| The Gregarious Railfan |
Berea, OH
44017 (population, 19,093)
GPS: N 41.3809, W 81.8546 Google map
Scanner: CSX: 160.485 [25], 160.860 [50], 160.800 [46] and 160.995 [59]; NS: 161.070 [64], 160.980 [58],
160.350 [16], 161.250 [76]
Railroads: CSX Great Lakes Div, Cleveland Short Line Sub, MP 22; Norfolk Southern Dearborn Div, 503600 Sub,
MP 194
Description: Berea, Ohio is located in north central Ohio (a western suburb of Cleveland). Berea has heavy train
traffic on two mains that run parallel at the location. The best train watching is on Railroad St. just west of Front
Street. CSX has a double main closest to Depot St. and NS also has a double main just north of CSX. Between th
CSX and the NS, Berea Tower stills stands, even though it's closed. The trains do move at speed so be very alert and
do not stay too close to the tracks. Just west of The Depot parking lot on the North side of Depot St. is the David
McKay Memorial plaque, honoring a well known local railfan photographer. Preferred railfan parking is on the South
side of Depot St. across from this plaque. Parking is also allowed in the west end of The Berea Union Depot Taverne
lot if you don’t interfere with customers or their parking.
Approximate # trains per 24 hours: 100+; 55 NS, 48 CSX, plus Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited and Capitol
Limited (on NS)
Nearby RR stuff: Mad River and NKP RR Museum in Bellevue, OH, 55 miles west.
Photo opportunities: Wide angle shots of speeding trains or close roster shots from Depot St. East of the Depot on
Front Street, there is an overpass with sidewalks from which there is good viewing with opportunity for elevated
photos; although directly over the tracks there are high chain link fences restricting good photos.
Fast Food: Almost anything can be found along Bagley Street (east or west)
Local Pub and grub: This is the location of The Berea Union Depot Taverne. It serves upscale pub food ($$$) This
Restaurant has a history of opening and closing, and many railfan websites list the Union Depot Taverne as closed, but
as of April of 2015, I found it is open and very good. In Nearby Olmsted Falls, Taqueria Junction is a unique and
surprising Mexican Pub, 8154 Columbia Road, Olmsted Falls, Ohio N 41.37366, W 81.90168
Lodging: Best Western Airport, 16501 Snow Rd, Cleveland N 41.40293, W 81.81445 Other chain hotels are in this
general area of the Cleveland Airport, and numerous others are east, on Bagley near I-71
Personal observations: A fun place to railfan with friendly locals.
Berea, OH Trip Advisor
GPS: N 41.3809, W 81.8546 Google map
Scanner: CSX: 160.485 [25], 160.860 [50], 160.800 [46] and 160.995 [59]; NS: 161.070 [64], 160.980 [58],
160.350 [16], 161.250 [76]
Railroads: CSX Great Lakes Div, Cleveland Short Line Sub, MP 22; Norfolk Southern Dearborn Div, 503600 Sub,
MP 194
Description: Berea, Ohio is located in north central Ohio (a western suburb of Cleveland). Berea has heavy train
traffic on two mains that run parallel at the location. The best train watching is on Railroad St. just west of Front
Street. CSX has a double main closest to Depot St. and NS also has a double main just north of CSX. Between th
CSX and the NS, Berea Tower stills stands, even though it's closed. The trains do move at speed so be very alert and
do not stay too close to the tracks. Just west of The Depot parking lot on the North side of Depot St. is the David
McKay Memorial plaque, honoring a well known local railfan photographer. Preferred railfan parking is on the South
side of Depot St. across from this plaque. Parking is also allowed in the west end of The Berea Union Depot Taverne
lot if you don’t interfere with customers or their parking.
Approximate # trains per 24 hours: 100+; 55 NS, 48 CSX, plus Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited and Capitol
Limited (on NS)
Nearby RR stuff: Mad River and NKP RR Museum in Bellevue, OH, 55 miles west.
Photo opportunities: Wide angle shots of speeding trains or close roster shots from Depot St. East of the Depot on
Front Street, there is an overpass with sidewalks from which there is good viewing with opportunity for elevated
photos; although directly over the tracks there are high chain link fences restricting good photos.
Fast Food: Almost anything can be found along Bagley Street (east or west)
Local Pub and grub: This is the location of The Berea Union Depot Taverne. It serves upscale pub food ($$$) This
Restaurant has a history of opening and closing, and many railfan websites list the Union Depot Taverne as closed, but
as of April of 2015, I found it is open and very good. In Nearby Olmsted Falls, Taqueria Junction is a unique and
surprising Mexican Pub, 8154 Columbia Road, Olmsted Falls, Ohio N 41.37366, W 81.90168
Lodging: Best Western Airport, 16501 Snow Rd, Cleveland N 41.40293, W 81.81445 Other chain hotels are in this
general area of the Cleveland Airport, and numerous others are east, on Bagley near I-71
Personal observations: A fun place to railfan with friendly locals.
Berea, OH Trip Advisor
Map courtesy of Todd Sestero
RAILFAN GUIDES of the U.S.
RAILFAN GUIDES of the U.S.
Map
Links
Todd Sestero's RAILFAN GUIDES of the U.S. Berea Page
Pictures
CSX nearest 2 tracks
NS far 2 tracks
Restaurant
Tower