Seeing Marion, Ohio

 A couple of weeks ago, I saw a posting on Facebook about Marion, Ohio.  It was a picture of a train and a pretty good one at that.  I ended up looking it up and I saw that it wasn't too far.  So last Sunday, I went over there to check it out.  It looked pretty cool but it rained the whole time I was there, so I couldn't get any pictures because it was a nasty rain and pretty much soaked me the second I got out of the car.

So I decided to head back down there yesterday.  It was misting but it wasn't too bad in parts of the day.  I at least got to check it out.

An old Eire and Lackawanna Caboose.  The control tower is behind it.  That used to be the tower that would control the area but it was moved over and shortened a bit.  Apparently there is a working signal board still in it.  I didn't go up into it.  Next time.

There are three sets of tracks that surround the depot.

This one used to be a C&O line.

And it is still occupied.

Another view of the tower.

The station is pretty neat looking.  Unfortunately, I couldn't get a good angle on it.

You can go inside and there is all sorts of train memorabilia.

I looked at my B4UFLY app and saw that it was clear to fly my drone here.  So I did.  The tower from on high.

I was able to move my drone around to get angles I couldn't otherwise get.

Another view of the station.

Another view of the tower.

The track on the left is a CSX line and I think it comes from Fostoria.  The track running across the picture is another CSX line.  The line on the right is a Norfolk-Southern line.

A view of Marion.  It is like many towns in the Midwest in that it has seen better days.  It looks better than some of the other towns I've been through.  It is the home of President Warren Harding.  There is a pretty cool memorial to him.  I saw it last time and I'll get pictures on another day.

Looking up at the CSX line.  

It wasn't too long before a train appeared.

Another shot of it.

Another angle of the station.

Had to get a picture of the tower with a train in it.

As I was leaving town, I saw this train.

It was waiting for a clear signal.

If you look carefully in the back, you can see an old coal tower.

I messed with different angles.

And I took my drone up.

The stopped train gave me the chance to try different angles and different heights.

From the other side.

I kind of like this one.

A little higher.  I'm not sure I like it this high, the train seems to get lost in the terrain.

As I was getting ready to leave, the train started to move.

It was pretty cool.

I don't think I've ever noticed this much smoke from one before.

It was misting and that kind of messed with my pictures.

It gets up to speed.

And then it starts to pour on the smoke.

Not a fan of stern pictures usually, but I like this one.

And this one.  There was train coming up but I didn't think I would see it with this train.

All in all, I enjoyed Marion.  I might have to get there earlier, apparently.  Someone I talked to said there were more trains in the morning and later in the day.  The afternoons usually have a loll.  I still saw a couple of trains, so it wasn't a complete waste of time.

Next time I go, I'll have to check out some other places.