Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad is a Class III railroad[2] operating diesel-electric and steam-powered[3] excursion trips through Peninsula, Ohio in the Cuyahoga Valley, primarily through the scenic Cuyahoga Valley National Park.[4]

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad
Overview
Headquarters1664 Main Street/Route 303, Peninsula, Summit County, Ohio
Reporting markCVSR
LocaleCuyahoga Valley National Park
from Independence to
Akron OH
Dates of operation1975present
PredecessorChessie System
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length26 miles (42 km) leased from National Park Service[1]
Other
Websitehttps://www.cvsr.org/
Route map

Cleveland Union Terminal (B&O)
Brooklyn (B&O)
Willow (B&O)
South Park (B&O)
Rockside
Canal Exploration Center
Alexanders (B&O)
Brecksville (B&O)
Jaite (B&O)
Boston Mill (B&O)
Peninsula Depot (B&O)
Everett (B&O)
Indigo Lake
Ira (B&O)
Botzum (B&O)
Old Portage (B&O)
Big Bend
Akron Northside (B&O)
to Akron CT&V Depot (B&O)
to Akron Union Depot (B&O)
Akron Junction (B&O)
East Akron (B&O)
Krumroy (B&O)
Myersville (B&O)
Aultman (B&O)
North Canton (B&O)
Canton Lincoln Highway
Canton (B&O)
North Industry (B&O)
East Sparta (B&O)
Sandyville (B&O)
Mineral City (B&O)
Valley Junction (B&O)

Key:

History

CVSR Brecksville station, set against the scenic Route 82 bridge over the Cuyahoga River Valley, is one of several stations modeled after historic train stations within Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Based on a track bed and rails originally laid down around 1880, right-of-way ownership transitioned over the years from Valley Railway to Cleveland Terminal & Valley Railroad (CT&V), to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, to the Chessie System. Currently, the National Park Service own the rails and right-of-way within Cuyahoga Valley National Park. CVSR co-operates with Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway (WLE) on operation of the railroad track south of CUVA to Canton. Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad operates their excursion trains in co-operation with both the NPS & WLE.[5][6]

The history of trains in the Cuyahoga Valley stretches back more than 100 years. In 1880, the Valley Railway began operations, transporting coal to Cleveland, Akron, and Canton from the Tuscarawas River Valley and providing passenger service along the way. After a decade of operation, the Valley Railway became part of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. In the 20th century, competition from automobiles, trucks, and buses caused the decline of both freight and passenger service. Interest in the line was renewed in 1972 as a scenic excursion route and the Cuyahoga Valley Preservation and Scenic Railway Association was born.

Today

Originally known as the Cuyahoga Valley Line, the scenic railroad now operates as Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad (CVSR).

From the current CVSR Rockside station, (other railroads') existing tracks follow the West Bank of the Cuyahoga River to along: Valley Belt Road, Bradley Road, Jennings Road, Steelyard Drive, Holmden Avenue, Quigley Road; Crossing over the Cuyahoga River on the railroad draw bridge near Quigley and West 3rd, then follow the east bank of the Cuyahoga River to Canal Road near Commercial Road, ending up along Canal Road between Ontario Avenue and West 2nd Street.

Future

Several Ohio and Erie Canal-oriented organizations in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and Summit County are pushing for extension of CVSR operations farther North along the Canal corridor into Cleveland. Some other organizations have been researching the feasibility of commuter rail operations between Akron-Canton and Cleveland.

One of the big issues to be resolved would be scheduling and controlling access since the tracks through Cleveland and Newburgh Heights are used by freight train traffic, and much of the route above is single track with limited sidings.

Accidents

CVSR engine 365 sits at the Canton Lincoln Highway Station.
Flood damage to CVSR tracks north of Bath Road.
Cuyahoga River flooding CVSR tracks north of Vaughn Road.
CVSR staff load and transport bikes with a Bike and Hike ticket.

The CVSR has had a few accidents in recent history including most recently hitting a car at a crossing. A person died in 2004 after being hit by RS18U 1822 during a Polar Express excursion.[7][8]

On June 18, 2009, an automobile collided with a weekday train at an ungated crossing with no warning lights. The driver of the car was not expecting the train as he thought it only ran at weekends.[9]

On July 13, 2012, a southbound CVSR train struck an eastbound car at the Portage St. crossing in northern Stark County. The elderly female driver was killed.

