Steam Whistle Music Tracks Ahead Brought to you by: Rancho de Tia Rosa, three unique Mexican restaurants serving culinary delights since 1990.

Music Hi, I'm Spencer Christian.

On this episode of Tracks Ahead, we're going to Ohio to take a close look at a modern freight line that has it's roots in the past.

We'll visit a large public layout in northern Georgia, ride the rails to visit a logging museum in Wisconsin, and visit with a photographer who plies his trade late at night.

The oldest railway in Ohio started back in the late 1800s.

Initially running between Huron and Norwalk, the line eventually expanded throughout the state and to West Virginia.

The original line continued to find life along the way as a part of the Nickel Plate and the Norfolk & Southern Railroads.

Now, the Wheeling and Lake Erie is still going strong.

Annc: Idyllic Brewster, Ohio, located about 15 miles from the Football Hall of Fame, has a population just over 2,300.

It boasts tree-lined streets....a nationally known Swiss cheese producer.... and a regional snack manufacturer.

Since 1913, Brewster has also served as home base for a company that has played a vital role in the town's history - the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad.

Marc: After the Civil War the ports along Lake Erie, like Cleveland, Toledo, Huron, were rapidly industrializing and needed the raw materials that were in southeast Ohio and the Ohio River, West Virginia border.

And as part of that, in 1871 a gentleman formed the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway to handle those materials, mostly coal, up to the ports in those industrialized cities.

Annc: In today's modern world, the railroad has branched out beyond moving raw materials to also transporting finished products from a number of Midwestern industries.

Marc: Besides coal, which is still an important commodity for the Wheeling and Lake Erie, we handle steel products.

And that includes the raw materials that go into the making of steel, metallurgical coke, iron ore, and then we handle the finished products, steel slabs, coiled steel, steel sheet, and we serve five steel mills in Ohio and West Virginia.

And that's a primary line of business for us.

Then the chemicals, including plastics, lumber, forest products, paper and construction aggregates is another major commodity for us.

Annc: Today, the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad, or W&LE as it is commonly called, operates over a network of 850 miles of track that pass through parts of several states, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland.

Marc: Under the Association of American Railroads, or AAR, the Wheeling is classified as a regional class 2.

That classification is dependent on both mileage and annual revenues.

And the Wheeling exceeds 350 miles and it exceeds 40 million dollars of annual revenue a year.

And that puts us under that class 2 regional railroad classification.

Annc: Nearly 400 employees do their part to move over 130,000 carloads of product and raw material to over 500 customers every year, including five steel mills and rubber manufacturers, which helps Ohio lead the nation in plastic products shipments.

Mark: The train that just came in today was our 222.

It came in with a mixture of plastics, lumber and perishable.

It came down from Belleview, Ohio, and the freight is in the same classification yard where it was dropped off.

And it will get broken up and sent out to its final destination.

The power that was brought in will be refueled and serviced and cleaned and they will be sent back out with two fresh locomotives and the outbound freight that's headed west.

Annc: All these shipments require substantial rolling stock.

And in an environmentally conscious world, increased efficiencies and reduced emissions have become part of the picture for railroads.

Marc: The Wheeling has approximately 68 locomotives, both 4 axle and 6 axle locomotives.

Many of those have been upgraded at our shops including auxiliary power units to reduce emissions and save fuel.

And modern electronic microprocessor systems, and what we call "lead trail" which allows remote control with the unit at each end of the train for better braking and better train handling.

Annc: The Brewster Shop Complex that Marc referred to has been a valuable and lucrative asset for the railroad.

Here, engines have been built, repaired, and upgraded since the shop first opened its doors in the early 1900s.

Rick: The shop itself was built in 1910.

And over the years the shop has changed produced to the different railroads that purchased it and decided what kind of repair work they wanted to do at this facility.

And over the past 18, 19 years we've been in the process of putting everything back into the shop again.

We brought the locomotive fleet into this facility where we could do locomotive and car work under the same roof.

Jeff: We've added a lot of additional equipment and upgraded a lot of the equipment that is in the shop.

All of our overhead cranes have gone to remote control.

We have added a 90 ton drop table for removal of the trucks and truck overhaul.

We have an in ground wheel truing machine which we do a lot of wheel truing for customers and all of our own fleet.

