Train no. 96

NG501019

Train no. 96

Steam Locomotive

In steam days, the blasting was prodigious whenever eastbound freights got within earshot of Bellefontaine. The sound effects reached their peak as the trains passed BN yard and the main yard office on their way to East yard, at the extreme eastern end of the terminal. Freights approaching town from other directions have their work cut out for them, too, as has been indicated in part by the references to the westbound grade out of Ridgeway (known as "Rush Hill" after the little town of Rushsylvania, located at the toughest part of the climb). Bellefontaine, in fact, is known locally as the "high point", since it is only a few miles west of Campbell Hill, the highest point in the state at 1,550 feet. A fine place for a major railroad terminal! At any rate, the photograph below shows engine 3000 purging her innards as she strains upwards towards the main yard office with 34 cars of no. 96, an Indianapolis-Bellefontaine pickup run. This scene is just the reverse of the one preceding, with the yard office at left, the stock track running into the East yard drill track in the foreground, then the two mains, and finally the BN yard drill track, occupied in the background by the BN switcher.

Jeremy Taylor

Jeremy Taylor

2-1/4x3-1/4 neg

Apr-53

To buy a copy of this photograph; click here NG501019

4/8/2002

294

L-3a

#3000

Alco-Schen

Bellefontaine, OH

See NG501019a