Wooden pilings from the old trestle
A story I've told many times now is how I became interested in trains. Well, I always was interested in trains, what with growing up in Ravenna, Ohio near two busy mainlines and experiencing model trains around the Christmas tree each year, but what REALLY got me into the hobby most of all was a random walk my parents and I took to an abandoned railroad bridge in Kent, Ohio sometime in the late 1990s. I didn't think much of it (though I now wish I had and can kick myself for not having my parents hastily return to the site for photographs) until a return walk in the very early 2000s that revealed that the trestle had been removed. This prompted me to study up on the area in maps, which then led to my interest in the railroads themselves. The interest in the hobby grew from there.
I've returned to this former site of the bridge off and on throughout the past 15 years or so just for the nostalgia and curiosity. I've also been on a hunt for photos of this bridge for most of my life but haven't succeeded whatsoever. This was a bridge that existed on the former B&O-WLE interchange track in Kent, Ohio, a track removed from service in the 1970s and pulled up in the early 1990s. The bridge remained in tact until the very early 2000s, as mentioned earlier. It wasn't until recently that I discovered that the wooden pilings from the bridge were STILL laying over in the weeds, rotting away. I've made sure to get plenty of photos, as seen here. I even took a few small pieces in the past to keep as souvenirs.
My memory of the trestle is incredibly foggy but I seem to recall it being a steel bridge with wooden pilings beneath. However, I've had conflicting reports tell me that the bridge was an entirely wooden structure. Whatever the case may be, I just hope I find photos sooner than later.
Wooden pilings from the old trestle
A story I've told many times now is how I became interested in trains. Well, I always was interested in trains, what with growing up in Ravenna, Ohio near two busy mainlines and experiencing model trains around the Christmas tree each year, but what REALLY got me into the hobby most of all was a random walk my parents and I took to an abandoned railroad bridge in Kent, Ohio sometime in the late 1990s. I didn't think much of it (though I now wish I had and can kick myself for not having my parents hastily return to the site for photographs) until a return walk in the very early 2000s that revealed that the trestle had been removed. This prompted me to study up on the area in maps, which then led to my interest in the railroads themselves. The interest in the hobby grew from there.
I've returned to this former site of the bridge off and on throughout the past 15 years or so just for the nostalgia and curiosity. I've also been on a hunt for photos of this bridge for most of my life but haven't succeeded whatsoever. This was a bridge that existed on the former B&O-WLE interchange track in Kent, Ohio, a track removed from service in the 1970s and pulled up in the early 1990s. The bridge remained in tact until the very early 2000s, as mentioned earlier. It wasn't until recently that I discovered that the wooden pilings from the bridge were STILL laying over in the weeds, rotting away. I've made sure to get plenty of photos, as seen here. I even took a few small pieces in the past to keep as souvenirs.
My memory of the trestle is incredibly foggy but I seem to recall it being a steel bridge with wooden pilings beneath. However, I've had conflicting reports tell me that the bridge was an entirely wooden structure. Whatever the case may be, I just hope I find photos sooner than later.