THE GREGARIOUS RAILFAN

Railfanning fact sheet for Berea

Berea, OH   44017 (population, 19,093)

GPS: N 41.3809; W 81.8546

Scanner: CSX: 160.485, 160.860, 160.800 and 160.995; NS: 161.070, 160.980, 160.350, 161.250

Description: Berea, Ohio is located in north central Ohio (a western suburb of Cleveland).  Berea has heavy train traffic on two mains that run parallel at the location. The best train watching is on Railroad St. just west of Front Street.  CSX has a double main closest to Depot St. and NS also has a double main just north of CSX. The trains do move at speed so be very alert and do not stay too close to the tracks. Just west of The Depot parking lot on the North side of Depot St. is the David McKay Memorial plaque, honoring a well known local railfan photographer.  Preferred railfan parking is on the South side of Depot St. across from this plaque.  Parking is also allowed in the west end of The Berea Union Depot Taverne lot if you don’t interfere with customers or their parking.  

Approximate # trains per 24 hours: 55 NS, 48 CSX, plus Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited and Capitol Limited (on NS)

Nearby RR stuff: Mad River and NKP RR Museum in Bellevue, OH, 55 miles west.

Photo opportunities: Wide angle shots of speeding trains or close roster shots from Depot St.  East of the Depot on Front Street, there is an overpass with sidewalks from which there is good viewing with opportunity for elevated photos; although directly over the tracks there are high chain link fences restricting good photos.   

Gregariousness quotient: Medium to High; many railfans appear on the weekends and even a few during the week.

Local Fast Food: Almost anything can be found along Bagley Street (east or west)

Local Pub and grub: This is the location of The Berea Union Depot Taverne. It serves upscale pub food ($$$). In Nearby Olmstead Falls Taqueria Junction is a unique and surprising Mexican Pub, 8154 Columbia Road, Olmsted Falls, Ohio (N 41.37366, W 81.90168)

Best choice for lodging: Chain hotels are numerous east, on Bagley near I-71

Personal observations: A fun place to railfan with friendly locals.

“Those who never retract their opinions love themselves

more than they love truth.”  - Joseph Joubert

Denver Todd is The Gregarious Railfan

Todd Sestero publishes the RAILFAN GUIDES of the U.S.

November 2014

WE WELCOME YOUR INPUT, PLEASE SEND US YOUR ADDITIONS, CRITICISMS, AND SPECIALLY CORRECTIONS., But please be gentle, this is just a hobby and we are amateurs.

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