Over-View
Fostoria is probably the busiest location for train activity east of the Mississippi River. This
small town is approximately 40 miles south of Toledo and 90 miles north of Columbus. The city is named
for
Charles Foster, the 35th Governor of Ohio and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under President Benjamin
Harrison.
Fostoria is known for its glass heritage and railroading: two CSX main lines (former B&O lines), two
other
CSX mainlines (former C&O) and two NS main line intersect in downtown Fostoria, an area called the Iron
Triangle.
History of Railroading in Fostoria
Railroad history in Fostoria is interesting.* First to arrive was the Lake Erie and
Western
Railroad in
the 1850s. This railroad ran from Fremont and later west to Indiana. It was taken over by the
New
York Central in 1899 and then by the Nickel Plate Railroad in 1922.
The Columbus and Toledo next came through Fostoria in 1872 and in 1981, became the Toledo and
Central Ohio
Railroad (known as the T&CO; I have pictures of the old railroad station in Columbus in the
Photos
section under Columbus). This line was taken over by the New York Central Railroad.
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad arrive in Fostoria in 1873 laying tracks in an east-west
direction, which are
still used today and are still referred to as the B&O.
In the 1880s, the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, which became the Nickel Plate
Railroad, came to
Fostoria and Fostoria has assumed the appearance of a spider web of steel.
One of the last railroads to come into Fostoria was the Mansfield, Coldwater and Lake Michigan
Railroad, which
paralleled the B&O tracks.
Interurban lines arrived in Fostoria around 1900 and ran until around 1930. The Toledo,
Findlay and
Fostoria Railway Company ran between these cities. This company purchased the Tiffin, Fostoria and
Eastern
Railway Company, which opened an interurban line to Tiffin and Fremont.
The interurban lines faded and the railroads consolidated with the remaining railroads
being
the C&O,
B&O, Nickel Plate and New York Central. The C&O and B&O merged and in 1968, acquired the
Western Maryland Railway, to become the Chessie System. This company became CSX as the Seaboard Coast
Line
was also acquired.
The New York Central consolidated with the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1968, forming the Penn
Central
Railroad. With the failure of this financially troubled railroad, in 1976 the government took control
and
merged the Penn Central (with several other short lines) in the Consolidated Rail Corporation,
or Conrail. However in August 1998, after a tough bidding war which required the
intervention of
the Department of Transportation, Conrail was acquired by both CSX (receiving 42%) and Norfolk Southern
(receiving 58%) railroads. In 1964 the Nickel Plate was acquired
by N&W. Finally, N&W merged with the very successful Southern Railway and became Norfolk
& Southern. Today, CSX and NS are the only two remaining railroads that run through Fostoria,
although
Wheeling & Lake Erie (twice a day) use the CSX tracks. (As an aside, if you have more interest in
Conrail and its break-up, read the very well written book, Men Who Loved Trains by Rush Loving,
published by Indiana University Press, 2006.).
*Much of this historial information came from the excellent book, Fostoria's History in
The
Making, by
Larry Huffman. It was published by Review Times of Fostoria in 2005.
Today
As featured in the October 2001 issue of Trains Magazine (Winters JB: Fostoria, Ohio: A Steel
Triangle Where
Quiet Moments are Few and Far Between. Trains Magazine October 2001), Fostoria is one of the nation's
busiest
train junctions with over 100 trains every day. Actually, I've done a little on-the-spot research concerning
train numbers in Fostoria. Three to four years ago, as many as 135 to 140 trains a day would pass through
this
busy rail town. Now, as recent as August 31, 2008, the average is 107 trains per day.
Running on a northeast-southwest alignment is Norfolk Southern's Fostoria District between Bellevue, Ohio,
and
Fort Wayne, Indiana, originally part of Nickel Plate's main line to Chicago. Local yards can be found on
either
side of the city. North of town at the Fostoria Mixing Center, motor vehicles are brought in by train from
assembly plants and sorted by destination, in much the same way that a trucking warehouse sorts packages.
Double
track extends from Fostoria (east of town at the Mixing Center) to Arcadia, six miles west, where the Lima
District branches off to reach Findlay and Lima.
