RAILFAN GUIDES of the U.S.
Todd's Railfan
and Signal Guide to
BEREA OH
In General
How to Get Here
Maps
the Tower
the Depot
Trains
the Signals
Front
St, Before and After
Floobydust
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RAILROAD SIGNALS HOME
The photo at the top of the page is what every Berea goer strives to capture.... Two eastbound freights at speed, one on CSX, and one on the Norfolk Southern.... Many wait years to get this shot, I was lucky to get mine on my second visit after about 20 minutes of waiting. 8APR2001... the rest of the photos are from 19SEP2007 unless noted.
Berea is also as much about signals as it is of trains. Because of the interlocking, signals are all over the place. On the far side of the tower from where most pictures are taken, old New York Central "tri-light" style color-light signals were recently replaced by Norfolk Southern.
With the opening of the new Front Street overpass, it gives the railfan a new perspective to shoot from, although because of the distance involved from one track to the other, you'll have to be an excellent sprinter to go between NS and CSX trains if they're coming at you fast.... take a friend and share the photos! :-)
Once in the Cleveland area, perhaps the easiest way to get here is off of I-71, exit 235, Bagley St. Take Bagley St west to Front St and take a right. Hang a left onto Depot St before you go over the tracks on the "new" overpass.
If you're coming to Berea from the downtown area, or off I-480, it's probably quicker to take the Berea Freeway, 237, south past the airport, and then take a left onto Front St, crossing the tracks on the overpass and taking an immediate right onto Depot St. The Norfolk Southern tracks will be on your left as you're southbound on 237.
For those of you who enjoy taking transit and/or the bus, the #86 comes right by here, altho it is a local Berea bus. It connects with the Red #66 (airport) rail line at the West Park and Brookpark stations.
As you get to the traffic light at the bottom of the overpass, take a right onto
Depot St
More RTA info at: http://www.riderta.com/
The above map comes from Google maps
A few shots of BE Tower
Monday 10/3/2011
Overhead shot of the tower and station area.
BE tower, and the two signals that are slated for replaced.
A shot of the tower and station.
Another good place for pictures is at the end of this
warehouse type building, a half mile down Depot St.
A couple of nice bridges just a little past Rocky River Dr,
not sure if there are any good vantage points for them.
The Berea Depot was a great place to eat. Due to the construction of the overpass, it closed and has not re-opened.
9/19/2007
10/3/2011
An Eastbound CSX Freight
An Eastbound NS Freight... just got done passing BE Tower
Another eastbound NS Freight, nicknamed the John Deere Freight
Another eastbound NS Freight
Westbound CSX freight at Front. 4OCT2004
Two passing CSX freights at the station. Also 4OCT2004
Waiting and waiting and waiting pays off with this
"colorful" NS Freight with BNSF engines
From 7/27/2009, the week of the big Owosso 4449 weekend....
On a rainy Monday morning Oct 3rd, 2011
Most of the signals at Berea used to be US&S color lights arranged in a triangular fashion, some fans call them tri-lights because of this arrangement, but signal maintainers just call them color light signals.
I believe in 2010, many of the older signals were replaced with new colorlight signals by NS. The signals replaced were at locations 1 and 2, the bracket post and the cantilever signal bridge. Maintainers had said that the poles were in such bad shape, that they were afraid to climb up on the signals.
1
Before
This signal was replaced along with the one below, both sets of signals are now on one cantilever signal bridge
2
Before
In the middle
The new signal bridge is in place, but at 90 degrees, waiting
for the cutover 7/27/2009
After
10/3/2011
3
4
5
6
7
9/19/2007
10/3/2011
8
9
Front Street, Before and After
Before
CSX Grade Crossing, looking northish on Front all of these before
shots, 9/19/2007
NS Grade Crossing, looking northish on Front
Both Grade Crossings, looking south on Front
During construction
One of the new piers has been poured 7/27/2009
After
9/19/2007
10/3/2011 RTA buses zooming by.
New signal and bases ready and waiting to be installed
Equipment cabinets for the signals
The Dave McKay Memorial
Three head signal for westbound CSX freights on Track 1. The bottom head, in contrast to all of the other signals at this locale, appears to have only two aspects and is not a "tri-light" with one position blanked out.
NEW 9/30/2007
Last Modified on
07-Mar-2012