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A Visit To The Iron Triangle Visitors Center & Viewing Area
  Located about 51 miles southwest of Sandusky lies the city of Fostoria, OH, home to the Iron Triangle Visitors Center & Viewing Area. This is a railfan park that is situated in the "Iron Triangle" where three busy mainlines cross each other in the area in what looks like a big triangle. Those being the CSX Willard Sub (Ex-B&O main), the CSX Columbus Sub (Ex-C&O main) and Norfolk Southern's (Ex-Nickel Plate) Buffalo-Chicago line. If there's one thing for certain, it would be that even on a slow day, you will see lots of trains through here!!! Railpace Magazine did an excellent piece on this park and I haven't been to Fostoria since 2005, before this park was built so I knew I needed to see this place for myself! On Sunday morning, November 2nd, I made the one hour drive from Sandusky and unlike the past couple days, the weather this morning was bright and sunny, though cold. Once I arrived at the park, I would spend a total of three hours here and in that time, would see a total of 17 trains, yes, you read correctly, SEVENTEEN TRAINS!!! If you like lots of trains, then this is the place for you! The park also has on-site parking for buses & RV's as well as cars, rest rooms, an observation platform and a vending machine. The address of the park is 499 S. Poplar St. in Fostoria, OH and is open 24 hours a day. Fostoria also has hotels and plenty of restaurants and stores nearby for food and snacks as well. I would spend most of the time with two other railfans, one from Kentucky and one from Illinois while here. Included on this page are photos taken at this excellent railfanning park!!!
CSX GE ES44AH #700 leads this manifest which was turning north onto the Columbus Sub from the Willard Sub. The tower to the right of the train
is F Tower which controls this area under the direction of the CSX IP Dispatcher.
 
CSX Train Q-149 heads west on the Willard Sub with GE C40-8 #7583 leading.
 
Heading north on the Columbus Sub is CSX Intermodal Train L-132 with C40-9W #9004 leading Union Pacific EMD SD70M #4629.
 
CSX EMD SD40-3 #4041 leads westbound manifest Train S-393 past F Tower on the Willard Sub.
 
Here's a view of the main building that features a viewing platform, bathrooms and a vending machine. It's situated next to the NS main.
 
Another view of the main building and observation platform. In addition to benches, there are also AC outlets so you plug in your phone or computer.
 
A view from the observation platform.
 
This CSX manifest was sitting, patiently waiting its turn to head west on the Willard Sub, seen here on the
Southwest Transfer track with EMD SD40-2 #8823 leading.
 
This eastbound van train heads up the Willard Sub with GE ES40DC #5408 leading.
 
BNSF GE ES44C4 #6507 leads CSX Intermodal Train Q-163 westbound on the Willard Sub while that little manifest patiently waits
its turn to enter the mainline from the Southwest Transfer track!
 
The first Norfolk Southern train for the day was this eastbound van lead by GE ES44DC #7528 and Union Pacific EMD SD70M #4931
along for the ride as seen on the Ex-Nickel Plate main!
 
BNSF GE C44-9W #5395 leads this CSX crude oil train west on the Willard Sub, and that manifest on the transfer track still waits for its place in line!
 
Next Up, this eastbound CSX Intermodal train heads up the Willard Sub with GE C40-8W #7353 leading.
 
Finally, that manifest that sat for what like seemed for a good long time, got its chance to enter the Willard Sub heading west!
 
CSX crude oil Train K-055 with BNSF C44-9W #5150 (An engine that might be a fan of Van Halen who had an album of the same name as its number)
leading, heading west through Fostoria.
 
Crossing the NS Ex-Nickel Plate main is CSX Train Q-394 on the Columbus Sub. This train would switch onto the Northeast Transfer track
and would continue its journey east on the Willard Sub. The road the train is crossing is known as Columbus Street.
 
CSX EMD SD40-2 #8044 operates light as it crosses the Nickel Plate on the Columbus Sub.
 
Looking west at the NS Ex-Nickel Plate main. That train in the far distance had a Canadian National unit for power
but didn't go past the park when I was there.
 
NS EMD GP38-2 #5268 and EMD SD40-2 #3323 operate light on the Nickel Plate.
 
CSX EMD SD50-2 #8581 leads this autorack train south on the Columbus Sub, crossing the diamond over the Nickel Plate at Columbus Street.
 
CSX GE ES44AC #3006 leads Train Q-385 as it makes its way onto the Willard Sub from the
Columbus Sub heading east on the Northeast Transfer Track.
 
The final train I would see at Fostoria would be CSX Train Q-368 with GE ES44AC #3020 leading this eastbound past F Tower on the Willard Sub.
 
Bonus! Located on South Main Street in Fostoria, just a short drive from the Iron Triangle Park is the former Baltimore & Ohio passenger station that today
is used for Maintenance Of Way by CSX. Prior to that, it was the Amtrak station stop for the now-defunct "Three Rivers" train that ended its run in 2005.
 
Another view of the B&O Fostoria Station. The "Welcome To Fostoria" sign still adorns the building and I have to wonder if that pay phone still works???
  After spending the afternoon here in Fostoria then taking the above photos of the B&O station, I drove back to Sandusky, knowing I have to do laundry and get ready for the next leg of the trip. I had arrived back in Sandusky at around sunset (the sun now set an hour earlier having lost daylight savings time today). I decided with two hours left before Cedar Point would close for the season, that I would make the drive back to the park and get the night photos I couldn't get the previous two nights! You already saw them as I included them in the Cedar Point section of the travelogue. Once I got done doing the photos, I did laundry at a nearby laundromat and got a very quick dinner at McDonald's before heading back to the hotel, where I packed up and checked out around 11:00pm. I drove the rental car back to Enterprise and dropped the keys in the safe there before walking down the street to a nearby hotel to have my taxi pick me up and bring me to the Amtrak station in Sandusky. For more information about the Fostoria Iron Triangle Park, check out the link below! Special thanks to the Fostoria Iron Triangle Park's web site for information used in this part of the travelogue! And now, I'm headed to our nation's capital on Amtrak's Capitol Limited, All Aboard!!!