CSX  Scraps the Tracks  -  West side of Athens City
.Page Revised 12/05/03
   On the West side of Athens City was Grosvenor Crossing where CSX and Conrail
crossed.   There was once a tower at this site, until fire destroyed it in August 1982.
It was the  B&O's  responsibility to maintain an operator at this crossing.   As  I
recall the last shift worked at the Tower six months before it burned; almost to the
day.   This was strange because the Parkersburg Roundhouse also burned about six
months after it was closed.

   About 1985 the Conrail Track Foreman got tired of the old B&O  not maintaining
the crossing,  creating  "slow orders"  on Conrail,  so he removed the crossing himself
( rumored ).   Later the highway crossing  ( located within a few feet of the track crossing )
was also removed.  This isolated a  2 1/2 mile section of track West of the old crossing.
When it came time to scrap the Athens track this created a problem for the scrapping
crews!   They overcame this problem by using a bulldozer to drag the  1/4 mile sections
of rail back to two waiting diesel engine that then dragged it across the highway.


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Feb. 11,1991

Long before the track was removed the signals were taken down. Here we see
a Hi-Rail  truck having just loaded the old Grosvenor crossing's  home signal.
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Feb.11,1991

A large pile of signals began to accumlate in the B&O  yard.
This photo was take from Shafer St.  looking Northwest.
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Nov. 6, 1991

This photo was taken from the highway, looking West as crews pull spikes on the isolated
section of track.   Notice the old highway crossing that was picked up and stacked on the track.
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Nov.21,1991

The bulldozer drags two more sections of rail to the waiting Engines, who will pull it across
the highway.   Notice the cable already laying across the highway.
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 The two engines pull  2 rails across the highway just far enough to stop, and
then get a better hold.
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Looking North along Conrail as another section is pulled across the highway. The
man on the highway  is the scrapping project supervisor.  The man on the right side of
the Conrail track is the soon to be  ex-area track foreman.
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The 1/4 mile long sections of rail were pulled just so far by the cable.  Then the
engines would come back toward the highway crossing and get a better hold on the rail.
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The rails were attached to a better spot ( jacking points on the frame ).
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Then the engines backed away from the highway, dragging the rails.
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Here the end of  2 "sticks"  of  rail are seen as they slide across the highway.
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The rail was dragged until it cleared the Hocking River bridge.  Here the rails
are seen  looking West toward the river.  I'm standing on  the old passing siding.
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Nov.27,1991

Standing on the highway and looking West at the aftermath.
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Looking East across the road .
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After the section of  isolated track was dealt with,  the serious removal begins.
Here the rail ripping sled is positioned and made ready.   The last car of the
railtrain will couple to the sled and the engines will pull it along as it pops the spikes.
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