Beaver Park RR Crossing – Then & Now

Courtesy Lorain Historical Society

I found this undated photo of the infamous "Killer Crossing" – the railroad crossing at Beaver Park – down in the archives of the Lorain Historical Society. The wintery view is looking west, with West Erie Avenue visible at the left edge of the photo.

It's kind of hard to come up with a time frame for the photo without any vehicles.

Anyway, here's my corresponding shot from last weekend (below). I was very careful when I stopped on the tracks to get it!

As you can see, the bridge on the right has been replaced, and the Beaver Park Marina building at 6101 West Erie on the south side of the highway is visible.

The one thing that's consistent in both photos, though, is the presence of billboards along U. S. Route 6.

You might remember that railroad crossing lights and gates were finally installed in 2007 thanks to the efforts of a little girl who sadly lost her father there at the crossing in 2006. You can read the story of Jennifer Bracken here on the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen website.