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About 1 mile northwest of Disko, Indiana, just inside of Fulton County is a steel bridge that crosses over both mains. This is near the "tri-corners" area of the Fulton, Wabash, and Miami County lines. It's New Years Day 1993 and we are looking westbound on the EL right of way from the bridge, which has since been closed off and barricaded. Where once the scent of diesel exhaust from SDP45s and E8s could be smelt from this bridge, there is now just brush, rocks, and dirt below. Just west of this bridge the two mains began a vertical grade separation. You can just barely make it out in the distance. (46K photo) This is how the bridge looks from the ground. This is facing eastbound and taken 8 years after the above photo. The westbound main is straight ahead while the eastbound main ran to the right of middle span. (56K photo) Taken on 1/2501. NOTE: You can see a photo of this bridge in the 1959 Erie Railroad magazine Marion Second Sub-Division article on George Elwood's EL site. Here is a link to the actual picture which is taken facing west. The bridge looms in the distance. |
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At Fulton County Road 300S this is looking east on the westbound main. This was an interesting location. A bridge crossed over this track (westbound main) and the eastbound main to the south (right side) crossed at ground level. The bridge is gone today and fill dirt has taken its place. A few telegraph poles remain below. About a mile in the distance is the abandoned bridge near the county line shown above. A few years ago you could still see it, but the trees are just too tall now. South of this crossing is a dairy farm which I believe was still in business during EL days. In the Revelation Video "EL West End" there is a shot taken by Paul Geiger from this road showing an eastbound running with a long-hood forward SD45, as well as a maintenance vehicle going west. (51K photo) Taken on 1/25/01. |
Along CR 225S is a fairly tall radio dispatch antenna and control box. You can see the antenna for miles away. This antenna has been silent for more than 25 years. |
Most of the guy wires are still dangling from the antenna mast. Also coax still runs to the control box. Just think how many EL trains were dispatched using this antenna. "EL Marion dispatcher calling NY-100, engine 3607, over..." Imagine hearing this transmission on Erie Lackawanna channel 1, 161.400 MHz, on your scanner today! |
Next to the antenna is a bridge that crossed over the westbound main. This bridge is actually a private driveway. In this view we are standing atop the eastbound main looking east. The lone telegraph pole on the left shows just how much the grades were separated in this area. |
Looking west on the Erie Lackawanna mainline near CR 225S just east of Akron. I took this photo on New Year's Day 1993. The brush is much higher now. This shows the unusual grade separations that the Erie used while crossing Indiana. The westbound main sat down in a 20' or so cut while the eastbound main on the left ran at ground level. This vertical grade separation ran east as far as Laketon. (33K photo) |
A mile west of the above picture is this sad sight. This used to be a bridge across the EL and has been removed. The right-of-way has become a dumping ground over the years. This is looking east and shows the deep cut that the EL mains once ran through east of Akron. |
Looking west from the above location is milepost M157 still standing, buried in a thicket of trees and shrubs. Artifacts like these can only be seen when the foliage is gone. |
The Akron depot sits just east of SR 19. Since this picture was taken, the depot has been repainted into Erie structure colors. The tracks were immediately in front of the depot in this view. |
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The Rochester depot is used for newspaper recycling storage. This is looking east. The depot no longer wears the EL structure red paint. |
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David Safdy
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Greg Lavoie
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