Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad

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Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad

Overview
Headquarters	1664 Main Street/Route 303, Peninsula, Summit County, Ohio
Reporting mark	CVSR
Locale	Cuyahoga Valley National Park from Independence to Akron OH
Dates of operation	1975–present
Predecessor	Chessie System
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length	26 miles (42 km) leased from National Park Service[1]
Other
Website	https://www.cvsr.org/
Route map Legend Cleveland Union Terminal (B&O) Brooklyn (B&O) Willow (B&O) South Park (B&O) Rockside Canal Exploration Center Alexanders (B&O) SR 82 / Brecksville-Northfield High Level Bridge 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: CVSR B&O This diagram: view talk edit

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

During the 1860s, as railroad construction across the United States was booming, citizens of the Cuyahoga Valley area expressed their desires for their own railroad.^[5] Plans were subsequently made for a rail line to be built through the area, but they were quickly dropped, due to a lack of financial support.^[5] The project was then resurrected by the financial support of David L. King, who owned various acres of property in the area.^[5]

On August 21, 1871, the Valley Railroad Company was incorporated, with the intention of running trains from Cleveland to Akron, Middlebury, and Canton, rivaling the nearby Ohio and Erie Canal.^[5][6] Construction of the railroad's right-of-way began, but following the Panic of 1873, a lack of funding halted the project again.^[5] In 1878, capitalists from Cleveland and New York chose to fund the project, on the condition that the railroad company increased its capital stock, and construction subsequently resumed.^[5]

The first passenger train on the Valley Railroad's new route ran on January 28, 1880, between Cleveland and Canton. Regular passenger and freight operations began five days later, on February 2.^[5] The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) expressed interest in reaching Cleveland via the Valley Railroad's route, and in the fall of 1889, brokers from New York purchased the majority of the Valley Railroad's stock and turned them over to the B&O.^[7] The line between Cleveland and Akron was subsequently reorganized as the Cleveland, Terminal and Valley Railway; it later became known as the B&O's Valley Division.^[6][7][8] While the division was originally the route of various passenger trains that ran once a day, passenger operations gradually dwindled, until only one train remained—the Cleveland Night Express.^[7]

The Cleveland Night Express was discontinued by the 1960s, as competition from automobiles, trucks, and buses caused a major decline of both freight and passenger service on the division.^[7][9] The B&O's successor, the Chessie System, retained and upgraded the rails of the Valley Division to operate their daily ore trains between Cleveland and the steel mills in New Castle and Youngstown.^[7][10]

In the early 1970s, the Midwest Railway Historical Foundation expressed interest in using the railroad line between Cleveland and Akron for weekend tourist excursion operations, with Grand Trunk Western steam locomotive No. 4070 as the motive power.^[7][8][11] The foundation attracted support from Siegfried Buerling of Hale Farm, the Western Reserve Historical Society, and lawyer and Cleveland County Fair director Henry Lukes. A new organization—the Cuyahoga Valley Preservation and Scenic Railway Association—was formed in 1972.^[11] While the Chessie System was initially reluctant, the company's chairman, Cyrus Eaton, agreed to allow the foundation trackage rights for the division.^[7][8][11] The Cuyahoga Valley Line's inaugural train ran on June 26, 1975.^[11]

In 1985, the Chessie System's successor, CSX, obtained permission to abandon the right-of-way in favor of an alternate route that ran to Cleveland, and the Cuyahoga Valley Line consequently went through a hiatus without excursions for two ensuing years.^[8] In 1987, the National Park Service (NPS) purchased the Cleveland-Akron line for $2.5 million, intending to expand passenger train service on the line to attract visitors to the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area.^[8][12] The Cuyahoga Valley Line resumed its excursion operations in 1988.^[8][12]

In 1994, the Cuyahoga Valley Line was reorganized as the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad (CVSR), and expanded operations while upgrading their equipment with new ALCO and MLW diesel locomotives and Budd steel passenger cars.^[6][8] In June 1999, construction was completed by the NPS on a new shop facility for the CVSR to use for locomotive maintenance.^[10]

The railroad adopted a strategic plan which recommended that it expand its operational capabilities. To do so, additional locomotives would need to be purchased. The plan specified that the CVSR seek to become "the largest collection of preserved Alco locomotives in the country."^[13] The railroad established a capital campaign, "Leading the Way Locomotive Fleet", to help it acquire the engines. By June 2024, it had raised $1.5 million toward its goal of $3 million.^[13][14]

In late June 2024, the CVSR acquired an Alco FPA4 and an FPB4 from the Grand Canyon Railway,^[13] giving it a total of five locomotives.^[14] The acquisition allows the railroad to operate two trains at once. It also allows for one locomotive to receive maintenance without impacting the operational schedule, which will enhance reliability.^[14] CVSR said it intended to purchase an additional FPA4 and FPB4 from the Grand Canyon Railway in the future.^[13][14]

On January 26, 2023, the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency and its partner agencies established plans to extend CVSR from its current northern terminus at Rockside Road in Independence, Ohio, all the way into Cleveland.^[15]

The CVSR has had several accidents in recent history:

• A person died in 2004 after being hit by RS18U 1822 during a Polar Express excursion.^[16][17]

• In 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.^[18]

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

• In 2015 a pedestrian was killed by FPA-4 6780 (when it was still numbered 800) in a collision in Peninsula, Ohio.^[19]

CVSR offers a variety of trips throughout the year. It operates excursion trains, and in a partnership with the NPS, the railroad helps visitors access various parts of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The CVSR also co-operates with Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway (WLE) to operate on trackage south to Canton.^[9]

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.^[20]

Grand Trunk Western 4070, a steam locomotive, was originally the primary motive power of the CVSR, but since 1990, the locomotive has been out of service. During select operating years in the 21st century, the CVSR hosted steam excursion trains pulled by visiting steam locomotives, including Canadian Pacific 1293, Viscose Company 6, and Nickel Plate Road 765.^[21]

For a small fee, 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.^[22]

In summer 2003, CVSR began service between Akron and Canton. CVSR provided service between Akron Northside Station and Canton Lincoln Highway Station until 2013.^[23]

Stations	Address [24][25]	Elevation[A]	Nearby[B] Points of Interest	Image
Rockside	7900 Old Rockside Road, Independence, Ohio 44131	598 feet (182 m)	GCRTA Routes 54 (Rockside Rd) and 77 (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 [26]	739 feet (225 m)	Hunt Farm Visitor Center, Beaver Marsh, Pancake Lock 26, Johnny Cake Lock 27
Howe Meadow stop[27]	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

As of 2021^[update], the railroad's management consists of:^[36]

• 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

• ABC Railway
• ALCO RSD-5
• Heritage railway
• Cleveland railroad history
• List of crossings of the Cuyahoga River
• List of heritage railroads in the United States
• List of Ohio railroads
• List of Ohio train stations
• Ohio and Erie Canal

• Johnson, Ronald (July 1980). "The Cuyahoga Valley Line". Railfan & Railroad. Carstens Publications. pp. 49–52.
• Perri, Mark (June 2001). "An update from along the Crooked River". Railpace. Vol. 20, no. 6. Railpace Company, Inc. pp. 27–30.

• Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad

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