Lake Shore Live Steamers.com

Located at

Penitentiary Glen
8668 Kirtland-Chardon Rd
Kirtland, Ohio 44094

East Wind with billowing smoke rising from the stack in the cool weather of the day as Frank Foti passes through Zip Junction on his way back to the station after testing out his train. With temperatures in the low 30s and a slight rain falling you can see ice forming on the tree branches .

Paul Zorko is passing through Hemlock with club members Mike Harkleroad, Wayne Boron and John Koontz on his mandatory trip around the track before hauling passengers. It's a cold foggy wet day with the temperature just above freezing and a slight drizzle of rain falling.

Mike checks the air pressure for brakes on Paul's engine as Ken Brooks starts to load Frank's train and George Metts watches. Frank departs the station with the first load of passengers for the run with billowing smoke from the open steam cocks on the cylinders and the exhaust from East Wind.

Mike leaves the station with the SW6 and his passengers for his first run of the day. Ken Brooks, running the club's GP38, has only taken a partial load of passengers because the wet and slippery rails on our grades out in the woods.

Frank nears the end of his run as he coasts into the station and will shortly unload his passengers. A few minutes later Mike pulls in on track one as he approaches the station.

You can almost see the glowing coals in the hot firebox of East Wind as Frank moves his train from the unloading area to the loading area in front of the station. Paul running his train has just ascended the grade at Mackey's Run and shortly will be rumbling across the Big Bend Bridge.

Ken passes by the photographer at Mackey's Run as he follows along behind Paul. Viewed from the other side of the track at Mackey's Run, Frank storms by with East Wind giving off great steam vapors out of the exhaust stack.

Paul as he passes through Mackey's run again as he heads to points West with his passengers. Frank is he comes off the Truss Bridge with East Wind with whistle blowing and the steam exhaust billowing skyward.

Paul with another load of passengers as he rumbles across the Big Bend bridge with his SW6 which is a Morris engine. A good spot for viewing the trains at eye level and here we see Ken with the GP38 as he makes his way across the bridge.

Next up, East Wind puts in an appearance with a wisp of the exhaust rising from the stack as Frank heads for Pandora. Mike at the controls of the SW6 giving relief to Paul from the cold but at least he's all smiles as he makes his way towards the Big Bend Bridge.

Ken comes by with his passengers and it has stopped raining for a while, maybe we won't have too bad of a time with this run. Frank comes by with whistle blowing, safeties lifted as the exhaust shrouds the train as he heads for Big Bend Bridge.

Mike as he heads for Ridgeway with his passengers, will soon be rumbling over the 120 foot long wooden Big Bend Bridge. Ken has just passed through the Truss Bridge and will be soon be passing over the Park access grade crossing.

It's a good thing Frank doesn't have to steer that train as I don't think he can see where he's going with all that steam vapor. On the grade by Mackey's Run, Dick Clark was putting down cleanser on the rails for traction for the trains to make the grade.

The rain has started again and Don Speidel is at the controls of the SW6 with rain gear on as he starts out on his first run of the day with a load of passengers. The line wasn't very long for the public waiting to ride the trains but it was wet out.

Rick Nagy takes over for Ken and a light rain is falling as Wayne checks with the riders to make sure there's nothing that can hang, snag or get caught on the riding car as the train starts to move away from the station. As time passed I snapped another picture of Rick with another load of bundled up passengers as he departed the station.

More and more ice is accumulating on the branches of the trees as the rain freezes. Here's Frank as he ascends the grade from Gulch as he heads towards High Creek with the short load of passengers due to the ice on the rails.

Rick crossing over Patty's Rock Bridge and you can see the rain, which is coming down heavier now, in the flash from the camera. The rain drops are increasing in size and the cameramans getting wet as he takes a picture of Frank coming off Gulch Bridge.

Following shortly behind Frank was Don and at the close range from the camera not much rain was shown caught in the flash, but it was. Up at the station, Frank departs with another load of passengers as he heads for Drudgery and passes over the switch to Short.

Darkness is settling in and the fog persists on this rainy afternoon with maybe 30 riders left to take the trains before the end of the run. It may have been raining, but the public was smiling when they got on the trains for a ride through the woods in the rain.

Maybe 10 or 11 passengers waiting to ride the trains that come back into the station to load for the next trip around in the rain. Rick departs the station and maybe there's one more trainload of passengers waiting to ride and that will conclude our run for today.