CSX's double-track Willard Subdivision, once part of Baltimore & Ohio's main line, runs East-West through
Fostoria, and is the railroad's main artery for traffic moving between Chicago and the Northeast. This
includes
business originating on former Conrail lines serving Boston, New York City, northern New Jersey, and upstate
New
York, as well as traffic on the traditional B&O route from Philadelphia, Baltimore, Cumberland, and
Pittsburgh.
The North-South Columbus Subdivision acts as a steel and coal conveyor belt for northward-moving coal from
Kentucky and West Virginia, and is the gateway for automotive, grain, and merchandise freight trains serving
Toledo, Detroit, and other points in Michigan.
North of Fostoria, the line is double-track to a control point outside Walbridge yard near
Toledo.
South of
Fostoria, stretches of single and double track alternate to Columbus. Four wye tracks connect the
B&O/C&O diamond, which allows trains to head in any direction on either line. A significant number
of
the CSX trains through Fostoria do change routes.
Fostoria Rail Park
Federal "transportation enhancement" funds have been awarded to Fostoria and will provide more than $800,000
toward converting an abandoned factory site in the city into a park where railfans may watch trains. The
$815,760 grant for the Fostoria Iron Triangle Visitors' Center gives Fostoria a green light to plan for a
viewing platform, restrooms, parking lots, and landscaping on the five-acre site bound primarily by three
main
railroad lines that pass through, and intersect in, the city. The city must provide 20 percent of the
project's
cost, or about $204,000 to match the entire grant by the end of 2010. Currently, some of the old bone yard,
or
junk yard, which is the site of the rail park, has been cleared, but little else has been started.
If you have any ideas on how we might raise approximately $185,000, please leave your thoughts on the "Forum"
section of this web page and they'll be passed on to the Fostoria Rail Preservation Society.
Number of Trains per Day
How many trains might one expect to see in Fostoria? I've observed and counted trains since 2003, but only
have
records from 2006 through August 31, 2008. In 2003 through perhaps 2005, it was common to see as many as 135
to
140 trains in a 24-hour period in Fostoria. The numbers have been declining in the last couple of years and
as
of August 31, 2008, the average number of trains through Fostoria is 107 per a 24-hour period. This includes
all
traffic . . . the old B&O, the old C&O (both now CSX) and the old Nickel Plate (now, NS) and locals.
Obviously, this number may vary based upon the day of the week, extra trains, derailments and equipment
problems
and weather.
Why the decline in rail traffic in the last couple of years? I think I've observed two factors. First, some
regular trains have been eliminated or re-routed and second, trains are much longer than in the past. In
2003
through 2005 or so, an average train may have been 6,000 to 8,000 feet long. Today, it seems that a train of
8,500 is common and many are as long as 10,000 or 11,000 feet. We've seen a few as long as 13,000 feet and
in
July we had one pass that was actually over 15,000 feet long!
The breakdown of trains that I have personally observed (and recorded) since January 2006
through
August 31,
2008 (10,196 trains) is as follows:
CSX: 66.94%
NS: 20.04%
BNSF: 6.95%
UP: 5.17%
W&LE: 0.56%
CN: 0.32%
Of the near 67% of CSX trains seen in Fostoria, I would estimate that no more than 15% are seen exclusively
on
the C&O lines, which run between Columbus and Toledo.
Best Time to See Trains
What are the most likely times you'll see trains in Fostoria? A good friend of mine and fellow
ferroequinologst,
Steve Harvey (not to mention a brilliant IT geek for a major bank and a volunteer on the Ohio Central
Railroad)
suggested that I post a graph of actual times that trains are seen. My initial data show that the best times
to
see trains are:
Best Times (in order) Percentage of Trains (per 24-hour period)
5:30 pm to 1:00 am 43%
3:00 am to 4:30 am 25%
6:00 am to 8:30 am 20%
10:00 am to noon 5%
1:00 pm to 4:00 pm 7%
These numbers will certainly change, based upon delays, mechanical problems, weather disruptions, etc.
However,
they are pretty accurate. Again, as with frequency of trains, times can vary greatly. One thing is for sure:
unless there are major equipment problems, you WILL see trains in Fostoria. The C&O lines are busier
during
the nighttime hours as are the NS lines. Once you've visited Fostoria, you will be spoiled concerning
railfanning any other place, especially in the eastern US.
