my C&O

Book Signing - Clifton Forge - C&OHS C&O Heritage Railfest

by Fuchs on 05/06/13

May 11 is the 5th Annual C&O Railway Heritage Festival at the Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society grounds at part of the old Clifton Forge, VA terminal. Steve Fuchs will be available to sign "my C&O" books, and offer a reduced show price.

This event is part of a larger cultural fest at Clifton Forge celebrated all that day. See http://cohs.org/calendar.shtml or search on http://cliftonforgemainstreet.org for more information.

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C&O Railroad signal changes on the Northern Sub

by Fuchs on 12/06/12

This year didn't provide too many chances to photograph trains during the fall of the stately C&O signals on the Northern sub, as the railroad was largely under a daytime work curfew. A recent trip down south to enjoy fall foliage resulted in a couple photos.

T909-19 heads west on an early Sunday morning at Vauces, OH with 121 loads of coal for a northern Indiana steel mill, splitting old and new signal masts in the fog.

At Powell Street (west end of RJ Cabin) on the Russell sub, Q313-21 leaves Russell, KY under what is perhaps the last of the old 3-track C&O signal bridges. When signal work proceeded west from Russell onto the Northern sub last year, work bypassed this interlocking at the west end of the yard.

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Presentations Available

by Fuchs on 08/12/12

Steve and Rick had a busy week presenting for The CSX Historical Society and The Cincinnati Railroad Club. Yesterday, they were busy signing books during Summerail at Cincinnati Union Terminal. It was great to visit with fellow railroad enthusiasts.

If your group or organization would like a slide show presentation on the development of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad and how it continues to operate today under CSX, conatact us at cno@stalbanmedia.com.

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Marion Union Station

by Fuchs on 06/27/12

As I’ve mentioned before, railfanning has been fun for the whole family. We’ve had our share of turn-arounds and pull-offs to catch a train picture (or trying to catch a picture). Publishing “my C&O” has given us another great experience, though we also had some fits and starts while looking for a printer. Turns out, C&O blue isn’t an easy color to render with four colors. At one point we had received so many off-color proofs, my three-year-old pointed to a UPS truck and said, “There’s the people that keep bringing us the wrong-colored train pictures.” We are pleased to have found O'Neil Printing in Pheonix who cared as much as we did about getting the color right!

One place we really enjoy visiting is the restored station in Marion, OH. Surrounded on three sides by tracks, there is nearly always something happening and friendly railfans about. Information about Marion Union Station Association is on their Facebook page. One can become a member for as little as $10 a year. The May 2012 issue of Railpace Newsmagazine ( railpace.com ) has a feature on Marion’s AC Tower and a railfanning map.

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Rail Fanning in the northern New River Gorge

by Fuchs on 05/16/12

One of the most enjoyable aspects of writing “my C&O” was visiting the New River Gorge. From our 4-bedroom cabin at Babcock State Park, we ventured to watch trains at Prince, Thurmond, Anstead, and Hawks Nest. Prince has a station and tracks just steps from the parking lot. Our family favorite is the scenic overlook at Hawks Nest - beautiful views (and restrooms just across the road!) No visit to Hawks Nest would be complete without a stop at Tudor Biscuit in Anstead. Another family outing was the winding road that took us to the “scary bridge” into Thurmond. The Park Service operates a museum inside the old station. In Thurmond, you can also walk over to watch white water rafters float along the New River.

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Rail Fanning in the southern New River Gorge

by Fuchs on 05/16/12

To rail fan the southern part of the gorge (Meadow Creek, Sandstone, Hinton, Talcott), we stayed in a 3-bedroom cabin at Bluestone State Park - about 15-20 minutes from Hinton. At Talcott, the John Henry Overlook Park was a pull-off with a statue of John Henry and a caboose. One disappointment for our family was a park Steve thought we might enjoy while he went off on his own to get a few photographs. Although the sign was large enough, when we drove up the driveway there was a small swing set - the kind you see for sale outside a discount store this time of year. Disappointed about the “park” we settled into the picnic shelter to enjoy lunch. Along came the riding lawn mower for the first mow of the season blowing leaves and dirt over our picnic. Overall, train photography has been a great family-friendly hobby and now publishing and selling Steve’s first book using part of the results has been a rewarding experience.

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New Signals

by Fuchs on 04/12/12

The weather this March has been beautiful. The above picture of an eastbound grain train was taken in Montgomery, West Virginia on April 3rd, 2012 when Steve and Rick journeyed to West Virginia for some railfanning. Signal work is progressing east on the New River Sub with new signals in place alongside the old through Kanawha Falls. Perhaps, someday, future railfans will be as fond of the new SafeTrans signals as we are of the C&O-era Union Switch & Signal Color Lights, but right now it is sad to see the transition.

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Comments on my C&O

by Fuchs on 02/23/12

Thanks to Tom Dixon for his review of my C&O in the latest Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society Newsletter. "If you would like a book of great photos from the CSX era along the former mainlines in Ohio and West Virginia there could hardly be a better book. -It certainly deserves to be in any C&O fan's library. I recommend it, and congratulate the author/publisher for a fine job." COHS members receive a discount on my C&O at chessieshop.

We appreciate the positive comments on Trainorders.com under the Eastern Railroad Discussion forum. "Great book that Rick and Steve can be proud of."

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C&O Signals

by Fuchs on 02/16/12

We've added a new page to the website, C&O Signals. I must confess to doing some eye rolling when Steve "needed" to go take a train picture because the railroad would soon replace its signals. I would think, " Who really cares?" Well, now I find myself caring because those signals really were beautiful. I am thankful that Steve was able to capture several striking images of the C&O signals and record part of their unique place in the history of the railroad. And now I try to be more understanding when he grabs the camera bag and heads out to catch a train.

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A small world...

by Fuchs on 01/29/12

Last night Steve and I had the pleasure of meeting Ann and Don Hutzel, the parents of a friend of mine. It turns out that Ann's father, Dr. William E. Mishler, was Chief Surgeon for the Erie Railroad and also good friends with Cyrus Eaton and Walter Tuohy of the C&O. These families bought neighboring farmland near Cleveland, Ohio. Ann went on a number of office car trips with her father and was also the Tuohy's guest at C&O's Greenbrier Resort at White Sulphur Springs, WV.

Meanwhile, Don Hutzel met Cyrus Eaton while taking part in shorthorn show cattle transactions as a Penn State University student. After graduation, Don managed Cyrus Eaton's Ohio show cattle farm, Acadia, and in his words "wound up marrying the girl next door." Don reported to Mr. Eaton when he visited Acadia, and among other travels with the show stock also visited the Pugwash farm in Canada, site of the international peace meetings. Today, Don is president of the Canal Society of Ohio.

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