Finished up with their work in Austintown, OHCR #8712 (GP11) and OHCR #8702 (GP11) are shoving their 6 cars down the hill of the Youngstown and Austintown Branch back towards the CSX New Castle Sub in dwindling evening light. It’s 5:55pm on Thursday March 12, 2020, and the train has just ducked under I-680 and is crossing North Belle Vista Avenue on the west side of Youngstown, Ohio. The two refrigerated boxcars have come from United Freezer and Storage and the four empty flatcars have come from Penn-Ohio Logistics. Its been twelve years since Ohio Central became part of Genesee and Wyoming family, so it’s always great to see a matching set of OC units (and a matching set of GP11s). With the arrival of the first G&W orange unit to Youngstown in late 2018, scenes like this won’t last forever. Also, of note, OHCR #8702 is lettered “Pittsburgh and Ohio Central” on the side and has just recently returned to Youngstown after years of being on the POHC in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. |