WHEELING & LAKE ERIE RAILWAY COMPANY
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Snapsht History: Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway The W&LE is a railroad that has been serving the needs of the state of Ohio since 1871. Though leased, sold, desolved, restructured and finally reincorporated over the last 135 years, it continues its operation to the present. It's original organization was to provide a connection from the coal rich Wheeling, West Virginia to Lake Erie. To this day that continues. In 1990 a new company under the same name of the Wheeling & Lake Erie bought most of it back along with the former Pittsburgh & West Virginia and the Akron Cantown Youngstown thrown in. Further, several trackage rights agreements gave the new company more access to Toledo and other major connections. As such the line now operates over 900 miles of railroad.
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W&LE 0-6-6 #3
Image, Wheeling & Lake Erie 0-6-6 Loco #3 Order No. WLE03I An early Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway 0-6-6 rigid-frame locomotive #3 fills the photographer's lens. Shopping Cart 8.5" by 11" Image, Price - $ 5.00 [Add To Cart] --------------------W&LE 4-4-0 #19
Image, Wheeling & Lake Erie 4-4-0 Loco #19 Order No. WLE19I An early Wheeling & Lake Erie 4-4-0 locomotive #19 is captured in this view. It is probably a builder's photo, or a W&LE arrival view, as there is no mounted headlight. Shopping Cart 8.5" by 11" Image, Price - $ 5.00 [Add To Cart] --------------------W&LE 2-6-6-2 #8003
Image, Wheeling & Lake Erie 2-6-6-2 #8003 Order No. WLE8003I W&LE 2-6-6-2 locomotive #8003 is captured on the head end of a long coal drag. Shopping Cart 8.5" by 11" Image, Price - $ 5.00 [Add To Cart] --------------------W&LE 2-6-6-2 #8004
Image, Wheeling & Lake Erie 2-6-6-2 #8004 Order No. WLE8004I Wheeling & Lake Erie compound 2-6-6-2 locomotive #8004 pauses for a moment in the Gambrinus Yard near Canton, Ohio so the photographer could capture this 1940's view. "The location is Gambrinus Yard of the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad. It is about three miles southwest of downtown Canton, Ohio on Gambrinus Avenue, which crosses the yard tracks on the bridge behind the white tool house. The tool house belonged to the section crew. It was for storing the tools used in maintaining the tracks, including jacks, track wrenches, spike mauls, and the biggest items, the motor car and the push car. Our grandfather, William Jarrell, was section foreman from 1921 to about 1952 when he retired. His crew of 6-8 men tightened loose track bolts, raised low spots in the track, mowed weeds along the right of way, kept the switch lamps filled with kerosene, and when necessary would change out a broken rail. When there was a derailment, he and his men were called out to assist in getting the railroad going again. His section included four miles of main track and the Gambrinus Yard, which had about 20 tracks and would hold 1500 freight cars if full. The yard was used for sorting cars to and from Canton industries and also through cars going to points to the north -- especially Cleveland-- and to the Carrollton Branch. This locomotive was one of the biggest the Wheeling had. It was built in 1919 by the Baldwin Locomotive Company. It weighed 452,000 pounds and could exert 80,000 pounds of tractive effort. (The number, 8004, is related to the TE.) The Wheeling had 10 of these, and earlier had had 20 slightly larger but similar engines. Engine 8004 was retired and scrapped in 1946, but a few of the 10 survived until the mid Fifties. You will notice that the front cylinders are larger than the cylinders driving the second 6-wheel set of drive wheels. That is because this was a compound engine, using the steam twice. These engines did not go "Choo Choo!" Instead, they went "Whoosh, Whoosh! One feature was a valve which allowed the engineer to feed live steam in the front cylinders while starting. They were not fast, but they could pull a huge train. They had to stop frequently for water, as their tenders were short so they could fit on the company's turntables. I was a clerk at Gambrinus Yard in the early Fifties, and for a while we had one of these engines based there for our "Puller" crew, which made two trips from Gambrinus to Brewster each night. The tonnage rating was 3200 tons, which would be the weight of 128 empties...." Text courtesy: John Beach, assited by brother Jerry Beach Shopping Cart 8.5" by 11" Image, Price - $ 5.00 [Add To Cart] --------------------W&LE 2-6-6-2 #8005
Image, Wheeling & Lake Erie 2-6-6-2 #8005 Order No. WLE8005I Wheeling & Lake Erie compound 2-6-6-2 locomotive #8005 poses among the shadows inm this nice scene Shopping Cart 8.5" by 11" Image, Price - $ 5.00 [Add To Cart] --------------------The New WHHEELING & LAKE ERIE, Reorganized
W&LE GP35 #2664
Image, Wheeling & Lake Erie EMD GP35 diesel #2664 Not for sale, for reference only! Photographer: Randy Faris Wheeling & Lake Erie EMD GP35 is captured sitting idle in Akron, Ohio, November 24, 1990. --------------------W&LE SD40-2 #3102
Image, Wheeling & Lake Erie EMD SD40-2 diesel #3102 + Not for sale, for reference only! Photographer: Randy Faris Two Wheeling & Lake Erie SD40-2 diesels #3102 and ? power a coal drag near Akron, Ohio, October 18, 2008. --------------------W&LE SD40-2 #7355
Image, Wheeling & Lake Erie EMD SD40-2 diesel #7355 Not for sale, for reference only! Photographer: Randy Faris Akron, Ohio, October 30, 2008: A former Conrail, now Wheeling & Lake Erie EMD SD40-2 road diesel #7355 is seen on a freight train. --------------------
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