Mitchel Avenue. Cincinnati is home to Queensgate Yard, a large CSX yard along the northern shore of the Ohio River. The best place I've found to railfan in the Cincinnati area is just off Mitchel Avenue. This location is north of Queensgate Yard probably two miles.
Take the Mitchel Avenue exit off I-75 and go west to the Kenard Avenue (about 1/4 mile) and turn left at the traffic light. You'll drive by a Kroger Store and a strip shopping center. Take Kenard Avenue to its end (about 1/2 mile) into Clifton Avenue. Make a left turn and immediately a right turn onto a dirt road. Take this road up a high and you'll come out into an area where both CSX and NS mainlines will be seen. Although you travel over CSX property to get to this point, I have been told that both the railroad and the Cincinnati police will not bother you IF you stay to the left or east of the tracks. I've been there several times, both day and night, and have found the place to be very safe and quite busy with both CSX and NS traffic.
See my Cincinnati pictures under "Photos," then "Ohio" and finally, Cincinnati to see pictures of visits to this nice spot.
Tower A at Cincinnati Union Terminal. From Tower A at the Cincinnati Union Terminal, you can view the operations of both Queensgate Yard (CSX) and the adjacent Gest Yard (NS). There is always something going on!
At the time it opened in 1933, the Cincinnati Union Terminal was served by seven railroads: the Baltimore & Ohio, the Chesapeake & Ohio, the Louisville & Nashville, the Norfolk & Western, the New York Central, the Pennsylvania and the Southern. Two hundred sixteen trains entered or departed the terminal a day. The movement of these trains to and from the mainlines, through the track throats, and along the platforms was controlled from Tower A. Tower A was somewhat similar to the control tower of one of today’s airports. The track switches were actuated by electro-pneumatic machines. Each track switch was shifted between it various positions by compressed air through valves which were energized by electric signals from Tower A. Throwing of the track switches, to guide the trains, was accomplished by means of a large interlocking machine located on the top floor of Tower A. The interlocking machine, as installed, had 187 working levers, by which lever men could align the switches down below. This enabled the train director, sitting at his desk, to determine the path of travel of each train through the terminal, and at which platform it would take on and discharge it’s passengers. As built, the machine had a capacity for 231 operating levers, and additional operating levers were added over the years.
During World War II, Cincinnati Union Terminal experienced unprecedented success. As a major transfer point for soldiers, the station served as many as 20,000 passengers a day. But in the 1950s, the sudden expansion of interstates and airlines led to the rapid decline of the railroad industry. By the early 1970s, only two passenger trains a day passed through Union Terminal, and in 1972, passenger train service was discontinued. In 1975, the City of Cincinnati bought the terminal and ran advertisements in the Wall Street Journal, which read, "World-famous Cincinnati Union Terminal for lease-$1 per year." In 1980, a Columbus developer converted the terminal into a shopping mall.
The recession of the early 1980s caused the project to fail. During the mid-1980s, the administrators of the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History and the Cincinnati Historical Society developed plans for a joint museum project. The spaciousness of Union Terminal, coupled with its history and design, made it the top choice as a location for the project. In 1986, Hamilton County voters approved a $33 million bond issue for the restoration of the terminal. The State of Ohio and the City of Cincinnati also contributed to the restoration with grants of $8 million and $3 million, respectively. In addition, more that 3,000 Cincinnati individuals, corporations and foundations also contributed to the building's renovation. In November 1990, the Cincinnati Union Terminal reopened as the Cincinnati Museum Center, an educational and cultural complex featuring the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History, the Cincinnati Historical Society Museum and Library,the Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX Theater and Tower A. On July 29, 1991, Amtrak passenger train service was officially restored to the terminal.
Restoration of the abandoned tower began in 1989 by the Cincinnati Railroad Club (CRRC). This club had been meeting at the Cincinnati Union Terminal since 1938 and was the longest and last tenant of the terminal. The tower was a shambles, having been deserted for 17 years. Windows were broken, ceilings and walls had suffered considerable water damage, all water, bathroom and electrical facilities had been disconnected and sealed off. The floors were also in deplorable shape, with numerous dangerous holes extending through to the level below. The Cincinnati Railroad Club worked tirelessly to retore the tower, as much as possible, to its original appearance.
Tower A is open every Saturday and Sunday, free of charge, from noon until until 4 PM. There is always a member of the Cincinnati Railroad Club present to answer questions. Tower A is a wonderful place to visit and the CRRC members are more than willing to anwers questions and make your visit very enjoyable. The CRRC maintains a very nice and extensive railroad library, which is available to visitors for research purposes. Many writers of articles and books have taken advantage of this wonderful library and the kind hospitality of the CRRC.
See my Cincinnati pictures under "Photos," then "Ohio" and finally, Cincinnati to see pictures of a recent visit to Tower A October 25, 2008.