# Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad

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:
* A person died in 2004 after being hit by RS18U 1822 during a Polar Express excursion.
* 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.
* 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.

## 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

| Stations | Address | Elevation | Nearby Points of Interest |
| 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 | 739 feet (225 m) | Hunt Farm Visitor Center, Beaver Marsh, Pancake Lock 26, Johnny Cake Lock 27 |
| Howe Meadow stop | 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 :
| Manufacturer | Model | Description | Road Numbers | Notes |
| ALCO American Locomotive Company | Alco C420 | Road/Switcher | 365 | In Service |
| Budd Company | RDC-1 | Rail Diesel Car | M-3, 9801, 9802 | All Out of Service |
| Budd Company | RDC-9 | Rail Diesel Car | 6003 | Out of Service. |
| MLW Montreal Locomotive Works | MLW FPA-4 | Passenger | 6771, 6773, 6777, 6780 (B&O Livery; formerly numbered 800) | 6773 In service, 6771, 6777 and 6780 Out of Service and 6773 is former Grand Canyon Railway. |
| MLW Montreal Locomotive Works | MLW FPB-4 | Passenger | 6871 | Former Grand Canyon Railway; Out of Service |

#### Former Locomotives

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad - Retired Locomotives :
| Manufacturer | Model | Description | Road Numbers | Notes |
| MLW Montreal Locomotive Works | MLW FPA-4 | Passenger | 6767 | Used as parts, cab roof cut off in February 2021 for use in restoration of ATSF 59L |
| Budd Company | RDC-1 | Passenger | 6146 | Scrapped for Parts. Ex Boston and Maine |
| ALCO American Locomotive Company | RS-3 | Road/Switcher | 4056, 4088, and 4099 | 4099 sold to Age of Steam Roundhouse in 2011, 4056 and 4088 cannibalized for parts |
| ALCO American Locomotive Company | RSD-5 | Passenger | 1689 | Sold to Illinois Railway Museum |
| MLW Montreal Locomotive Works | MLW RS-18 | Road/Switcher | 182 and 1822 | 182 was A RS-18 and 1822 was A RS-18U, Both sold to LTEX in 2024 |
| MLW Montreal Locomotive Works | MLW C-424 | Road/Switcher | 4241 | Sold to LTEX in 2024. |

#### Visiting Locomotives

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad - Visiting Locomotives :
| Manufacturer | Model | Description | Road Numbers | Notes |
| Electro-Motive Diesel | EMD GP15-1 | Road/Switcher | 1420 1419, 1443 | In Service; On lease from Larry's Truck & Electric. Ex-CR 1643, 1642 and 1681. Unit 1420 leased from 2011 to 2015. |