On November 1, 2015 a pedestrian was killed by FPA-4 6780 when it was still numbered 800 in a collision in Peninsula, OH.[10]

Schedule

CVSR's schedule varies with seasonal demands. Currently, CVSR operates on Saturdays in January–February, Saturdays and Sundays in March–April, Fridays-Sundays in May and Tuesdays-Sundays in June through October. In November, the scenic train runs on weekends only due to The Polar Express. One train makes daily round-trips from Independence to Akron, which takes about 3 hours (1½ hours one-way).

Operations

CVSR offers a variety of trips throughout the year.

National Park Scenic

National Park Scenic excursions allow passengers to ride throughout the entire route as well as get on and off at various stations along the way.[11]

Steam in the Valley

Typically each year CVSR hosts visiting steam-powered equipment. Examples of such equipment include Ohio Central No. 1293, Viscose No. 6, and Nickel Plate Road No. 765.[12]

The North Pole Adventure

Around mid-November and continuing through mid-December, the CVSR provides special holiday themed excursions. These excursions are only offered out of Rockside station and Akron Northside station. Children (and even adults) are encouraged to ride in their pajamas. Elves greet passengers at the door and help them find their seats. While underway, the children write letters to Santa, get served hot chocolate and cookies, play games, and sing Christmas songs. Both trains eventually end up at the "North Pole". On the return trip, each child gets a surprise visit from a very important jolly fellow.

Explorer

For $5 a bicyclist may ride the train one way from any one of CVSR's nine stations. The bike is loaded onto a re-purposed baggage car and bikers are seated in a car directly following it. Similar programs are in place for hikers, runners and passengers with kayaks for a slightly different price. The Explorer program (previously known as Bike Aboard) is only offered from May through October.[13]

Train to Canton

In summer 2003, CVSR began service between Akron and Canton. CVSR provided service between Akron Northside Station and Canton Lincoln Highway Station until 2013.[14] Canton service ended due to lack of ridership and poor track conditions.

Stations

Stations
Address
[15][16]
Elevation[A] Nearby[B] Points of Interest Image
Rockside 7900 Old Rockside Road, Independence, Ohio 44131 598 feet (182 m) GCRTA Routes 51C (Rockside Rd) and 77F (Brecksville Rd) bus connection; Eleven Mile Lock 39; Thornburg Station (food)
Canal Exploration Center Canal Road & Hillside Road, Valley View, Ohio 44125 611 feet (186 m) Canal Visitor Center, Twelve Mile Lock 38
Brecksville 13512 Station Road, Brecksville, Ohio 44141 635 feet (194 m) Station Road Bridge; Pinery Dam & Feeder, and Lock 36; Whiskey Lock 35
Boston Mill 7100 Riverview Road, Peninsula, Ohio 44264 663 feet (202 m) Boston Store Visitor Center, Boston Lock 32, Lonesome Lock 31, Wallace Lock 33, Boston Mills Ski Resort, food
Peninsula Depot 1630 West Mill Street, Peninsula, Ohio 44264 693 feet (211 m) Peninsula Visitor Center, Peninsula Lock 29, Peninsula Feeder Lock 30, Deep Lock 28 and Quarry, food
Indigo Lake Riverview Road, Peninsula, Ohio 44264 [17] 739 feet (225 m) Hunt Farm Visitor Center, Beaver Marsh, Pancake Lock 26, Johnny Cake Lock 27
Howe Meadow stop[18] 4040 Riverview Road, Peninsula, Ohio 44264 741 feet (226 m) Hunt Farm Visitor Center, Everett Road Covered Bridge
Botzum 2912 Riverview Road, Akron, Ohio 44313 754 feet (230 m) Niles Lock 24, Mudcatcher Lock 25 (Station located in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio)
Big Bend 1337 Merriman Road, Akron, Ohio 44313 782 feet (238 m)
Akron Northside 27 Ridge Street, Akron, Ohio 44308 885 feet (270 m) Mustill Store, Quaker Square, National Inventors Hall of Fame a.k.a. Inventure Place
Canton Lincoln Highway 1315 Tuscarawas Street West, Canton, Ohio 44702 1,029 feet (314 m) McKinley Memorial Mausoleum, Canton Museum of Art, First Ladies National Historic Site

