Off-road trip thru the OH/PA rust belt

It was a round-trip journey originally planned as just overnight starting and ending in Cleveland, Ohio with a layover on my friends Jim and Tina's couch in Mercer, PA. Due to an unfortunate circumstance - a result of my poor preparation - it turned out to be a two-night affair for reasons to be explained later...

My eventual goal is to document as much of Ohio's accessable abandoned railroads (not those rebuilt as bike trails - there's enough info out there on those already) as one guy on an enduro bike can. Since some large chunks of the abandoned Erie Railroad still exist it has good potential as a cross-state off-road trail, but more than likely if it is ever developed it will be for non-motorized use only. So I'm exploring as much of it as I can while I can.

The first off-road part of my route was to be on the Erie's roadbed from the end of a bike trail in Ravenna east to Warren where the Erie's line from Cleveland (mostly unaccessable due to scrapped bridges, encroaching adjacent landowners and non-motorized bike trails wherever these obstacles are minimal) joins Erie's main line from Chicago, then through Niles and Girard into Youngstown, through the mostly-abandoned steel corridor along the Mahoning River picking up the abandoned Pittsburgh & Lake Erie RR for the final off-road leg to New Castle, PA. From there I would take public roads to my friends' house. After several days of studying the route with Google Earth and making notes I was ready...

Needing to cover some serious ground just to get to the trails I chose to leave town via I-71 and the Ohio Turnpike. I love seeing the looks on the faces of the toll booth attendants when I pull up to the booth on a dirtbike... Toll from I-71 to OH-14 in Streetsboro: $1.00.

Took Ohio route 14 to Ravenna where I stopped for a break at the location of the former Ravenna train station at the crossing of NS's ex-PRR Pittsburgh-Cleveland main line and CSX's ex-B&O Pittsburgh-Chicago main line. It didn't take much more than a minute for an eastbound NS hotshot stack train to roar by...



Soon I was back on the road, but I wanted to fill my tank soon as I was getting low on fuel and the next couple of dozen miles would be through some very sparsely-populated areas. With that taken care of I headed for the Erie's Freedom Street crossing...



It may not look like much, but this is why I was here. East of Ravenna one of the Erie's two tracks and all bridges still exist although it was the late-'70s since any of it has seen any maintenance. The second (north) track was removed in the late-'60s and is now an ATV trail through the deep gravel ballast. The quads have beaten down and pushed aside much of the gravel leaving a sine wave pattern along the surface that limited the speed I could travel. I could put the bike in third and stand on the pegs to absorb the waves/whoops, but that quickly proved too tiresome to do all day long so I just kept it in second at about 20 mph and rode the waves up and down, up and down. I could have easily allowed it to get to me, but instead I chose to find it entertaining - riding gravel is tough enough as it is.

During the first few miles of following the Erie there were quite a few inviting paths leading off into the woods but since I wasn't sure at this point how slow my journey would be I stayed next to the tracks. After a few miles I encountered a huge pile of debris obviously dumped by an adjacent landowner, but simply followed the new path plowed by ATVs into some woods and along some farmland until making a 90-degree turn back to the tracks. No problem.

Soon off to the right (south) I noticed the nearly endless fence separating the Erie from the very reason the railroad infrastructure is still in place here: the Ravenna Army Arsenal.

Covering over 20,000 acres the arsenal doesn't see much use as a weapons depot anymore, but the Erie's tracks are kept in place along its north border in the unlikely event we "U.S. Americans" ever get invaded. Despite the years of neglected maintentance with enough manpower this railroad line could be reactivated in a matter of days if necessary. Apparently there is still some live-weapons training on the grounds as when I stopped to pee I could hear the distant sound of gunfire. Soon I came upon the small town of Windham where the only remaining road entrance into the arsenal from the north side is still in use...



Here there is a short siding and the active Erie track switches to the north side while the trail uses the south side. Soon I encountered the last remaining track leading into the arsenal property, but it really wasn't a very photogenic location so I just hopped over the lead track and kept going. Soon I crossed what the local topo maps call Eagle Creek...



A nice place for a break, but watch for all the poison ivy next to the trail. Of course in Ohio that advice applies almost everywhere...

Arsenal property ended as abruptly as it began and once again there were many trails leading off onto private property. After crossing route 534 I ignored my first "No Trespassing" sign. The I-80 underpass soon came next. The following dozen or so miles would see plenty more no trespassing signs courtesy of the Ohio Central Railroad who apparently has plans for this line in the future, and/or they are worried about liability issues in our lawsuit-happy modern society... I completely missed the crossing of the NYC's Alliance-Phalanx line but quickly forgot about turning around to find it when I entered the town of Braceville and spotted the town's general store in the distance.

The guy running the store was a former biker who had to quit riding after a stroke which became obvious as he was handing me my change with stiff arms that didn't work quite right. He showed quite a bit of interest in my enduro bike but it was depressing for both of us knowing he would never again enjoy the freedom of a two-wheeled vehicle. I wished him well.

