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

History

Formation

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. 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. The project was then resurrected by the financial support of David L. King, who owned various acres of property in the area. 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. Construction of the railroad's right-of-way began, but following the Panic of 1873, a lack of funding halted the project again. 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.

Operations

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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. While the Chessie System was initially reluctant, the company's chairman, Cyrus Eaton, agreed to allow the foundation trackage rights for the division. The Cuyahoga Valley Line's inaugural train ran on June 26, 1975. 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. 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. The Cuyahoga Valley Line resumed its excursion operations in 1988. 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. In June 1999, construction was completed by the NPS on a new shop facility for the CVSR to use for locomotive maintenance. 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." 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. In late June 2024, the CVSR acquired an Alco FPA4 and an FPB4 from the Grand Canyon Railway, giving it a total of five locomotives. 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. CVSR said it intended to purchase an additional FPA4 and FPB4 from the Grand Canyon Railway in the future.

Future

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.

Accidents

The CVSR has had several accidents in recent history:

Operations

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.

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.

Steam in the Valley

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.

Explorer

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.

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.

Stations

Equipment

Locomotives

Former Locomotives

Cars

Management

, the railroad's management consists of:

General references