On October 8th, 2018, CSX signal crews converged on the former Chesapeake & Ohio mainline in northern Ohio to begin removing the classic C&O color light signals from service. By the end of the day, all the signals between W. E. Pemberville and Turnpike were either removed or bagged. The rest of the route to Fostoria is expected to be cut over within the coming weeks, marking the end of an era on what was easily one of the most identifiable and interesting class I mainlines in the midwest. In addition to the signals, original C&O telegraph lines still parallel the tracks all the way to Fostoria and continuing on toward Columbus, brining power to all the signals. It is currently unknown whether CSX plans to continue using it to power the new signals.
CP Turnpike was one of the most unique and most photographed locations on the line. This location lies at the south end of CSX's Walbridge Yard in Walbridge, Ohio, a major automotive terminal where brand new vehicles from Detroit are classified and sent out on trains destined for locations all over the eastern US. When the Ohio Turnpike bridge on which I am standing was built over the tracks, crews had difficulty seeing the signal as they approached this location from the south (railroad east), so the signals were lowed on the masts so that they could be seen from further away, which in turn created a unique looking arrangement on this cantilever with all searchlights.
In this image rack train Q241 rolls under the now removed C&O signals at CP Turnpike as they depart Walbridge with a former Seaboard SD40-2 leading the way.