The package of donuts and can of Mountain Dew he sold me gave me enough of a sugar boost to head back into the woods. But of course I had to stop when I finally reached the Mahoning River which would be my constant companion for the next few hours. Awesome bridge...

Continuing east I chased a few deer then found what used to be called SN Junction where the Erie's main line from Cleveland joined the main line from Chicago that I had been following. Not much to photograph here as the Ohio route 5/82 overpass only has provisions for the original Erie main line - not the long-abandoned line from Cleveland. After hopping over the rails I didn't take any photographs as I could recognize nothing that I could compare to any historical photos I have seen of SN Junction. I continued east into Leavittsburg.



Looking west from Leavitt Road. The milepost marks 50 miles from what most people knew as Shorty's diner in Cleveland - but until the end of Erie passenger service in 1971 that building was better known as Cleveland's Erie Station. I entered this area coming toward the camera then turned around and took the photo. East of Leavitt Road there were at least as many no trespassing signs so I got paranoid and decided to follow parallel US-422 instead a mile or two into downtown Warren. I would later learn from a couple on a quad that the signs are pretty much worthless unless you get caught by the cops on an unregistered bike/quad. But I'm getting ahead of my story...

After crossing the Mahoning River (again) on 422 I turned south on Park Avenue then turned east along the Erie roadbed. After Pine Avenue my notes based on Google Earth said I should follow a driveway into a parking lot and hop the curb to continue following the Erie. A couple of office workers having lunch outside watched intently as I did this. I hope I didn't piss them off... Sure enough I found myself crossing a double-track bridge over what used to be the PRR's Pittsburgh, Youngstown & Ashtabula line and is now known as NS's Detour Secondary in this area (the PY&A is abandoned north of Warren). I continued in what was now a southeast direction.

There's quite a few off-road trails back here and I passed a family on quads. Soon after the Erie again hosts an active track but I believe it is now run by CSX. An old Erie signal still stands along the trail...



Approaching Niles I saw a siding full of freight cars and narrow bridge ahead and incorrectly assumed I could go no further so I turned around and was ready to take to the streets to cross the river again when I came upon a couple on a Honda quad. They told me I could get through and they became my guides all the way to the trails in Girard. I saw plenty of bikes and quads back there and I will definitely return to check out this area more.

Soon another active track appeared on my roadbed and this time it was being used by a freight train switching cars at one of the last remaining steel plants. The trail hugs the south side of the tracks and as the locomotive passed me the conductor leaned out the window and dumped a bottle of water on me! He was smiling so I think it was all in fun but I didn't know for sure...

After crossing under West Liberty Street I saw the guy throwing switches for that train and not knowing whether or not I was welcome here I turned off and took a parallel brick street which led me past an old coaling tower so I took a closer look...



They really built these things to last. It has been at least 60 years since any steam locomotives were around to use this tower.

Next I crossed under I-80 again and encountered some concrete tunnels used to carry tracks overhead. My notes told me to make a left after the tunnels and climb the hill to pick up another set of tracks eastbound. There was only one problem: a train was parked on the tracks I needed to cross so I continued alongside until I reached the end of the quad trail I was following at a huge slag pit. The trail then disappeared so I climbed a slag pile to get a better view of where I needed to go. I couldn't see any way to get where I wanted, but I could see the end of the train and a dirt road crossing the tracks into the even larger slag pit full of heavy equipment. Lucky for me I chose a Saturday for this trip and nobody was around so I took off down the road. I didn't go too far as I had a feeling there would be a guard house at the end and they probably wouldn't be very happy to see me trespassing in a dangerous area around lots of expensive machinery. I climbed an even higher slag pile, but saw nothing. I decided to risk it and continue east via the access road.

Now that I have been to the area I can see from Google Earth that I should have backtracked to the coaling tower then followed those tracks over the top of the tunnels. But it was not a problem as I soon found no guard house, but just a metal gate across the road easily bypassed by a bike around the left side. I came up on another set of crossover tunnels and found another metal gate at the end. I backtracked and used the next tunnel and was discouraged to see a row of concrete blocks barricading the end. But as I got closer I saw a gap just big enough for my bike so once again I was free...

...For about thirty seconds. Across Division Street there were fences, gates and lots of warning signs. Again seeing nobody around I squeezed between the fence and the tracks, crossed the property, and found a gap at the other end to exit the area. I was back in the woods.

I stopped for a short break under the route 193 overpass next to the river then continued east through an area used to store truck trailers. At Marshall Street I crossed the tracks I was following and took an access road through what was once a bustling industrial area now completely barren and slowly being reclaimed by nature. It made for a nice shot of downtown Youngstown...