Equipment

Locomotives

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad - Locomotives[19]
Manufacturer
Model
Description
Road Numbers
Notes
ALCO American Locomotive CompanyAlco C420Road/Switcher365In Service
Budd CompanyRDC-1Rail Diesel CarM-3, 9801, 9802All Out of Service
RDC-9Rail Diesel Car6003Out of Service.
MLW Montreal Locomotive WorksMLW C-424Road/Switcher4241Permanently Out of Service after four of its 16 cylinders failing and also a fire.
MLW FPA-4Passenger6771, 6777, 6780 (B&O Livery; formerly numbered 800)6771 and 6777 In service and 6780 Out of Service.
RS-18Road/Switcher1822, 182182 is a High Hood and 1822 is a Low Hood and they are both out of service

Former Locomotives

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad - Retired Locomotives[19]
Manufacturer
Model
Description
Road Numbers
Notes
MLW Montreal Locomotive WorksMLW FPA-4Passenger6767Used as parts, cab roof cut off in February 2021 for use in restoration of ATSF 59L
Budd CompanyRDC-1Passenger6146Scrapped for Parts. Ex Boston and Maine
American Locomotive CompanyRS-3Passenger4099Sold to Age of Steam Roundhouse in 2011

Cars

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad - Cars[19]
Number
Name
Type
Heritage
Notes
1St. Lucie SoundObservation/bar/sleeping/lounge carex-Florida East Coast RailwayAcquired 1995 and out of service.
89"Lone Star"Concession/Diner carex-Baltimore and OhioAcquired 1993 and sold in 2019.
105Coach/ADA carDemotorized Budd Rail Diesel Car ex-Boston and Maine RailroadRDC-3 combine. Acquired 2008, In service and used for handicapped accessibility.
110–115Lightweight coachesex-Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway, New Jersey Transit Rail Operations, Penn Central Transportation Company, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe RailwayBuilt 1939 Budd Company. Acquired 1994, 110 "Mary S. & David C. Corbin" temporary out of service, 111 & 112 "General John Stark" out of service, 113 & 115 sold in 2005 to Oklahoma Railway Museum and 114 "Barrlet Salon" sold in 2006 to a defunct restaurant in Fennville Michigan.
161Steven W. WaitDining carex-MARC Train, Pennsylvania RailroadConverted to dining car in early 2019 and in service.[20]
8283Sharon InnEdu-trainment carex-MARC Train, Pennsylvania RailroadConverted to educational car for kids in 2019-2020 and in service.[21] Re-lettered and re-numbered in 2020.[19]
8244Beaver Falls InnCoachex-MARC Train, Pennsylvania RailroadIn Service and re-lettered and re-numbered in 2022
164R.T. Green FamilyCoachex-MARC Train, Pennsylvania RailroadOut of Service
165George Washington CooperCoachex-MARC Train, Pennsylvania RailroadRenamed in 2018 and in service.[22]
8260Greensburg InnCoachex-MARC Train, Pennsylvania RailroadPreserved in honor of Ruth Renner Percy, re-lettered and re-numbered in 2020 and in service.[23]
167Simon PerkinsCoachex-MARC Train, Pennsylvania RailroadIn Service
8243Astabula InnCoachex-MARC Train, Pennsylvania RailroadPreserved by the Clarence Reinberger Foundation, re-lettered and re-numbered in 2020 and in service.[24]
169"Culver Inn"Coachex-MARC Train, Pennsylvania RailroadIn Service
357Head end power carex-US ArmyAcquired 2018 and in service.
377/CZ-10Silver SolariumDome/Observation carex-Chicago, Burlington and Quincy RailroadBuilt 1948. Acquired 2018 and in service.[25]
450Silver PeakBaggage carex-Chicago, Burlington and QuincyBuilt 1940 by Budd and Out of Service.
688Head end power carex-Amtrak, US ArmyRebuilt by Amtrak in the 1970s from a 1951 troop sleeper and Out of Service.
727Fort MitchellCombine car/ADA carex-Central of Georgia RailwayAcquired 1995 and sold in 2021 to The Southern Appalachia Railway Museum.
1105Silver BroncoDome carex-Rio Grande Zephyr, Denver & Rio Grande Western RailroadAcquired 2011 and in service.
1129Baggage carNorthern PacificBuilt 1947. Acquired 2009. Upgraded for Bike Aboard program and in service.[26]
2914A.A. AugustusCoachex-New York Central RailroadBuilt 1948 by Budd Company. Converted to dining car in 2018 and Out of Service.[20]
3126Cuyahoga InnDining carex-Amtrak, Pennsylvania RailroadBuilt by Budd in 1949. Acquired 2006 and Out of Service.
3450Knight FoundationBaggage carex-Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe RailwayBuilt 1940s Budd Company. Out of Service.
4718Silver LariatDome carex-Burlington Northern RailwayBuilt 1948 by Budd. Acquired 2018 and Out of Service.
6217Coachex-Seaboard Coast Line RailroadBuilt 1947 by Budd Company. Acquired 1996. Renovated as a premium coach in 2019 and Out of Service.
8449Silver Rapids10-6 Sleeper carex-Pennsylvania RailroadBuilt 1948 by Budd. Acquired 2018 and Out of Service because of mold.
2989Cafe carex-Amtrak, Southern Pacific Transportation CompanyBuilt 1950. Used on the Auto Train. Acquired 2002, re-numbered in 2021 and in service.
8704Furnace RunCafe carex-Amtrak, Chicago, Burlington and Quincy RailroadAcquired 2007 and in service.
79896Cabooseex-Adirondack Scenic Railroad, Canadian NationalBuilt 1977. Acquired 2016 and sometimes in service and sometimes out of service.
8266Latrobe InnCoachex-MARC Train, Pennsylvania RailroadBuilt 1949 by Budd. Acquired 2013 and in service.
801Silver SalonLounge/ADA Carex-Chicago, Burlington and Quincy RailroadBuilt 1947 by Budd. Acquired 2021 and in refurbishment.