And have added things like a load box and other smaller pieces of equipment to be able to do all the chores that are necessary to maintain a fleet.

Rick: We do a lot of what we call truck work here.

And that is the components that the car body sits on when you see a railcar sitting on the rail.

You'll also see patchwork on the car body itself, sides, doors, and another function that you'll see here at lot is air brake work.

And that's the system that operates your train when it goes down the track, the air brakes is what control the speed and the stopping of the freight.

But then we also are required to make any repairs to cars that come on or off our line from other railroads.

What we call foreign repairs, that's any car that's not owned or leased by the Wheeling and Lake Erie.

And we do quite a bit of repairs on foreign cars.

Annc: Although upgrades & repairs are an important part of the work done at Brewster, the complex is capable of building a whole locomotive and sending it out on the tracks to pull important cargo and keep the railroad humming.

Nat Sound Annc: While the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway has undergone many changes over the years, some things have stayed the same.

The W&LE is still headquartered in the same brick building that the railroad built in 1914.

At four stories, it was the tallest building in Brewster back then, and it's still the tallest building today.

The heritage of this vital place also stands tall in the annals of railroading.

The history of the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway mirrors the history of the United States rail industry as the thriving town of Brewster, Ohio, continues humming to the steady rhythms of another great American success story.

If parts of the railroad look familiar, it's because it was used in the film "Unstoppable."

Charles Griffin may never have intended his o-gauge railroad to be a "layout of dreams."

But he "built it" and, boy, did they come - thousands of annual visitors from all over the world.

Annc: Deep in the heart of the Chattahoochee National Forest and North Georgia's Blue Ridge Mountains more than 24,000 people from all over the world came to visit a backyard in quiet Blairsville.

This amazing attraction is the largest privately owned O-gauge rail-line in the country - Misty Mountain Model Railroad.

Annc: The 4,000 square foot layout measures 72 by 55 feet and rests on 7 tons of lumber.

More than six thousand pounds of plaster were used in the construction of the mountains and scenery.

Visitors enter the impressive layout by passing under a huge 6-foot wide, automatic lift bridge.

Once inside, they are captivated by the terrain of Northern Georgia... Charles: We wanted to represent North Georgia.

We love North Georgia.

Our family is from Georgia for 5 generations and we love it up here and we wanted to represent the area.

We worked almost 2 years designing it before we started to build.

We went all over the country to look at other layouts.

Mostly they were on tables, but we wanted ours to have a lot of depth to it, like you'd be looking down into valleys and then you'd be looking up into the mountains just like the scene from our front porch.

We wanted it to seem like you were in the layout so we made valleys and rivers instead of isles for you to walk in.

Annc: Boasting 8 different levels, Charles' layout ranges from Brasstown Bald, the highest elevation in Georgia, to a 17-foot trestle that recreates Tallulah Gorge, the deepest canyon gorge East of the Mississippi River.

Charles: You're taking a tour of North Georgia.

You're walking through the mountains and we have a lot of the different cities represented with historical buildings on them that are no longer there.

Ken: I build them using photographs of the actual buildings that I want to build.

It takes me anywhere, I'd say, between 2 and 3 months.

I've done the old courthouse in Gainesville which was hit by a tornado back in 1936.

And, I did the Piedmont Hotel which was owned at one time by General James Longstreet and I did a replica of the Biltmore estate.

That was probably my most challenging building.

A lot of the windows had to be hand carved.

The gargoyles on it, they were kind of hard to find, you know for the 4 inch scale, and then the Goddess of Grain statues on there - couldn't find any of them, so instead of the Goddess of Grain, I used Venus and Aphrodite, so, but who's going to tell.

Annc: Ken built one building in homage to Charles' Uncle Fred.

Charles: My Uncle Fred worked for the Milwaukee railroad and I was just fascinated with his stories and the trains he was on.

And, they gave me my first train and that started it all.

Ken: stories and the trains he was on.

And, they gave me my first train and that started it all.

Ken: That station took me actually, probably about 6 months.

And when I had it doen, my 3 year old punched out all the windows.

So I had to redo that.

So it took a little longer.

Annc: With 12 hand-made bridges, 4 trestles and 15 tunnels, the layout allows 14 trains to run at one time.

