OD and NP Towers

In 1967 George Elwood photographed the two towers that controlled rail traffic in Ashtabula, Ohio from well before World War II, OD and NP Towers. Today, both are gone. OD was operated by the New York Central and through its interlocking controlled east-west and north-south crossing traffic of the PRR on its P.Y.&A. (Pittsburgh Youngstown and Ashtabula) branch and the NYC on its Youngstown branch. East-west NYC water level traffic always took preference. About a mile or so south, another railroad, the Nickel Plate and later the Norfolk & Western (today's NS) paralleled the NYC toward Cleveland. NP Tower and its interlocking controlled the PRR (P.Y.&A.) and NYC (Youngstown Branch) crossovers. As with the NYC east-west main, Nickel Plate traffic always came first.

Ashtabula, OH OD Tower 12/27/1990

East bound Conrail 6626 (C36-7) and CR 6821  (SD-50) pulling a train of empty hopper cars swing north toward Ashtabula Harbor, Ohio on a wintery late December day.  In the foreground is the Youngstown Branch crossing the Conrail mainline beside the spot where OD Tower once stood before it burned down years before. 

Ashtabula, OH OD Tower 12/27/1990

An east bound 2 unit mixed freight moves toward Conrail's Youngstown Branch crossing and the bridge over the Ashtabula River on a cold December day.  CR 6713 (SD50) and CR 6370 (SD40-2).

Ashtabula, OH OD Tower 12/27/1990

An east bound Conrail 2 unit mixed freight pulling many auto racks heads toward Ashtabula Station on a wintery December day in late 1990.  CR 6805 (SD 50) and CR 6748 (SD 50).

Ashtabula, OH OD Tower 12/27/1990

A Conrail 2 unit "pig train" on Track # 1 heads east bound under the  5th St. Bridge and towards the Youngstown Branch and old Ashtabula Station.                   CR3348 (GP40-2) and CR8258 (GP38-2).

Dunkirk, OH 12/01/1990

A south bound Conrail mixed freight with 114 cars on the old New York Central Toledo Branch heads towards Kenton, Marysville and then Columbus.  The train is about to cross the east-west tracks of the former Pennsylvania Rail Road Crestline to Lima Branch.                 CR6830 (SD50) in the lead.

more Conrail in Marion, OH

11/17/90  A morning east bound 3 unit "pig train", TV-4 rolls past former Erie-Lackawana AC Tower, also a landmark in Marion on Conrail, Norfolk & Western and earlier the Pennsylvania Rail Road.  Today AC Tower serves the CSX and N-S railroads, and is a nationally recognized railfan "hot-spot".                                CR5074 (B40-8), CR3355 (GP40-2) & CR5035 (B36-7).

Conrail in Marion, OH

8/26/90  A Conrail 2 local freight with 20 cars backing slowly into Marion Yard (ex Erie Lackawana).  CR8164 (GP38-2) and CR8160 (GP38-2).

Consolidated Rail Corporation

12/27/1990  Conrail 5071 (B40-8) leads a three unit "pig train" east and about to cross Conrail's Youngstown Branch  in Ashtabula, Ohio on the former New York Central Cleveland-Buffalo mainline (the "water level route").  Conrail was a creation of Congress and offically came into being in 1974 and started operations on April 1, 1976.  Its purpose was to provide rail service to the Northeast and Midwestern portions of the United States on lines previously owned and operated by the Penn-Central Transportation Company (the merged Pennsylvania and New York Central railroads), and the former Erie-Lackawana and several other smaller lines, all of whom were either bankrupt or in very serious financial trouble.   Conrail successfully and profitably operated until its stockholders agreed to sell and split the railroad with 58% going to the Norfolk Southern and 42% going to CSX which started operations on Conrail trackage on June 1, 1999.

Ashtabula Harbor, July 7, 1957 - The New York Central Side

In this photo by Bob Rathke, you can see what the bigger New York Central Harbor Yard looked like on the east side of the Ashtabula River.  The picture shows several GP-7s (the standard NYC diesel yard engine in Ashtabula during the mid-50s and 1960s) and the size of the yard  in general.  It was at least three times the capacity of the Pennsy side.  Picture is looking north with Lake Erie off in the distance.  I, like my father, his brother and my grandfather all worked in this yard , on this side of the river.  My grandfather and my uncle because they were New York Central men, Dad and I (and later my brother) because we were brought over as Penn-Central employees when the Pennsylvania and New York Central merged in 1968.

As on the Pennsy side, coal was shipped to Ashtabula Harbor and the Central coal docks from Youngstown, Ohio and the P. & L.E. R.R. (the farthest south NYC trains could travel out of the Harbor).  Like the Pennsy, emptied coal cars were used to take iron ore (brought in by lake freighters) from the Central's several ore docks back down to Youngstown via Carson Yard ( up the "hill" and southeast of Ashtabula), and the New York Central Youngstown Branch.  This all terminated at the P. & L.E.'s Gateway Yard in Youngstown.

After the Penn-Central merger, it was obvious that there was not a need for parallel track lines ending in Youngstown from Ashtabula, both mainly hauling iron ore and coal.  Unlike the Pennsylvania Rail Road, the New York Central maintained and upgraded its Youngstown Branch, and in 1975, with the coming of Conrail, the Pennsy P.Y.& A. branch was  abandoned in favor of the Youngstown Branch which lives today under the flag of the Norfolk-Southern as the "Youngstown Line".  In the hearts of old "P - Company" men, such as myself, the P.Y. & A. will live on.