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Connotton Valley Railroad

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The newly formed Connotton Valley railway is owned by Trolleyville General Manager Cliff Perry.  The railroad operates the former Wheeling and Lake Erie Cleveland Mainline from south of the former location of the Harvard Diamonds at Weingold Scrap to Glenwillow, Ohio.  This railroad has belonged to more than a few railroads over the years since it was built by the original narrow gauge Connotton Valley railroad in 1882.  Later on in 1885 it became part of the Cleveland and Canton railroad in 1885 before being standard gauged in 1888 and becoming the Cleveland, Canton, and Southern railroad.  It eventually became part of the original Wheeling and Lake Erie railroad in 1899 before again changing hands to the Nickel Plate railroad in 1949.  From there it followed through the merger of the Nickel Plate into the Norfolk and Western in 1964 and the Norfolk Southern Railroad in 1985 before reverting back to the new Wheeling and Lake Erie and in 2002 became the new Connotton Valley railroad.  At the northern end of the line the railroad continued over the Harvard diamonds to downtown Cleveland, in which capacity it served as the main line into Cleveland of the Nickel Plate, Norfolk and Western, as well as the Wheeling and Lake Erie.  At the southern end of the railroad at Glenwillow the Connotton Valley connect to the current Wheeling and Lake Erie and the Solon branch of the Wheeling and Lake Erie at Solon Junction.  At Glenwillow the Midwest chapter of the National Railway Historical Society is in the process of restoring the original Connotton Valley depot and alongside that depot is the maintenance center of the Connotton Valley in the old Nickel Plate office.  Up the line in Bedford, the home base of the Connotton Valley, besides the Connotton Valley office there is the restored Connotton Valley Bedford depot complete with the semaphore on the roof.  All excursions depart from this point on the square which also hosts the larger building of the Bedford Historical Society.  Currently the railroad hauls gondolas of scrap from Weingold's scrapyard as well as steel coils.  Currently trains on this line range anywhere from 1 to 10 cars consisting solely of gondolas.  Also alongside the line through Bedford the Norfolk Southern Pittsburgh mainline provides numerous railfanning opportunities from through the town of Bedford. Another item of interest to the railfan is the Norfolk Southern intermodal yard next to the Connotton Valley. 

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Temporary engine 2660 with the excursion train at the Bedford depot on December 28, 2002.

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Temporary locomotive Gp-35 2660 on the 2 o'clock train on December 28, 2002.

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One piece of equipment in the Norfolk Southern Intermodal Yard alongside

 

 

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