At the route 7 overpass my notes told me to cross two tracks here and continue east as crossing later would mean crossing several tracks instead of just two. Not sure if I was still on Erie tracks or PRR, but the old position light signals made it obvious the other tracks are CSX's ex-B&O main line. After the Center Street interlocking where the two lines cross at grade I knew I was on PRR property as I entered what used to be the Pennsy's massive Haselton Yard. At one time it covered thousands of acres and employed hundreds of workers, but with the decline and eventual collapse of the Mahoning Valley's steel industry the yard was no longer necessary and all tracks were pulled up. Today only a handful of crumbling buildings remain along with a couple of dirt access roads...



This was once part of the diesel refueling area. The fuel racks are long gone but some evidence remains of their existence along the ground.

At the end of Haselton Yard I began following the roadbed of the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie RR and at Struthers I found myself entering the west end of P&LE's long-abandoned Gateway Yard...



All the P&LE's yard towers still stand including the yard office and main headquarters building pictured above. The west end hump tower was difficult to get near, but the east end tower made for a pretty good shot...



Next town was Lowellville, the last town in Ohio. I first came to this town in the 1990s looking to ride my bicycle along the (then recently-abandoned) P&LE. But there was already a paved bicycle trail on the other side of the B&O tracks - built on the roadbed of the Penn-Ohio interurban trolley line. That trail quickly became one of my favorites.

I stopped at a little store in Lowellville for drinks and munchies then continued east and soon crossed the state line where the B&O erected a very nice concrete sign marking the border probably more than a century ago. I found some ATV trails leading down to the river so I followed one...



Nice spot for a break, but the water was kinda stinky.

After nearly 65 miles of mostly off-road riding I had reached the end at Mahoningtown Junction on the south side of New Castle, PA. I was tired but happy, and had some time to kill so I took a break.



Ever get the feeling you are being watched? I did and soon figured out why...

I left town via PA route 18 north and took to back roads at New Wilmington still heading north. A few miles from my destination my rear tire stated getting squirrelly and I knew immediately I had a flat tire. Damn! After spending all day off-road I get a friggin' flat on asphalt courtesy of a roofing nail. Damn!

My frustration soon boiled over when I realized I had forgotten to bring not only a patch kit, but an air pump as well. D'oh! Since I don't have a cell phone I had no choice but to ride slowly on a flat the last few miles to my friend's house.

I made it no problem, but I needed a new tube after those airless miles ripped the valve stem loose. Jim said he would give me a ride to the bike shop in the morning.



We watched the Cleveland Cavaliers' most promising season in decades come to an end with a lackluster game 6 performance in Orlando and we commiserated over a few beers while discussing the plight of the Cleveland sports fan. We concluded that after having our heats ripped out so many times it has almost become expected.

On Sunday my buddy gave me a ride into town where we found the bike shop closed. I had little choice but to spend another night and fix my flat on Monday. It was okay, I spent the time making friends with their new puppy Bella...



Monday finally arrived. I bought a new tube and mounted it, said my goodbyes, and started home. I knew my dogs were probably hungry, but I stopped off at a spot where I used hang out watching trains when I lived in the area - Latimer Junction.



There was no activity here today. The photo looks west along what was the Erie's Youngstown bypass towards Warren. The north-south track is NS's ex-NYC line to Ashtabula. After wasting some time I turned west and headed home...



Happy Dogs! The black one apparently got bored and shredded the (rather expensive) dog bed I put in their doghouse. That's what all the green stuffing is from. Next time they are getting a bale of hay...

Despite the flat tire and unplanned extra day it was a great trip - my first overnight trip on my WR250R and hopefully many more are in store for this summer.

Thanks for reading...

Goggles

Nice RR

Kind of reminds me of some of BigDog's RR's with the historical info. Thanks for sharing.

I occasionally come home to the same kind of carnage from my dogs, shredded magazines or newspapers covering the living room floor an inch deep.

Nice pics and read. Really looks like fun.

Oh that is an incredible run! Awesome pics and ditto on the good read. I love coming home to fantastic ride reports.

Really good ride story and pics. i love old industrial areas and the idea of using Google earth to plan a ride is a great idea.

Great RR.

Google rocks.

Nice RR

I noticed you had a small windshield on your R². What is it and how do you like it for the highway?

Great report!

I lived next to the CP Rail main line for a while growing up. I would often watch the trains go by.

I love abandoned infrastructure. It's fascinating to explore and see what was.
(hmmm, maybe we'll have to start a thread on that)

Being involved in the gas compression industry I have been through Girard, Youngstown, and Cambridge multiple times on business. I would either fly into Columbus or Akron and then rent a car and ride the back roads so I could enjoy when the scenery got good. So, I know what the country side is like. I've often thought it would be neat to ride there and explore on a dual sport.

Keep up the good work on documenting these trails. I'm sure others will be interested.

2Wheelz wrote:

Nice RR

I noticed you had a small windshield on your R². What is it and how do you like it for the highway?

It's homemade design cut from a sheet of acrylic and heated to form the bend. It works great under 50 mph or so, but I am designing a new one that's a bit larger and stands up straighter so it works better at high speeds.

Thanks for the encouraging comments, folks.

Rail Fan? Lots of track pics....looks like a good time.