Berea may just be the name of another suburb in Cleveland to most people, but to railfans, Berea is a Railfan hot spot that is known by many throughout the Midwest, and the country! The railfanning hotspot that we know of today was originally the meeting point of two railroads; the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern and the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Both of these railroad companies were eve
ntually absorbed into the burgeoning New York Central System, which took full control of both railroads at the end of 1914. During the New York Central years, Berea was a major interchange location for trains coming from the east, as it provided trains the ability to proceed west towrards Toledo and Chicago on the former LS&MS, or trains could be routed in a more south-west direction, towards Columbus and Indianapolis. During the Penn Central and Conrail years, Berea had begun to change in it's significance. Berea eventually became known as "The Conrail X", due to the fact that Berea was one of Conrail's most vital interchange locations. Trains had continued to interchange lines here throughout the Conrail years, making Berea a premier railfanning hotspot in Ohio. However, after Conrail was split between Norfolk Southern and CSX in 1999, Berea had changed yet again. After Conrail, Berea was no longer much of an interchange location, but instead, a meeting point. Norfolk Southern had received the former LS&MS mainline to Chicago (Known today as the Chicago Line), while CSX picked up the former Big Four (Known today as the Indianapolis Line). Today, both railroads send dozens of trains through Berea, making this location a railfan's paradise!