[PRCo] Re: Cuyahoga Falls & Hudson Railway///Pennsylvania Railroad

[Dwight Long]

Herb

Thanks for your responses on the proposed dinner train operation.  I was aware of their loss in the Circuit Court.  However, I heard, somewhere, that there was a parallel suit going on in the State of Ohio's court system and that they had won in the Ohio Supreme Court.  I can't find any more info on this aspect of the story. If they have won, they should be able to fulfill their plan, since what they propose would be a completely intra-state operation, and the Circuit Court opinion only strengthens that conclusion.

Is this a case of a pyrrhic victory?  Perhaps the proponents were so worn out financially and emotionally after all this that they just gave up?  Or is the plan still active and awaiting a better economic climate?  Or did I get inaccurate info on the Supreme Court case?

Your description of Silver Lake is interesting.  I wonder if they have their own version of Stepford Wives--Silver Lake Wives? One can only imagine with what horror they would view any proposed resurrection of the NOT&L for fast commuter service to Cleveland!

I was aware of the PRR tragedy, but not of all the gory details.

Thanks, and if you learn more, let me know, please.

Dwight

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Herb Brannon 
  To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org 
  Cc: Herb Brannon 
  Sent: Sunday, 30 January, 2011 14:55
  Subject: [PRCo] Cuyahoga Falls & Hudson Railway///Pennsylvania Railroad


  As I said before, the Cuyahoga Falls & Hudson Railway (CF & H) was to
  operate on the former Pennsylvania Railroad tracks. The Pennsylvania RR ran
  a commuter service between Akron, Cuyahoga Falls and Hudson. A timed
  transfer at Hudson allowed passengers to continue on to Cleveland and vise
  versa. The Akron - Hudson service was operated with a gas-electric rail car
  (which had a 350 gallon gasoline tank mounted on the roof) and was given the
  local name of the "Doodlebug". On July 31, 1040 the gas-electric car was
  coming south on the line from Hudson. Orders were issued for the Doodlebug
  to take the siding at Silver Lake (they apparently didn't have enough money
  in Silver Lake to stop the railroad back in 1940) and wait for a
  northbound Pennsy freight train. For some reason the orders were ignored and
  the Doodlebug and the freight hit head on in the intersection of Front
  Street and Hudson Drive. The gasoline tank burst and exploded and 43 of 46
  passengers died at the scene. Oddly enough the only three people to survive
  were the engineer, conductor and brakeman of the Doodlebug. No injuries on
  the steam locomotive powered freight train. Attached is a photo of the
  Doodlebug before and after the accident.
  This accident was referred to in court testimony, against the CF & R, by the
  Silver Lake attorney probably as a fear measure. Of course, no 350 gallon
  gasoline tanks are now in use.

  -- 
  Herb Brannon
  In Cuyahoga Valley National Park



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