and sits nearby awaiting a call
to duty. Do Not Hump!
Way down the tracks, almost to the steel mill, was a whole string of ex-Conrail
and MARC EMD E-units, that they allowed kids to paint as they liked. Keeps down
the vandalism and all that.
Finally, we come across the final piece of GN history, an old Vanderbilt tender,
from an unknown Great Northern steam
locomotive.
Coupled to G-T-T-S GN #1292 was the heavyweight private car, New York Central #4
"America" or CTVX5 #800086, if you prefer. We had the run of this car which
included an operating fridge with lots of drinks (soft & hard), as you please.
;p
About 5pm, Ben, Mike Shockey and I hit a nearby Shake Shack for burgers and
milkshakes. Afterwards, here's G-T-T-S all spiffed up (with the original seating
configuration) and awaiting passengers. In a classic shot, a Great Northern
conductor (played by Bill
Hatrick) finishes some paperwork before his passengers board.
Before the evening's festivities, I roamed G-T-T-S for detail pictures inside
and out.
A sample of state emblems on the car's interior pillars. There are emblems for a
total of 10 states and 2 provinces (which were served by Great Northern).
These roof lighting images make me think of Police drummer,
Steward Copeland's
first band, "Curved Air".
Twilight Experience time!
Ben welcomes us aboard once more, for life on a train in 1951. No internet. No
smart phones. No frikken Facebook. How did people enjoy themselves?
Our car had piped-in music from 1951, snacks and beverages, playing cards, and
just plain, old conversation. There was no better locale for meeting new people
back in those days!
To wrap things up for the evening, we adjourned outside to the rounded end of
the observation. In the gathering dusk, GN #1292 flashed its red oscillating
tail light for her fans as we inspected the neon glow of an Empire Builder
drumhead.
Mission Accomplished!
Sunday, April 13, 2025
Berea, Ohio Railfanning Area - revisited
The sun is out and somehow this railfan hotspot looks a whole lot better. As I
pull up to the lot, I notice I am the only one standing trackside. Everyone else
is sitting in their cars. I suppose for locals, they've seen it all before.
Meanwhile, I'm busy taking establishing shots (note the signaled interchange
track) between CSX
Transportation (foreground) and
Norfolk
Southern Railway (background). The Berea (BE) tower basks in the morning
glow. That blue dumpster is very annoying.
I haven't been there long, when a NS manifest train approaches the tower heading
eastbound. NS 4267, a GE AC44C6M, and NS 1113, an EMD SD70ACe lead the mixed bag
of rolling stock.
I almost missed it. Toward the rear, I spot what appears to be a low-clearance,
export locomotive of unknown manufacture. The unit number is HL009 (Helm
Leasing?).
Right behind is another manifest with NS #8019, a GE ES44AC and NS #4501, a GE
AC44C6M. Trains always run in bunches.
About this time, another car pulls up. A youngster gets out and asks if I saw
the locomotive on the flat car. We compared pictures and he then joined his
grandfather further down the tracks. More people were starting to arrive.
Now it was CSX's turn to make an appearance. #5486, a GE ES40DC, is the lone
motive power for a ballast/rock train also trundling east. The fans all wave and
the friendly crews respond with playful barks on their horns.
Speaking of horns...it sounded like both CSX and NS used what I call
"Amtrak horns", the Nathan
K5LA. If not, it was VERY similar and pleasant-sounding.
Back to Norfolk Southern. Yet another eastbound has three units tugging either
fracking sand or cement. NS #1816, GE SD70ACC / NS #6970, EMD SD60E / NS #5266
EMD GP38-2.
Mid-train DPU's add their muscle (frack sand is heavy) to the long consist. NS
#3602 GE ET44AC / NS #1037 EMD SD70ACe.
Next, the day's first westbound, fresh off the NS Cuyahoga River lift bridge,
comes rolling past BE Tower.
NS #1127/4447/4444 - an "Ace" leading two GE's on an intermodal train.
