[PRCo] Re: CVSR--Quaker Square

[Herb Brannon]

J. Gary Dillon is alive, well and still very involved in all aspects of rail
operations (past, present, and model) in this area. Go to the Akron Railroad
Club by using the enclosed link and go down the right-side menu and click on
"Officers". When that page comes up you will see Gary on the right side of
the group photo. Check further down the right-side menu and you will see a
very nice article on Gary Dillon titled "The Story Behind Honoring Gary
Dillon". akronrrclub.wordpress.com/
Gary's address is also noted on the "officers" page of the Akron Railroad
Club website. You can also check that right-side menu for photos of the 2010
trip to PTM taken by the Akron Railroad Club.

 On Fri, Apr 29, 2011 at 22:24, Dwight Long <dwightlong at verizon.net> wrote:

> Derrick
>
> Ah, yes, J. Gary Dillon.  Is he still extant?
>
> Back in the 50s he was known as "the World's Most Traveled Trolley Fan."
>
> If you--or Herb--or anyone--is in contact with him, please tell him I said
> Hello.  He has moved since I last saw him and I do not have his address and
> I suppose he does not have email--did not then.
>
> Dwight
>
>  ----- Original Message -----
>  From: Derrick Brashear
>  To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>  Cc: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>  Sent: Wednesday, 27 April, 2011 20:47
>  Subject: [PRCo] Re: CVSR--Quaker Square
>
>
>
>
>
>   On Apr 27, 2011, at 7:30 PM, Dwight Long <dwightlong at verizon.net> wrote:
>
>  >   Herb   Maybe they could add the former NOTL terminal building to the
> tour
>  > lis= t.  Do you know if the subways are still there?  Last I heard the=
> y
>  > were but were filled up with old records.   Dwight
>
>  I was just thinking of that. Gary Dillon took me to see it in like 1991.
>
>  >
>  > Apr 27, 2011 02:04:38 AM, pittsburgh-railways at dement= ia.org wrote:
>  > Quacker Squar= e was bought out (like everything in East/Central Akron)
> by
>  > Akron State = University (ASU). The hotel (formerly Quaker Oat Company
> grain
>  > elevators= ) is now a large dormitory, the old Railway Express Agency
>  > buildings are= now ASU facility maintenance offices, a couple
> restaurants
>  > remain but m= ore for the enjoyment of ASU faculty, staff and students
> and
>  > much of the= area is (what else) a parking lot, albeit a good looking
>  > parking
>  > lot. W= hen I used to walk the one mile from home to Spicer Elementary
>  > Demonstra= tion School every weekday in the 1950s I never dreamed that
> today
>  > that t= he one square block Akron University and it's supporting
>  > businesses woul= d some day take up all the land from that one square
>  > block, past my elem= entary school, to just a block short of where my
> old
>  > house used to stand= . Even more melancholy is that I never thought that
> the
>  > wonderful smell = of Quaker Oats being toasted in the Howard Street
> plant
>  > (after being rel= eased from the elevators up the Mill St hill to
> travel, by
>  > gravity, thro= ugh large pipes under the street) would also disappear.
>  > Cuyahoga Valley = Railroad (CVR), of course, uses the old B &O North
> Howard
>  > Street st= ation. There are several moderate and high priced restaurants
>  > within wal= king distance along North Main Street. Also, the public
> transit
>  > provider= in Akron (Akron Metro) operates a free bus from the train
> station
>  > runni= ng in a very large loop and hitting some of the points of
> interest in
>  > Ak= ron. Namely, the Mustill Store &Mill, Akron Zoo, the Restaurant &=
> Bar
>  > area (like a very small Carson Street) around South Main &Excha= nge
>  > Streets,
>  > the Spaghetti Warehouse in Goodrich Commons, the Akron Metr= o Downtown
> Bus
>  > Station (focal point of all Metro bus routes, Cantons' St= ark Area
> Regional
>  > Transit Authority , Portage Area Regional Transit Auth= ority
>  > and Greyhound Lines), the Civic Theatre, Lock 3 area and then back= to
> the
>  > train station. Akron always seems to have plenty of things going= on any
>  > time
>  > of the year and the people returning from the attractions s= eem to be
>  > happy.
>  > During the Summer months, upon request, a stop can be m= ade at what is
>  > called
>  > the "Big Bend Metro Park Area" where a small bus w= ill take passengers
> to
>  > Stan Hywet Hall, the mansion built by Frank A. Si= eberling, Sr around
> 1915
>  > (+-). The manor house and gardens are a real ge= m in Akron and are
> worth
>  > seeing.
>  >
>  > During the Summer when CVR runs = Canton service the same thing is
>  > available there. A Stark Area Transit b= us runs a route stopping at
> local
>  > Canton points of interest such as the = Pro Football Hall of Fame, the
> First
>  > Ladies Museum, President McKinley's= house and gardens and a couple
> other
>  > things.
>  >
>  > Like I said, there = is always something going on here and the railroad
> has,
>  > fortunately, cha= nged with the times and has become a part of the
> character
>  > of this regio= n.
>  >
>  > On Tue, Apr 26, 2011 at 20:52, Dwight Long wrote:
>  >
>  >>
>  >> Herb I just learned that Quaker Square in Akro= n has closed and that
> all
>  >> the railway memorabilia are being auction= ed off this Saturday. A few
>  >> years
>  >> ago I spent a pleasant af= ternoon there between the inbound and
> outbound
>  >> trains of your railw= ay. What will it now use as an attraction in the
>  > Akron
>  >> area? Do you= know what caused the demise of the Quaker Square? Dwight
>  >>
>  >>>
>  >>
>  >
>  >
>  > --
>  > Herb Brannon
>  > In Cuyahoga Valley Nationa= l Park
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  >
>
>
>
>
>


-- 
Herb Brannon
In Cuyahoga Valley National Park