Eleven transformers power the trains over one mile of track.

Hidden trap doors beneath the layout service the massive array of electrical wires that power the trains and illuminate hundreds of buildings, streetlights and signs.

Charles: Now we have around 167 complete train sets and we have all the manufacturers; I think we have something from everybody.

Annc: The enormity of the layout allows 80 to 90 visitors to pass through at one time...

In the course of a week, several hundred people visit the Misty Mountain Railroad with all proceeds going to area charities.

Charles: It's very rewarding to have something like this when you get older.

And my son and grandson's are involved with it and would like to have them carry on with it and give pleasure to everybody.

Next time you are in the Atlanta area, Blairsville is only a couple of hours away.

In a moment, we'll meet a specialist in the photography of night time railroading.

Just like O. Winston Link, this man believes darkness brings out the best that railroading photography has to offer.

Before we do, let's go to Wisconsin.

These days, it's getting increasingly difficult to find a good, clean, affordable family vacation experience.

But, if you ever find yourself close to the beauty of the forests of northern Wisconsin, we have a suggestion that we think everyone in your household would enjoy.

It's a trip back in time aboard a gorgeous vintage steam train.

Engine chugging Annc: When you climb aboard the famed Lumberjack Steam Train in Laona, Wisconsin get ready for a short trip back into the late 1800's.

It's a complete encounter with Wisconsin's North Woods past.

Cate: I think the Camp 5 experience is one that all families love and all ages love.

Whether or not you're a train buff, an environmentalist, a historian, whether you're a child or an adult, I think you'll love the experience here.

Annc: You board the train at the 1880's Soo Line Depot, just like people did at the turn of the century.

The look and the feel is authentic.

Now get ready for the ride.

It is a ride, and an experience, you will never forget.

The "4-spot" Steam Locomotive was built in 1916 by the Vulcan Iron Works in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania and brought here a few years later to be a workhorse in the logging industry.

The steam engine pulls two all-steel passenger cars, an open air car, and two cabooses.

It is the only "Prairie" style steam locomotive operating in the state.

"Prairie" style is a classification based on a 2-6-2 wheel arrangement, meaning there are two leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels, and two trailing wheels.

The locomotives were built primarily for use across the Midwestern prairies.

The Hamilton-Roddis coach car was built in 1923 for the Soo Line.

The next coach, the Rat River, was built in 1911, also for the Soo.

The two cabooses have unique cupolas where you can sit among the tree tops enjoying views of the passing forest.

There's also an old box car that has been carefully converted into an open air observation car.

Thanks to a recent grant, the track has all been upgraded Cate: We can go a 100 miles an hour (laughs.)

We had had the original rail on this, and over the years we had done lots of maintenance, replacing ties, and occasionally replacing some rail.

But when we replaced this 60 pound rail we found that there were a number of pieces of rail that were from 1872.

So a lot of it was very worn.

Annc: Not only is the journey enjoyable, the destination is a highlight of the trip.

The Lumberjack Steam Train takes you out to the site of an old logging camp.

Lumberjacks numbered their camps as they moved from place to place, and this was the site of Camp 5 in the late 1890's.

In later years it became the lumber company farm, a working farm to feed the lumberjacks.

There are still some of the original buildings.

The Old Hog Barn is now part of a petting corral.

There's the Old Slaughter House, a boarding house, and some of the original barns.

The blacksmith shop is now part of the museum, where the story of the logging industry is told, and where history really comes to life.

Cate: Our museum has lots of different artifacts.

Whether or not it's the household or farm implements which I think gives everyone an idea of how difficult life was, whether it was in the 1890s through the 1930s.

It wasn't easy.

The saws that you'll see in the museum, whether or not it's the two man cross cut saw or the wonderful invention in the '40s of the two man power saw, which weighted 150 pounds, which was quite difficult to carry through the snow, but it was a great invention.

You'll see cables and pulley systems where you can lift a 100 pounds.

And children are amazed to see that with that system that they are able to lift such a heavy weight.

Necessity is the mother of invention and the loggers came up with some great inventions.

You'll see where the bread tins are soldered together.

Because the cook in a logging camp didn't have time to pull out one bread tin at a time.

You'll see griddles that are three feet long because there were so many men and they were so hungry and needed so many pancakes in the morning you didn't have time to have small griddles.

