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Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad

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"CVSR" redirects here. For the solar power plant, see California Valley Solar Ranch.
Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad
Overview
Headquarters1664 Main Street/Route 303, Peninsula, Summit County, Ohio
LocaleCuyahoga Valley National Park
from Independence to
Akron OH
Dates of operation1975–Present
PredecessorChessie System
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length26 miles (42 km) leased from National Park Service[1]
Other
Websitehttp://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)
OH-82.svg 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:

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]

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.

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 train 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 the train in a collision in Peninsula, OH.[10]

Today

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

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.

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.

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.

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[11]

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.

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 Polar Express

Around mid-November and continuing through mid-December, the CVSR provides special Polar Express themed excursions both during the day as matinees and in the evenings. The excursions are only offered out of Rockside and Akron Northside stations. 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 elves read the story of the Polar Express, serve 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.

Bike Aboard

For $5 a bicyclist may ride the train one way from any one of CVSR's 9 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 Bike Aboard program 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)[19]
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[20]
Manufacturer
 Model
 Description
 Road Numbers
ALCO American Locomotive Company Alco C420 Road/Switcher 365
Budd Company RDC-1 Rail Diesel Car M-3
MLW Montreal Locomotive Works MLW C-424 Road/Switcher 4241
MLW Montreal Locomotive Works MLW FPA-4 Passenger 800, 6771, 6777
MLW Montreal Locomotive Works RS-18 Road/Switcher 1822

Cars

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad - Cars[21]
Number
 Name
 Type
 Heritage
 Notes
1 St. Lucie Sound Observation/bar/sleeping/lounge car ex-Florida East Coast Railway Acquired 1995.
105 Coach/ADA car née-Boston and Maine Railroad Demotorized Budd Rail Diesel Car RDC-3 combine. Acquired 2008 and used for handicapped accessibility.
110-112 Lightweight coaches ex-Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway, exx-New Jersey Transit Rail Operations, exxx-Penn Central Transportation Company, née-Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Built 1939 Budd Company. Acquired 1994.
161 Steven W. Wait Dining car ex-MARC Train, née-Pennsylvania Railroad Converted to dining car in early 2019.[22]
8283 Sharon Inn Edu-trainment car ex-MARC Train, née-Pennsylvania Railroad Converted to educational car for kids. [23] Re-lettered and re-numbered in 2020.[24]
163 Siegfried F. Buerling Coach ex-MARC Train, née-Pennsylvania Railroad
164 R.T. Green Family Coaches ex-MARC Train, née-Pennsylvania Railroad
165 George Washington Cooper Coach ex-MARC Train, née-Pennsylvania Railroad Renamed in 2018.[25]
8260 Greensburg Inn Coach ex-MARC Train, née-Pennsylvania Railroad Preserved in honor of Ruth Renner Percy, re-lettered and re-numbered in 2020.[26]
167 Simon Perkins Coach ex-MARC Train, née-Pennsylvania Railroad
8243 Astabula Inn Coach ex-MARC Train, née-Pennsylvania Railroad Preserved by the Clarence Reinberger Foundation, re-lettered and re-numbered in 2020.[27]
169 Spirit of Summit Coach ex-MARC Train, née-Pennsylvania Railroad
357 Head end power car née-US Army Acquired 2018.
377 Silver Solarium Dome/Observation car née-Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Built 1948. Acquired 2018.[28]
450 Silver Peak Baggage car née-Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Built 1940 by Budd.
688 Head end power car ex-Amtrak, née-US Army Rebuilt by Amtrak from a 1951 troop kitchen.
727 Fort Mitchell Combine car/ADA car née-Central of Georgia Railway Acquired 1995. Used for handicapped accessibility.
1105 Silver Bronco Dome car ex-Rio Grande Zephyr née-Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Acquired 2011.
1129 Baggage car née-Northern Pacific Built 1947. Acquired 2009. Upgraded for Bike Aboard program.[29]
2914 A.A. Augustus Coach née-New York Central Railroad Built 1948 by Budd Company. Converted to dining car in 2018.[30]
3126 Cuyahoga Inn Dining car ex-Amtrak, née-Pennsylvania Railroad Acquired 2006.
3450 Baggage car née-Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Built 1940s Budd Company.
4718 Silver Lariat Dome car née-Burlington Northern Railway Built 1948 by Budd. Acquired 2018.
6217 Coach née-Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Built 1947 by Budd Company. Acquired 1996. Renovated as a premium coach in 2019.[31]
8449 Silver Rapids 10-6 Sleeper car née-Pennsylvania Railroad Built 1948 by Budd. Acquired 2018.
8700 Cafe car ex-Amtrak, née-Southern Pacific Transportation Company Built 1950. Used on the Auto Train. Acquired 2002.
8704 Furnace Run Cafe car ex-Amtrak, née-Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Acquired 2007.
79896 Caboose ex-Adirondack Scenic Railroad, née-Canadian National Built 1977. Acquired 2016.

Management[32]

  • Joe Mazur, President/CEO
  • Bobby Dinkins, Vice President of Development and Marketing
  • Greg Domzalski, Director of Finance
  • Jeremy Schroeder, Director of Operations
  • Kelly Koehler, Director of Events

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. ^ https://s6d5h5k2.stackpathcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/2019-2021-CVSR-Strategic-Plan.pdf
  2. ^ "Roster of Equipment". Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. Archived from the original on 2008-05-09.
  3. ^ "Steam Returns to the Cuyahoga Valley". Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. Archived from the original on 2012-03-14.
  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. [dead link]
  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. ^ https://www.cvsr.org/national-park-scenic/
  12. ^ https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2010/09/cuyahoga_valley.html
  13. ^ https://www.cvsr.org/bike-aboard/
  14. ^ https://www.cantonrep.com/article/20130708/NEWS/307089914
  15. ^ "Directions". Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.
  16. ^ "Cuyahoga Valley National Park - map" (PDF). National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-06-25.
  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. ^ "Cuyahoga Valley National Park - map". Summit County Engineer Viewer.
  20. ^ https://www.cvsr.org/our-fleet/
  21. ^ https://www.cvsr.org/our-fleet/
  22. ^ https://poweringahead.cvsr.org/
  23. ^ https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2019/10/cuyahoga-valley-scenic-railroad-opens-innovative-edu-trainment-car.html
  24. ^ https://www.cvsr.org/our-fleet/
  25. ^ https://www.cvsr.org/cuyahoga-valley-scenic-railroad-to-rename-car-for-civil-war-vet/
  26. ^ https://www.cvsr.org/cvsr-hosts-ceremony-renner-percy-family-car/
  27. ^ https://www.facebook.com/CVSRailroad/posts/today-car-168-received-new-lettering-and-a-new-number-the-car-has-been-renamed-t/2830190563753494/
  28. ^ Hlavaty, Kaylyn (2018-09-13). "Historic railcars arrive from California as newest addition to the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad". newsnet5. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  29. ^ https://www.nps.gov/cuva/learn/news/upload/Transit-In-Parks-Program-Flier-smaller-file.pdf
  30. ^ https://poweringahead.cvsr.org/
  31. ^ https://www.beaconjournal.com/news/20190613/cuyahoga-valley-scenic-railroad-to-add-rolling-childrens-museum-car-and-another-for-corporate-board-meetings
  32. ^ https://www.cvsr.org/board-staff/

General references

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.
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