Here is the new "Welcome to Ludlow" sign as you enter town and pass under the CNO&TP main. Ludlow as most of you know was the locomotive terminal for the Southern in Cincinnati dating to the very beginnings of the Cincinnati Southern Railway. They chose a unique image to depict the railroad that certainly reflects recent events. Sorry for the image quality, it was taken with a camera phone.
Mr Landrum,
Any good railfanning in Ludlow or should I head on across the big water?
There are SO many things I could say, but after the last thread about a Chinese engine, I just wont.... A PS4 would have been a little more fitting I think...
Norm, to answer your question. Ludlow does have a couple of great spots for photography, but not without some serious trespassing which of course is never a good thing. There is a killer Tele shot of Southbounds coming off the Ohio River Bridge, plus a few angles around the engine house there. Someone with your credentials could probably pull that off :)
Erik may be able to provide better directions, but just South of Ludlow there are Two decent sized bridges as the RR jumps a couple of Valleys. Those used to be shootable, but may be grown up by now.. its been years since I was there. Crescent Springs is also a good place to watch up there, with good views from public property.
Emmett, thanks for the advice. In regards to limited access areas, I try not to use any "trump cards" although it is sooo tempting at times. ;) I've actually had pretty good luck just finding an employee and asking if I can wander around a little as long as I stay out of structures and off the tracks or equipment.
From looking at Eric's cincyrails.com website and his yahoo group, it seems like a day trip to the Cincinnati area would offer lots of interesting railfanning, I just haven't sat down and cleared the schedule and done it yet.
There are a number of good photo ops on Erlanger Hill that do not involve "visiting" company property. The third trestle over Amsterdam Road is nice. My favorite shot is from Mt. Echo Park on the Ohio side of the river. With a good 200mm+ zoom lens, you can get some great photos of one of the trestles as well as some CSX and I&O action. The Ludlow facility itself is patrolled by Ludlow Police and they tend to run people off promptly. Further up the hill (south) in Crescent Springs provides better public access and some nice photo ops. I hope this helps some.