Management

As of 2021 the railroad's management consists of:[27]

  • Joe Mazur, President/CEO
  • Bobby Dinkins, Chief Operating Officer
  • Greg Domzalski, Director of Finance
  • Carl Bennett III, Director of Operations
  • Kelly Koehler, Director of Events
  • Katelyn Gainer, Director of Marketing and Communications
  • Lisa Brown, Director of Development

See also

Notes

^ A: Elevation or Altitude approximations obtained through Wiki ToolServer GeoHack link to United States Geological Survey National Elevation Dataset:
Where "-Longitude" is the degrees in decimal with the "W" suffix replaced by a "-" prefix
"Latitude" is the degrees in decimal without the "N" suffix.
^ B: "Nearby" means within a mile walk or so, one-way.

References

  1. "2019 - 2021 Strategic Plan" (PDF). Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.
  2. "Roster of Equipment". Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. Archived from the original on 2008-05-09.
  3. "Experience a Trip Back in Time Aboard Steam Engine No. 765". Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. July 11, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  4. "CVSR". Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.
  5. "Recreation - CVSR". Cuyahoga Valley National Park, National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior. Archived from the original on 2008-06-21.
  6. "Partnerships - CVSR". Cuyahoga Valley National Park, National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior.
  7. "Railroad Safety Statistics 2004 Annual Report" (PDF). Federal Railroad Administration, United States Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-04-22. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
  8. "Railroad Safety Statistics 2005 Annual Report" (PDF). Federal Railroad Administration, United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
  9. CR Rae (June 19, 2009). "Train accident in Springfield Township". The Suburbanite. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
  10. "Pedestrian killed by Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad train". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  11. "All Aboard the National Park Scenic Excursion". Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.
  12. Ewinger, James (September 11, 2010). "Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad picks up some steam with antique locomotive". Cleveland.com.
  13. "Bring Your Bike Aboard the Train". Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.
  14. Rink, Matthew (8 July 2013). "Scenic railway scales back trips to Canton". The Repository.
  15. "Stations". Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.
  16. "Cuyahoga Valley National Park Maps". National Park Service. National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  17. "Domestic Names - Search". United States Board on Geographic Names, United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  18. "Directions". Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. Archived from the original on 2008-05-14.
  19. "Our Fleet". Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.
  20. "Powering Ahead". Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.
  21. Segall, Grant (24 October 2019). "Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad opens innovative Edu-Trainment Car". Cleveland.com.
  22. Webb, Craig (September 28, 2018). "Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad to rename car for Civil War vet". Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.
  23. Nickel, Taylor (May 10, 2020). "CVSR Hosts Ceremony for the Renner-Percy Family Car". Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.
  24. "Today Car #168 received new lettering and a new number". Facebook. Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. August 20, 2020.
  25. Hlavaty, Kaylyn (2018-09-13). "Historic railcars arrive from California as newest addition to the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad". newsnet5. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  26. "Transit In Parks Program" (PDF). National Park Service.
  27. "Board & Staff". Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. Retrieved 7 May 2021.

General references

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