In these December, 1942 photographs, we catch a troop train, no doubt moving troops and equipment towards the east coast to be shipped overseas. LE&E R-3a 2251 and an unknown heavy Mountain tag-team the heavy consist as it hits NYC rails in Sterling Falls.
Due to the priority of wartime military traffic, troop trains frequently "cut the corner," between Akron and Cleveland, using LE&E rails from Akron to Sterling Falls, and then NYC rails from Sterling Falls to Cleveland. Both roads pooled power for these troop movements between those two points, with each road using power as available. Here, we see our train passing NYC's "B" yard in Sterling Falls. In the foreground, a NYC 0-8-0 switches M4 Sherman tanks into an eastbound, as a H10a waits patiently to depart with a general merchandise freight.
Our train now switches over to track 1 as it leaves the yard limits.
Our train charges towards Lakewood as we catch a glimpse of some of the wartime traffic moving today.
At Lakewood, our train slows to pick up orders at the depot as it crosses the LE&E's West Park branch in the background.
Rounding the curve at Oak Hill.
Entering Olympus, Ohio, we catch a wreck train waiting in the wings for the tower operator to signal it through the station and onto the West Park branch to address a minor derailment that occurred earlier in the day.
As our train crosses the diamonds, we catch a 2-8-8-2 on the point of a general merchandise freight headed for 8th Avenue yard in Sterling falls (via the LE&E's CCFtW&C line). Due to the derailment, this train has been routed over the "passenger mains" instead of the West Park branch.
With a new crew in command, our train charges out of Olympus and across the CCFtW&C diamonds. Once this train reaches Cleveland, it will be handed off to the NYC, who will forward it on to New York. Although the LE&E was the preferred routing for traffic to Boston, their line to the Big Apple left something to be desired, especially in comparison to their larger competitors, the NYC and PRR.