As the NS double stack exits, stage left, here comes CSX's version of a
merchandise.
CSX #119 is a GE CW44AC leading CSX #4537 an EMD SD70MAC (Hi Mac!).
Just as the CSX freight clears, I look across to the NS tracks and spy a pair of
Canadian
National units (well, one is an old Citirail lease unit re-lettered for CN).
The light power pulled passed BE Tower, the conductor came out to ride the rear
unit, for a shove back westward. THIS caught the local fans attention, as they
scrambled to get a shot.
CN #2784 (ex-Citirail) GE ES44AC and CN #3107 GE ET44AC did the honors.
For the grand finale, CSX ran an eastbound double stack past her fans with an
enthusiastic horn salute. #7003 GE CM44AC and GE ES40DC #5463 slowly trundled
by, decreasing in speed until it finally came to a stop. It was about 11:30 and
probably time to move on. My final shot here was a peek over at Berea Tower.
Eight trains in three hours, not bad.
As I walked to my car, I passed the youngster's grandfather who said to me:
"Boy, you sure brought out the trains today. We don't usually see that many.
Grandson really liked the two CN units and the export locomotive." Glad to
oblige, fella!
Now. On to Cleveland.
I first wanted to hit a couple spots that had been pointed out to me. First was
"Nickel Plate Road" still visible on a railroad bridge over the Cuyahoga. I like
the old style "L through the P" lettering.
Next up was a couple remnants from the A Christmas Story movie. The toy-display
window at Higbee's Department Store is long gone (it's a casino now), but an
original sign is still visible on the building.
Driving around the downtown public square, I took a grab shot of the "Terminal
Tower" also visible in the movie.
I head over to "The Flats",
a popular night spot on the east bank and close to Lake Erie. From the road,
another grab shot nets me the "Norfolk Southern Cuyahoga Lift Bridge #1".
Looking for a place to park, I am "out of position" as an overseas double stack
passes by. My consolation prize is actually finding a two hour free parking
spot.
Thus I walk over behind the Margaritaville joint (note
Cleveland RTA train
overhead) to the pay lot closest to the railroad bridge. Bad news/good news.
Dumpsters in the shot/I have a stack of pallets to stand on.
Which is a mixed blessing. After taking a few "establishing shots", it is a
long, 45 minute wait for a train. My legs turn to rubber.
With no warning, an eastbound intermodal comes zooming across the bridge, so my
attempts at framing up the shot are so-so. Que sera sera.
After a quick ham sandwich, it's back to the roundhouse to visit Ben and Steve
at the Mountain car. A large U-Haul truck is unloading railroad "stuff" and we
discover an
ex-Philadelphia-area PCC trolley in primer gray has been deposited inside.
The streetcar is right beside the
ex-Reading 4-8-4 #2100
(currently numbered 250). That's 2100's tender on the turntable.
Night falls, so Steve, Ben and I head out to Outback Steakhouse for a "farewell"
dinner with much merriment and sallies of wit. I have an early flight tomorrow,
so off to my hotel for some shuteye.
Monday, April 14
Arising at 3:30am, I'm out the door at 4:45...but my route to the rental car
return is blocked. By a TRAIN! I wind up getting on the Interstate and driving
around, finally seeing a sign for the airport.
I exit and...the route to the rental return is now blocked by three large semi
trucks across the entire road. What is this? I retrace my steps and somehow,
someway, find an inconspicuous, unsigned, alternate entrance...with SPIKES in
the road. They appear to be facing AWAY from me, so I take a chance and make it
in -- without slicing up my tires. I think I've had quite enough of Cleveland
Airport, thank you very much.
Anyway. I'll spare you the return trip home, as it was pretty much a rehash of
Friday's arduous journey.
Many thanks to Ben, Steve, Mike, Jon, Bill, and everyone else at Midwest Railway
Preservation Society who showed me such a good time. Long live the spirit of the
old Great Northern!
THE END
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