The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, Through The Cuyahoga Valley National Park

The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad dates back to 1972 when the railroad began operating excursion trains on what was then track owned by the Chessie System. Prior to the Chessie System the line was owned by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, before that the Cleveland Terminal & Valley Railroad (which was purchased by the B&O), and originally built by the Valley Railway to serve farmers and local towns and communties, along with hauling coal to nearby Akron and Cleveland. As traffic began drying up on the line the Chessie System saw less and less of a need for the route and leased it to the CVSR, eventually outright selling the line to the railroad and the National Park Service in 1985.

Today the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad has become a very popular tourist attraction in northern Ohio, in no small part thanks to the three large cities it is located near. However, another reason for its success is the wide range of services it offers guests. Not only does the railroad include its standard 41-mile round trip between the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Akron, and Canton but it also operates numerous special trains throughout the year including a wine tasting train, Day Out With Thomas (The Tank Engine), Easter Bunny Express, Polar Express, Halloween Express, and the Christmas Tree Adventure. Add to this stops along the railroad’s route which includes the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Akron Zoo, Hall Farm and Village, and the Stan Hywet Hall and Garden and its no wonder the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad sees thousands of riders annually.

As mentioned before the CVSR is an Alco haven with models ranging from FPAs to RS3s. Below is a current roster of the railroad:

· #365 – Alco C420 (Originally Atlantic Coast Line)

· #800 – Alco FPA-4 (Painted in B&O colors but originally Canadian National)

· #1689 – Alco RS-3 (Originally Chicago & North Western and painted in C&NW’s livery)

· #1822 – Alco RS-18 (Originally Canadian Pacific)

· #4099 – Alco RS-3 (Originally Delaware & Hudson)

· #4241 – Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) C424 (Originally Canadian Pacific)

· #6771 – Alco FPA-4 (Originally Canadian National)

· #6777 – Alco FPA-4 (Originally Canadian National)

Along with the railroad’s fleet of diesel locomotives it also owns a fleet of diesel powered rail cars or better known as RDCs, which are listed below:

· #M-3 – RDC 1 (Originally New York, Susquehanna & Western)

· #6003 – RDC-9 (Originally Boston & Maine)

· #6146 - RDC-1 (Originally Boston & Maine)

· #9801 – RDC-1 (Originally New York, New Haven & Hartford)

· #9802 – RDC-1 (Originally New York, New Haven & Hartford)

So, if you’re ever in northern Ohio or near the cities of Cleveland, Akron, and/or Canton please stop by and check out the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad which not only provides a comfortable, climate-controlled train ride but also fabulous scenery through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Lastly, if you have the time please consider volunteering to help them with not only restoration work but also maintaining their railroad. I am sure they would very much appreciate the help!

For more information on tourist railroads like the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad you might want to consider the book Empire State Railway Museum's Tourist Trains 2006 from the Empire State Railway Museum. Given excellent reviews this guidebook covers nearly all of the tourist railroads and museums operating in the country in fine detail. So, if you’re interested in locating a tourist train or railroad near you, or simply want to know more about a particular one, you will certainly not be disappointed in Empire State Railway Museum’s guidebook to tourist railroads and museums. If you're interested in perhaps purchasing this book please visit The Railroad Diamond by clicking the tab in the menu to your left marked "TRD Store".