Alliance Ohio (Go Ohio Series part 1)

 

"I never regret the thing I did, but I do regret the things 

I didn't take the opportunity to do" ~ET 

 An NS Train Rolls past the Amtrak Station in Alliance  

      Overview:    If your looking for a good one day trip to watch trains and enjoy ham radio then look no further than Alliance Ohio. Alliance is situated approximately 18 miles NE of Canton Ohio and about 30 Miles SE of Akron. The history of the city of Alliance, begins in 1850 when two major railroad lines, the Ohio & Pennsylvania and Cleveland & Wellsville Railroads intersected in Liberty, once known as “The Crossing”. Three small communities, Williamsport (founded 1827), Freedom (founded 1830), and Liberty (founded 1850) merged at this time. Four years later in 1854, the village incorporated as Alliance. In 1889, the village of Mount Union (founded 1833) was annexed into the city Alliance.

     Through the years the railroads merged became the Pennsylvania railroad, then Penn Central, Conrail and now Norfolk Southern. There are two major lines  that interconnect and that is the Pittsburgh line and the Cleveland line that provide most of the traffic along with the two smaller secondary's the Bayard line and the Fort Wayne Line. One can expect to see about a train an hour or so on the Cleveland- Pittsburgh line and possibly a few on the other secondary lines however, don't be disappointed  if there is no trains on these as they have been downgraded in the past few years. 

    

    There is a picnic table that is there to provide a place to sit if you so desire however a lot of rail fans choose to bring their own lawn chairs, just make sure they are back far enough not to get in anybody's way. In rainy or cold weather some take the 1500 ft trip down to the Amshack or the Amtrak station shelter however this also could warrant a visit from Alliance Police depending on ones behavior or a pissed off train crew. Another point to remember is this is an active Amtrak station and the trains usually  come early in the morning  so overnight or late night stays can also arouse suspicion along with drawing attention from the night club across the street from the station.

Ham Radio:

There is plenty of ham radio opportunities Alliance, One of the staples is the Alliance Amateur Radio club (W8LKY) and they maintain a 2 meter and 70cm repeater that from the Amtrak station can be reached easily with a good handheld and antenna set up using less than 5 watts

On Tuesday evening at 7 pm they host a Homeland Security net on simplex frequency of 147.510 Mhz

They also host on Thursday evening a 10 meter net at 8 PM Eastern, on 28.420 Mhz.

They sometimes shift frequency due to QRM, but are never far off of 420.

Also on Thursday might at 9 pm they host the 2 meter net on the club repeater (Frequencies listed below) so there is plenty of weekday QSO opportunities. However if you are accused of causing interference just be courteous and stop.

Food and dining:

There a ton of food places in Alliance up on State street however it is best to bring a lunch, and snacks with you, otherwise it is circle K and a few other Gas stations. However if you want one of the best trackside greasy spoons check out the Burger hut located a few blocks away form the Amtrak station. They are located right next to the Cleveland line so you won't have to miss out on the action. This place has been threatened by closing so give it a try before they are gone. 

Listening in and other Frequencies :

Railroad operations:

161.070 ARR ch 64 Road and Dispatcher Channel

Berea and Pittsburgh (ex-Conrail/NYC/PRR)

Alliance and Crestline (ex-Conrail/PRR)

Cleveland and Parma (ex-C0nrail/NYC)

Toledo terminal area (ex-Conrail lines)

160.800 ARR Ch 46 Road and Dispatcher Channel

Toledo and Chicago (ex-Conrail/NYC)

Toledo and Detroit (ex-Conrail/NYC)

Youngstown and Ashtabula (ex-Conrail)

Youngstown and Warren Secondary lines

Meadville, Pa., line (ex-Conrail/Erie)

Ham radio:

 2 meter repeater

145.370 (- offset)

W8LKY

Tones

• Transmit: 110.9 hz

• Receive: 110.9 hz

---

70cm Repeater

442.350 (+ offset)

W8LKY

Tones

• Transmit: 131.8 hz

• Receive: 131.8 hz

So if you are looking for a place to watch trains and enjoy ham radio this is one place that wont let you down either way. I hope you enjoyed this segment of my go Ohio series and look for a video later this year, As always remember God is still in control, stay safe and blessed 73 my friends until next time. 

Directions to Alliance

From Canton/Massillon and West:

Follow US 62 East to the first exit for Alliance. US 62 is State Street in Alliance.

From Minerva and South:

Follow SR 183 North. This route is Union Avenue in Alliance.

From Salem and East

Follow US 62 West. This route is State Street in Alliance.

From Interstate 76 and North:

From Akron or Cleveland: Follow I-76 East and take the exit for SR 14 South (Alliance exit). Turn right on SR 183 South and follow this route to Alliance. SR 183 is Union Avenue in Alliance.

From Youngstown: Follow I-76 East and take the exit for SR 225 South (Alliance exit). This route ends at SR 183 which is Union Avenue in Alliance.