Busy times in Cincinnati! It's mid-1949, just outside of Cincinnati Union Depot, and the depot is still a constant hive of activity. Starting at the rearmost main, we see LE&E train number 63, the
Continental Limited, pulling into the depot. Here, the train will be handed off to the OR&W, which will handle the train the remainder of the way to St. Louis.
We also see CA&L train number 118, the
Advance Gulf Ranger, backing into the station. Destined for New Orleans, this train will need to back across the Belt Line's Ohio River bridge (just behind the camera) to the CA&L's Covington yards before being wyed to face the correct direction. The lack of space on Cincinnati's waterfront and in downtown Covington necessitated this lengthy maneuver, requiring the CA&L to keep switchers on stand-by at the depot to pilot the rear end of their outbound passenger trains as a time-saving measure.
In the foreground, a MNRR E-1 leads a mixed freight destined for their Ohio River yard past a L&A time-freight, inbound from Lexington. While neither road utilized the Union Depot, both roads used the station's freight bypass tracks to access their respective facilities. In the background, a LE&E switch crew prepares to shuffle mail and express cars towards the terminal. These cars and possibly more will likely be forwarded on 63 to St. Louis.