Trains of Alliance, Ohio; March 2022 Railfanning Featuring NS 1066 and CP 7015!

Hello everyone! In early March, I ventured out to the small industrial town of Alliance, Ohio. Located in Northeast Ohio, Alliance is about 30 minutes east of the Canton-Akron area and a little over an hour south of Cleveland. Alliance is one of the busiest railfanning hotspot of the Northeast region of Ohio, with upwards of 40-50 Norfolk Southern trains per day on the New York to Chicago mainline for the Class I railroad, featuring a wide variety of trains, most notably intermodal, manifest, and unit trains. Historically, Alliance was the junction of two important rail lines for the mighty Pennsylvania Railroad. Here, the PRR Fort Wayne Line crosses the PRR Cleveland Line. The Fort Wayne Line was the New York to Chicago mainline between Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Fort Wayne, Indiana, and the Cleveland Line was a trunk line that ran between Cleveland and Mingo Junction, Ohio. Norfolk Southern to this day heavily utilizes both Pennsylvania Railroad lines. That said though, most trains take the connection from the Fort Wayne Line up to the Cleveland Line to connect to the Norfolk Southern Chicago Line. With the exception of a handful of local trains and Norfolk Southern trains 170 and 171, most trains only utilize the Cleveland Line north of the junction and the Fort Wayne Line east of the junction; less than 10 trains per day utilize the Cleveland Line heading south and the Fort Wayne Line heading west of Alliance. This railfanning trip was both an interesting and surprising one. Traffic was a bit slower than expected due to maintenance along the Cleveland Line north of Alliance, however Norfolk Southern still ran a satisfactory number of trains during the two days I went railfanning. For my first time here, I was rather pleased with what I got, especially on the second day of railfanning. The second day of railfanning featured what I ultimately came to Alliance for; the chance to see a heritage unit. Luckily, I got two for the price of one on back-to-back trains. Canadian Pacific 7015, one of ten CP units sporting the classic maroon and gray paint scheme, was one of two DPU locomotives on a westbound manifest train out of Conway Yard. CP 7015 took me quite by surprise as I was not aware that a Canadian Pacific heritage unit was operating on Norfolk Southern rails. On the very next train, the New York Central heritage unit, NS 1066, led an eastbound intermodal with the help of a mid-train DPU. This marked the second time in less than six months I caught NS 1066, and the third time total that I've seen it in action. Highly ironic to see the New York Central heritage unit leading a train on Pennsylvania Railroad trackage, but still, I was rather pleased to see it in action. This small town of Alliance, Ohio, is without a doubt a great railfanning location. The main viewing area in proximity of the junction provides a great sightline for all the trains heading east and west on the Norfolk Southern mainline. Alliance also features a good number of grade crossings in town, most notably one next to a local burger restaurant known as the Burger Hut. The Burger Hut is situated right next to the Cleveland Line just north of the junction with the Fort Wayne Line, and in its own right is a great spot in town to see the bulk of the action. If you're hungry and/or in need of a restroom break, the Burger Hut is the place to go to satisfy your basic needs; food, beverage, and plenty of trains. If you live in the Northeast Ohio region or in the State of Ohio, Alliance is certainly a place you need to railfan at least once. While it may not be the best town and is perhaps a bit run-down, you ought to make the trip to this unique location where the modern trains running on the old Pennsylvania Railroad mainline turn north to Cleveland on their respective journeys from New York to Chicago. Times may have changed, but Alliance still plays a key part and a key location for Norfolk Southern and the railroad industry as a whole. Thanks for watching, I hope you enjoy the video! -N&W475