Nolan Gregory
Shenengo, Pennsylvania
Exactly twenty years ago today, the Canadian National Railroad finalized their acquisition of Great Lakes Transportation and successfully absorbed its shortline subsidiaries, which included the fan favorite Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad. Changes made by the new owner were initially very minimal in the first decade following the purchase, however things quickly took a turn for the worse when a group of Illinois Central SD70s arrived on the property in the Spring of 2015 for the purpose of replacing the aging fleet of SD38s and Tunnel Motors in use at the time.
As the attractive orange EMDs were shipped off to other parts of the CN system, the chances of seeing a once common trio of all Bessemer painted power on an actual road train became increasingly slim. The handful of SD38 units that remained on the property were basically relegated to yard service at Conneaut for years, and the only remaining Tunnel Motor happened to be the 905, a wreck repair which had KCS yellow nose stripes clearly visible through its botched paint job.
Just when it seemed things would never get better, in a bizarre turn of events, BLE 878 mysteriously arrived back on Bessemer property in October of 2019 and was almost immediately set up with the the 867 and 905, the other orange motors being used out of Greenville at the time. The morning of October 9th happened to be the first occurrence in which all three units were used on the railroad's misc job for a Butler turn out of Greenville. The eclectic trio made for a great sight at the first photo location of the day as they banged across the diamond with NS's Meadville Line at XN Tower. This is the beginning of CTC coming out of the shops at Greenville and this line, commonly called the low line, will join with the actual mainline at Kelsey, just a few miles ahead.
Naturally something this nice could never last. Big DP equipped CN SD70M-2s now dominate the taconite trains between Conneaut and North Bessemer. The 878 is now the last orange unit on the property and usually handles mixed freight duties along with the Bessemer stenciled but Missabe painted 862. As frustrating as it is to see that the railroad is a shell of its former self, the fact that it is completely isolated from the rest of the CN system has undoubtedly helped slow the changing process. If a company like Genesee & Wyoming or Watco had taken control of the operation, there is almost no chance it would exist in its current form. Ancient CTC hardware still guides trains of taconite pellets and local freight across the railroad and that same sense of pride and commitment the Bessemer had to the steel industry can still be seen in the small group of railroaders that work on this far corner of the CN system.
Shenengo, Pennsylvania
Exactly twenty years ago today, the Canadian National Railroad finalized their acquisition of Great Lakes Transportation and successfully absorbed its shortline subsidiaries, which included the fan favorite Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad. Changes made by the new owner were initially very minimal in the first decade following the purchase, however things quickly took a turn for the worse when a group of Illinois Central SD70s arrived on the property in the Spring of 2015 for the purpose of replacing the aging fleet of SD38s and Tunnel Motors in use at the time.
As the attractive orange EMDs were shipped off to other parts of the CN system, the chances of seeing a once common trio of all Bessemer painted power on an actual road train became increasingly slim. The handful of SD38 units that remained on the property were basically relegated to yard service at Conneaut for years, and the only remaining Tunnel Motor happened to be the 905, a wreck repair which had KCS yellow nose stripes clearly visible through its botched paint job.
Just when it seemed things would never get better, in a bizarre turn of events, BLE 878 mysteriously arrived back on Bessemer property in October of 2019 and was almost immediately set up with the the 867 and 905, the other orange motors being used out of Greenville at the time. The morning of October 9th happened to be the first occurrence in which all three units were used on the railroad's misc job for a Butler turn out of Greenville. The eclectic trio made for a great sight at the first photo location of the day as they banged across the diamond with NS's Meadville Line at XN Tower. This is the beginning of CTC coming out of the shops at Greenville and this line, commonly called the low line, will join with the actual mainline at Kelsey, just a few miles ahead.
Naturally something this nice could never last. Big DP equipped CN SD70M-2s now dominate the taconite trains between Conneaut and North Bessemer. The 878 is now the last orange unit on the property and usually handles mixed freight duties along with the Bessemer stenciled but Missabe painted 862. As frustrating as it is to see that the railroad is a shell of its former self, the fact that it is completely isolated from the rest of the CN system has undoubtedly helped slow the changing process. If a company like Genesee & Wyoming or Watco had taken control of the operation, there is almost no chance it would exist in its current form. Ancient CTC hardware still guides trains of taconite pellets and local freight across the railroad and that same sense of pride and commitment the Bessemer had to the steel industry can still be seen in the small group of railroaders that work on this far corner of the CN system.