The coffee urn is just huge.

They threw the coffee grounds in there and a lot of water at about 2:30 or 3 o'clock in the morning and let it boil all day long.

If you didn't like your coffee strong, you weren't going to be a happy camper.

Annc: It's pretty easy to see why Camp 5 is on the National Register of Historic Places.

It's a darn good example of how hard America worked to get where it is today.

And it's easy to see why the Lumberjack Steam Train is a must see attraction for rail fans and their families traveling through the Midwest.

Music Gary: The big attraction to night time photography for me is the intimacy you get with the location, the solitude that comes with it and the control over the lighting, no dark trucks on the locomotives.

Winston Link was right when he spoke about the control you have over the lighting at night versus during the day.

Annc: Vermont based photographer Gary Knapp has been shooting trains for nearly thirty years.

The last five years, have been night-time photography.

His work is absolutely stunning.

He sits in the dark for hours waiting for the train to pass.

He does it in all seasons, and in all kinds of weather.

It's just Gary and his digital camera.

And nearly a dozen carefully placed remote controlled lights that flash at the precise fraction of a second.

He is often compared to O. Winston Link who captured the final nights of the steam locomotive a half-century ago.

Both men seduced by the enchanting beauty and power of the locomotive, and captivated by the opportunity to see something that few of us will ever see in person.

Gary: I choose my locations so that people can identify them when they see the picture by looking at it.

Identify with buildings or structures that are trackside that I include in my photos.

The local engineers are used to it by now, but initially when they came into a scene, when I saw them, I would fire off a test flash of the lighting system.

They would see that and they would be able to react to it or plan for it by either looking down or closing their eyes momentarily or looking over at me and camera or something.

They caught on quickly what I was up to.

Laugh This is at LeCoeur, Quebec, on CP Rails D&H, this is detouring CSX train 935, and again, these are favored conditions in a near blizzard at night.

Very dramatic.

This is at Manse, Pennsylvania, on Manse Curve on CSX Sandpatch grade.

I shot this because of the unique viewpoint of the 14mm lens here from the porch.

The flag really makes the scene This is in Harper's Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia.

I shot this because of the dramatic surroundings and the trestle, isolating the train with a frame within a frame within the picture.

This is a very unique scene with the railroad built into the street in LaGrange, Kentucky.

On the main line between Cincinnati and Louisville.

Another great scene with the flag in the photo (pause) only in LaGrange.

This is in Barton, Vermont, a classic Vermont scene with a tall church steeple in the background, with the green, the Vermont Rail systems Green Mountain 304 leading a Washington County railroad train.

This is CP Rail's Holiday Train at Westport, New York.

This is the station that originally inspired me to take up night photography.

Only during the night time do freight trains go by here on CP Rail's D&H.

I like this one because of the unique station.

There's no station here like Westport in the area.

Very photogenic.

And the people of course, laughs, it's not all the time you get to include people at night.

This is another great Vermont scene, near South Royalton, Vermont.

This is the quintessential small Vermont village.

And this is New England Central train 324, the only train during a 24 hour period that goes through here.

This is at Lock Mills, Maine on the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad, train 393 going westbound crossing Round Pond, with the kayaker positioned out there, waving.

A great Maine scene at night This is in Port Henry, New York, another favorite location of mine.

This is the annual Toys for Tots train, and this is the only time of the year that the 7312, the pride of the fleet on the D&H is seen leading passenger equipment.

This is at Riviere Du Loup, Quebec with VIA train 14, the Ocean.

This was my, This is a favorite photo location of mine because this is the first location where I used a telephoto at night with the night lighting system successfully.

Annc: It's easy to see that Gary Knapp loves what he does, and is a master of his art.

He will continue to chase trains through the darkness, bringing to life the mammoth locomotives that roar through the night while most of us dream in comfortable silence.

If you want prints of Gary's work, you'll have to seek him out on the web.

Well, that's it for this episode.

Be sure to join us next time for more, Tracks Ahead.

Tracks Ahead Brought to you by Rancho de Tia Rosa, three unique Mexican restaurants serving culinary delights since 1990.

Walthers, manufacturer and supplier of model railroading products; serving the hobby since 1932.

Music