Linear Regression

I've always had a fondness for trains and railroads going back to childhood. Trains ran through the town where I grew up and the sound of train whistles is ingrained in my memory. Perhaps as a result, abandoned railroads are particularly sad scenes for me. I think of all of the energy focused on these old rails over the years as trains plied their way back and forth. The tracks in this scene are the remains of the abandoned Erie Lackawanna line on Route 306 in Aurora. I cross this section frequently and it always stirs up memories. It's been at least 20 years since a train ran through here. The connecting rails in the adjoining towns were removed long ago which leaves this section unattached. I'm not sure why these rails still remain. I'm sure it's just a matter of time until they are pulled up and nature reclaims all traces of the corridor.

 

Crumbling remains of a concrete battery vault at an abandoned railroad crossing. This scene is passed by thousands of motorists each day as they ply the adjacent state highway. And that's the only safe way to visit this place. To actually approach here on foot feels extremely unsafe. This is pedestrian-unfriendly in the extreme. People are simply not meant to be here and you feel it the moment your feet hit the ground. The crossing lies at the bottom of a small valley and the highway rises on each side. Cars and trucks appear on the crests without notice, and the flow of traffic is nearly constant and fast moving. The noise is incessant. The area is littered with scrap metal and car parts from the many collisions that have occurred here over the years. Rusty, jagged bits, broken glass, loose stone and gravel. Yet I love the thrill of being in places like this. It really seems to help fuel the creative process. I feel the same energy at abandoned buildings, and other places you're not supposed to be.  

At one point I looked up to see a man standing behind the fence idly peering down at me, probably wondering what I was doing down in this old gully. Sometimes I hold my camera aloft in situations like this in order to explain my presence wordlessly. But there seemed to be no need for that now. I knew there was no way he was going to leave the safety of that fence to come ask me questions.

Looking west, back toward Solon. Some of the old power lines still remain, and even a few green glass insulators.

Looking east from Route 306; the line made its way from here into the historic section of Aurora, then on to Mantua, Hiram and Garrettsville en route to Youngstown. The section between Mantua and Hiram is now a hike-bike trail.