The very best nights to view trains in Fostoria are Thursday, Friday and Saturday, although every other
night of
the week are excellent as well, which includes Sunday.
Best Places to See Trains
Personally, I think the best place to view all the action in Fostoria is at the tracks at Poplar Street (see
diagram in Photo Gallery). The parking lot of the depot is nice, too, but you can't see the C&O lines
from
that location. Another great place and future site of the Rail Park is at the NS tracks on Columbus
Avenue
(see diagram). Yeet a third good place is in the parking lot just east off Columbus Avenue and north
of
the CSX mainline tracks. Here you can see all CSX movement, C&O trains and trains that transfer
from
C&O to B&O and proceed east towards Willard. You can't see NS trains here, however.
A final nice place to see and photograph trains is the new over-pass east on Tiffin
Street. If you
turn east on Tiffin Street off of County Line (Rt 23 and Rt 199) at the Seven-11 store, go a few blocks
and
you'l come upon the new over-pass, just past Adams Street (where trains are often held by the dispatcher
before
being given permission to proceed through town). The City of Fostoria was kind enough to put a
few openings in the fence so that we can take pictures. Park in the park that's
east-northeast
of the over-pass. You can only see the CSX mainlines, but that where most of the traffic is
anyway. The over-pass is good for pictures taken towards the west in the mornings and towards the
east in the late afternoons and evenings.
Safety in Fostoria
I have heard all types of rumors and read various falacious posts on the Internet. Fostoria is a very safe
city
in which to watch trains. I have spent many nights all alone in my truck and have never had a problem. The
police patrol the area frequently and are railfan friendly. The town's people are, for the most part, very
nice.
Certainly there are some idiots who make fun and geer at railfans. That's okay. They can laugh as I enjoy
myself, my friends and let the stresses of my life slowly fade away as soon as I hear the first locomotive
horn!
Please keep off the tracks. Most serious railfans never cross the tracks or stand on the tracks, but we
frequently see idiots do such things. Unfortunately, CSX and NS don't know the difference between serious
railfans and causual watchers. We have encountered railroad police only a couple of times and only CSX cops
in
Fortoria. These men have been very nice and friendly and not unreasonable at all. But stay off the tracks so
that they don't have to be called, which gives all railfans a bad reputation.
Food in Fostoria
There are many national chain restaurants in Fostoria, most along Countyline Road (Rt 23/199) through town.
You
can also get an excellent pizza delivered to your vehicle (we do all the time) from Marcos Pizza (
419-435-1500). Just call and tell them where you're located (e.g., at the old Amtrak station or at Poplar
Street
and the railroad) and be sure to ask for their daily specials. Within 30 minutes or so, you'll get an
excellent
pizza. Be sure to tip the delivery guys well as they take very good care of us!
You can also bring a grill, as we do almost weekly, and have a railroad tailgate party. If you need
supplies,
Krogers is just up Main Street (the street that runs by the west side of the Amtrak station) about 1 mile.
Krogers also has a very nicely kept restroom.
If you need a restroom, there is a portable toilet at the site of the future rail park (Columbus Avenue and
the
NS tracks). Also, Krogers has a very nicely kept restroom and McDonalds (on Countyline Road) is pretty nice,
too.
Scanner Frequencies
The railroad scanner frequencies in Fostoria are listed below, thanks to Michael Harvey.
-
CSX Transportation:
CSX Road, former C&O: 160.23000
CSX Road, former C&O: 160.23000
CSX Road, former B&O and Conrail: 160.86000
IE Dispatcher, Toledo Branch Subdivision: 160.86000
Maintenance of Way: 160.78500
nbsp;IP Dispatcher ( Greenwich to Deshler): 161.52000
AR Dispatcher (Hamilton to Toledo): 160.29000
ID Dispatcher Indianapolis Line Subdivision: 160.68000
-
Norfolk Southern Sandusky District (Portsmouth to Sandusky) 161.19000
-
Wheeling & Lake Erie: Road Dispatcher 161.02500
-
Indian & Ohio DT&I and Midland Subdivisions: 161.22000