### Cars

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad - Cars :
| Number | Name | Type | Heritage | Notes |
| 1 | St. Lucie Sound | Observation/bar/sleeping/lounge car | ex-Florida East Coast Railway | Acquired 1995 and out of service. |
| 89 | "Lone Star" | Concession/Diner car | ex-Baltimore and Ohio | Acquired 1993 and sold in 2019. |
| 105 | | Coach/ADA car | ex-Boston and Maine Railroad/Virginia Railway Express | Demotorized Budd Rail Diesel Car (Boise Budd). Acquired 2008, In service and used for handicapped accessibility. |
| 110–115 | | Lightweight coaches | ex-Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway, New Jersey Transit Rail Operations, Penn Central Transportation Company, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway | Built 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. |
| 161 | Steven W. Wait | Dining car | ex-MARC Train, Pennsylvania Railroad | Converted to dining car in early 2019 and in service. |
| 8283 | Sharon Inn | Edu-trainment car | ex-MARC Train, Pennsylvania Railroad | Converted to educational car for kids in 2019-2020 and in service. Re-lettered and re-numbered in 2020. |
| 8244 | Beaver Falls Inn | Coach | ex-MARC Train, Pennsylvania Railroad | In Service and re-lettered and re-numbered in 2022 |
| 164 | R.T. Green Family | Coach | ex-MARC Train, Pennsylvania Railroad | Out of Service |
| 165 | George Washington Cooper | Coach | ex-MARC Train, Pennsylvania Railroad | Renamed in 2018 and in service. |
| 8260 | Greensburg Inn | Coach | ex-MARC Train, Pennsylvania Railroad | Preserved in honor of Ruth Renner Percy, re-lettered and re-numbered in 2020 and in service. |
| 167 | Simon Perkins | Coach | ex-MARC Train, Pennsylvania Railroad | In Service |
| 8243 | Astabula Inn | Coach | ex-MARC Train, Pennsylvania Railroad | Preserved by the Clarence Reinberger Foundation, re-lettered and re-numbered in 2020 and in service. |
| 169 | "Culver Inn" | Coach | ex-MARC Train, Pennsylvania Railroad | In Service |
| 357 | | Head end power car | ex-US Army | Acquired 2018 and in service. |
| 377/CZ-10 | Silver Solarium | Dome/Observation car | ex-Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad | Built 1948. Acquired 2018 and in service. |
| 450 | Silver Peak | Baggage car | ex-Chicago, Burlington and Quincy | Built 1940 by Budd and Out of Service. |
| 688 | | Head end power car | ex-Amtrak, US Army | Rebuilt by Amtrak in the 1970s from a 1951 troop sleeper and Out of Service. |
| 727 | Fort Mitchell | Combine car/ADA car | ex-Central of Georgia Railway | Acquired 1995 and sold in 2021 to The Southern Appalachia Railway Museum. |
| 1105 | Silver Bronco | Dome car | ex-Rio Grande Zephyr, Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad | Acquired 2011 and in service. |
| 1129 | | Baggage car | Northern Pacific | Built 1947. Acquired 2009. Upgraded for Bike Aboard program and in service. |
| 2914 | A.A. Augustus | Coach | ex-New York Central Railroad | Built 1948 by Budd Company. Converted to dining car in 2018 and Out of Service. |
| 3126 | Cuyahoga Inn | Dining car | ex-Amtrak, Pennsylvania Railroad | Built by Budd in 1949. Acquired 2006 and Out of Service. |
| 3450 | Knight Foundation | Baggage car | ex-Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway | Built 1940s Budd Company. Out of Service. |
| 4718 | Silver Lariat | Dome car | ex-Burlington Northern Railway | Built 1948 by Budd. Acquired 2018 and in service since 2021. |
| 6217 | "Nancy S. Labuda" | Coach | ex-Seaboard Coast Line Railroad | Built 1947 by Budd Company. Acquired 1996. Renovated as a premium coach in 2019 and In Service. |
| 8449 | Silver Rapids | 10-6 Sleeper car | ex-Pennsylvania Railroad | Built 1948 by Budd. Acquired 2018 and Out of Service because of mold. |
| 2989 | | Cafe car | ex-Amtrak, Southern Pacific Transportation Company | Built 1950. Used on the Auto Train. Acquired 2002, re-numbered in 2021 and in service. |
| 8704 | Furnace Run | Cafe car | ex-Amtrak, Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad | Acquired 2007 and in service. |
| 79896 | | Caboose | ex-Adirondack Scenic Railroad, Canadian National | Built 1977. Acquired 2016 and sometimes in service and sometimes out of service. |
| 8266 | Latrobe Inn | Coach | ex-MARC Train, Pennsylvania Railroad | Built 1949 by Budd. Acquired 2013 and in service. |
| 801 | Silver Salon | Lounge/ADA Car | ex-Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad | Built 1947 by Budd. Owned and operated by the Indiana Transportation Museum from 1983 to 2018, sold to private owner. Resold to East Tennessee Rail Services Inc. In May 2021. Acquired 2021 and in refurbishment. |

## Management

As of 2021, the railroad's management consists of:
* 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