by David E. Baer/photos by the author
The year 2023 started out quite busy for the Youngstown & Southeastern Railroad (YSRR), which operates a 35-mile line between Youngstown, Ohio, and Darlington, Pa. The line is presently operated by Midwest Bluegrass Rail under contract to present owner Columbiana County Port Authority. The trackage was originally the Youngstown & Southern Railway, which operated from 1904 to 1993, including a period as an electric interurban passenger railway between 1907 and 1948. It subsequently was jointly owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie. Railroad Ventures, Inc. bought the line in November 1996, illegally closed it and blocked repairs. The line was out of service for almost five years until the Central Columbiana & Pennsylvania Railway (CQPA) began operations in May 2001 followed by two less-than-two-year periods of operation by Ohio Central Railroad System component Ohio & Pennsylvania Railroad (OHPA). Service under the Youngstown & Southeastern name began in 2006, with Indiana Boxcar Corporation operating the line until 2019, when Midwest Bluegrass Rail took over operation.
When Railpace last looked at the Y&S in the May 2021 edition, the Y&S was moving carloads of construction and demolition (C&D) traffic south from Youngstown to Signal, Ohio, where it is unloaded. In addition, the Y&S was moving brand new SPMX covered hoppers for the new Shell Chemical plant in Potter Township to the south end of the line for storage at Darlington. At that time, the Shell cracker plant was under construction. During Fall 2022 the big news was track work preformed along the line. The Y&S received a grant from the Ohio Rail Development Commission in 2021 for installation of 10,000 new ties, along with ballast and surfacing work, and grade crossing upgrades. Track work was carried out during the last three months of 2022, which improved speeds.
ABOVE: Youngstown & Southeastern reaches the top of the steel hill at Midlothian Boulevard as the line climbs out of the Mahoning Valley. At 10:43 a.m. on Tuesday, February 14, 2023, GP9 222 leads 14 cars south toward McClure Siding in Boardman, where these cars will be placed into storage. Bringing up the rear of the train is GP9 77 in this view from the shoulder of Southern Boulevard. For over two miles between East Florida Avenue in Youngstown and Meadowbrook Avenue in Boardman, the Y&S track runs interurban-style in the median of Southern Boulevard. South of Meadowbrook Avenue and Western Reserve Boulevard in Boardman, Southern Boulevard parallels the Y&S on the west side for another four miles. Fresh ballast marks the tie and surfacing work performed on the Y&S during the fall of 2022.
Indiana Boxcar (IBCX) GP38-2 5152 arrived on the line in October 2022, and was quickly placed into service. The former Norfolk Southern GP38-2 retains its high short hood and is lettered for the Chesapeake & Indiana. It is the first EMD Dash-2 to ever operate on the Y&S.
As the calendar turned to 2023, the Y&S became quite busy, as additional brand-new SPMX covered hoppers arrived for storage. With the new Shell Chemical plant now open, the facility needed a location to store hoppers close by until they are needed at the site. As the Y&S interchanges daily with CSX, which serves the plant, the short line is a convenient location to store cars.
ABOVE: Between Rogers and Signal, Old Route 154 parallels the Y&S line on the north side, providing access to the Rogers Community Auction. Just before the Y&S line arrives at Signal, the Y&S passes over Old Route 154 on a short steel bridge. At 3:19 p.m. on February 13, 2023, IBCX GP38-2 5152 leads GP9Rm 7225 across the span, leading 24 SPMX covered hoppers coming out of storage. Just out of view to the left is the siding switch which leads to the C&D unloading facility which occupies a wye, with the C&D unloading platform on the north leg of the wye. Y&S GP10 8340 is used at the unloading facility to perform switching duties.
Operations
With traffic picking up in January 2023, the Y&S began operating two crews daily. One crew works between Youngstown and Signal, moving loads of construction and demolition debris south to Signal and returning with empty cars. The other crew spends its time switching storage cars in Youngstown as they arrive off NS and CSX.
Both Y&S crews work on weekdays, reporting at 7:00 a.m. in North Lima. One crew will head toward where they had parked their train the day before, and work in either direction between Signal and Youngstown. Most days will find the crew working south between Youngstown and Signal, or from Signal north to Youngstown. The other crew will head to Youngstown and perform any work needed on the north end of the line. During January and early February 2023, the Y&S was keeping a pair of units on north end of the line, allowing the crew more time to do work needed…
Read the rest of this article in the June 2023 issue of Railpace Newsmagazine. Subscribe Today!