Cedar Point and Lake Erie Railroad - 1967

Interesting and enjoyable. Thanks for posting.

LOVE the videos! Thanks Walt. I barely remember the old long train route from when I was a kid. When I worked in the park in the mid 70s, I always enjoyed riding the train as a way to chill out.

One year living in the Cedars, we were on the side facing the CP&LE RR. We used to shoot bottle rockets out the window that would explode right over the RR crossing guard shack! It was great fun, pissed off the CP Police, and we never got caught.

I still got to know the Chief of CP Cops well, though, since I'd get my I'd yanked at least twice a season for speeding on Perimeter Rd in a Food Service truck.

I'm curious how the old layout was. I have great memories of CP&LE RR from the early 70s, but don't recall the track running that close together. Can anyone give more detail on the old configuration and when it was change from its current layout?

Yes, CP&LE Engineer should have the maps that we had on the old website, I might have a copy of those files, I'll have to do a little searching.

This is the lead off chapter of what was on the website. There is a map of the original route included http://www.cplerr.com/SSSngbay.html

Sorry I just saw thjs. I might have a map saved somewhere. The line was originally routed between the engine house and Cedars. The outbound track next to Cedars and the inbound track along the shop. When perimeter rd was put in the tracks were moved to the other side of the shop. Then when the million dollar midway was built the station was moved to it current location. Cedar Junction used to be part of the mainline coming back from what would be become frontier town.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/cplerr/13906292625/in/dateposted-public/

Thank you all for the information. I find the history of CP&LE very fascinating. I've been going to the park since 1971 and had no idea the route had changed so many times.

Can anyone more experienced than me explain exactly where, in the perspective of where things are today, thenold train robbery scene took place? I cannot envision the hill or the barn described in the article. What stands in that location today? Thanks.

If you are facing Panda Express, it would be to the right on the old in bound main from Frontiertown. Cedar Junction isn't​ exactly where it used to be, but you can still tell where the tracks crossed the trail. It was all still connected at one time after the station was moved to its current location and the track rerouted. But I don't believe there was ever an active crossing there. It would be the area where the yellow and blue lines come together coming back to main in the Flickr link in my previous post. Also Cedar junction did not exist until the station was moved.

Thanks, I appreciate the clarification... i'm not trying to be dense, but I'm having some trouble decoding the google earth landmarks. Would it be correct to say the robbery took place under the lift hill for Millenium Force as the train was coming back from frontiertown? And also, does the diagram depict a station approximately where the Turnpike cars were until recently? Thanks again

The Main Midway station was approximately where the Dive In food stand is now.

No, the return line would not be under the lift hill. Valravn's dive is about where the station was. The car rides were across the road/path from station. Traffic to Breakers used to cross the midway until Perimeter Rd was built.

This may help.