Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad

"CVSR" redirects here. For the solar power plant, see California Valley Solar Ranch.

File:Train in Peninsula Ohio.jpg

#800 picks up passengers at Peninsula Ohio station.

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad

Locale	Cuyahoga Valley National Park from Independence, Cuyahoga County to Canton, Stark County, Ohio
Dates of operation	1972 or 1973–Present
Predecessor	Chessie System
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length	51 miles (82 km) leased from National Park Service and via trackage rights over Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway
Headquarters	1664 Main Street/Route 303, Peninsula, Summit County, Ohio
Website	http://www.cvsr.com/

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

History

File:CVSR-Brecksville-82.jpg

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.

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

File:CVSR365-CantonLincoln.jpg

CVSR engine 365 sits at the Canton Lincoln Highway Station.

File:CVSR-NBath-Flood.JPG

Flood damage to CVSR tracks north of Bath Road.

File:CVSR-NVaughn-Flood.jpg

Cuyahoga River flooding CVSR tracks north of Vaughn Road.

File:CVSR-Bike.jpg

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 the train 1822 during a Polar Express excursion.

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.

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 (in 2008), CVSR operates on weekends in January through May and September, and Wednesday through Sunday in June through August and October. One train makes (3) daily round-trips from Independence to Akron, which takes about 3 hours (1½ hours one-way). The Akron-Canton run has not been regular since 2012. Occasional trips, however, are planned to Canton.

Scenic excursions

CVSR offers scenic trips along the path of the Valley Railway.

Train to Canton

In summer 2003, CVSR began service between Akron and Canton. CVSR provides service between Akron Northside Station and Canton Lincoln Highway Station. Passengers will have approximately 4½ hours to visit some of the city's unique attractions, including the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Canton Classic Car Museum, and William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum. Unfortunately, the tracks between Akron and Canton will not support passenger trains at a reasonable speed to allow CVSR to serve Canton. The last regularly scheduled trains to Canton were in the summer of 2012. In 2013, a few excursions went to Canton, but there were none in 2014.

Flooding

Flooding caused by heavy rains in July 2003 damaged the tracks throughout the park and forced the cancellation of these runs for the remainder of the 2003.

Stations

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad

Legend Rockside Station Canal Visitor Center Station State Route 82 Brecksville Station Chippewa Creek Cuyahoga River Boston Mills Historic District Interstate 271 Ohio Turnpike Cuyahoga River Boston Run Peninsula State Route 303 Cuyahoga River Furnace Run Indigo Lake Yellow Creek Botzum Sand Run Akron, Ohio State Route 261 State Route 8 State Route 18 Interstate 76 State Route 764 U.S. Route 224 State Route 241 State Route 619 U.S. Route 62 State Route 687 Canton

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad's current "flag stop" passenger stations:

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad - Stations

Coordinates	Elevation	Name	Address	Nearby Points of Interest
	598 feet (182 m)	Rockside Station	7900 Old Rockside Road, Independence, Ohio 44131	GCRTA Routes 35 and 77F bus connection; Eleven Mile Lock 39; Thornburg Station (food)
	611 feet (186 m)	Canal Visitor Center	Canal Road & Hillside Road, Valley View, Ohio 44125	Canal Visitor Center, Twelve Mile Lock 38
	635 feet (194 m)	Brecksville Station	13512 Station Road, Brecksville, Ohio 44141	Station Road Bridge; Pinery Dam & Feeder, and Lock 36; Whiskey Lock 35
	663 feet (202 m)	Boston Mill Station	7100 Riverview Road, Peninsula, Ohio 44264	Boston Store Visitor Center, Boston Lock 32, Lonesome Lock 31, Wallace Lock 33, Boston Mills Ski Resort, food
	693 feet (211 m)	Peninsula Depot	1630 West Mill Street, Peninsula, Ohio 44264	Peninsula Visitor Center, Peninsula Lock 29, Peninsula Feeder Lock 30, Deep Lock 28 and Quarry, food
	739 feet (225 m)	Indigo Lake	Riverview Road, Peninsula, Ohio 44264	Hunt Farm Visitor Center, Beaver Marsh, Pancake Lock 26, Johnny Cake Lock 27
	741 feet (226 m)	Howe Meadow	4040 Riverview Road, Peninsula, Ohio 44264	Hunt Farm Visitor Center, Everett Road Covered Bridge
	754 feet (230 m)	Botzum (Indian Mound) Station	2912 Riverview Road, Akron, Ohio 44313	Niles Lock 24, Mudcatcher Lock 25
	885 feet (270 m)	Akron Northside Station	27 Ridge Street, Akron, Ohio 44308	Mustill Store, Quaker Square, National Inventors Hall of Fame a.k.a. Inventure Place
	1,029 feet (314 m)	Canton Lincoln Highway Station	1315 Tuscarawas Street West, Canton, Ohio 44702	McKinley Memorial Mausoleum, Canton Museum of Art, First Ladies National Historic Site

(former) CUVA/WLE branch and yard
Overview
Type	Scenic Passenger Railway
System	Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad
Locale	Independence and Valley View, Cuyahoga County; Akron and Peninsula, Summit County; Canton, Stark County, Ohio
Termini	Rockside Station, Independence, Cuyahoga County and Canton Lincoln Highway Station, Canton, Stark County, Ohio Akron Northside Station, Summit County, Ohio
Stations	10
Services	2
Operation
Opened	1972 or 1973
Owner	Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad
Operator(s)	Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad
Character	Class III railroad
Technical
Line length	51 miles (82 km)
Track length	51 miles (82 km)
No. of tracks	1 to 3
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Highest elevation	571 feet (174 m)

Equipment

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. Features etched glass. Used in charter trains.
89	Lonestar	Dining car	Rebuilt by CVSR	Rebuilt in 1993 from circus train car. Originally built for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and named "Shenango".
110-114		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. Streamlined. Car 110 is the only car in service, but NOT in regular service. As of 05/28/2014
161-169		Coaches	ex-MARC Train	Leased from METRO Regional Transit Authority.
688		Head end power car	ex-Amtrak	Rebuilt by Amtrak from a 1951 troop kitchen. Has two Detroit Diesel 271 engines and two 375-KW generators.
727	Invacare	Combine car	ex-Central of Georgia Railway	Acquired 1995. Used for handicapped accessibility.
727	ADA Car	Combine car		Used for handicapped accessibility.
1105	Emerson	Dome car	This car was originally built for the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Originally named the Silver Bronco for use on the California Zephyr. The car later saw service on the Rio Grande Zephyr until 1983.	Acquired 2011.
2914		Coach	ex-New York Central Railroad	Built 1948 by Budd Company. NOT in regular service
3450		Baggage car	ex-Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway	Built 1940s Budd Company. As of 05/28/2014 IS used in regular "Bike-A-Board" (copyright cvsr 2014), service.
6217		Coach	ex-Seaboard Coast Line Railroad	Built 1947 by Budd Company. Acquired 1996. NOT used in regular service as of 05/28/2014
8700		Dining car	ex-Amtrak, née-Southern Pacific Transportation Company	Built 1950. Used on the Auto Train. Acquired 2002.
9084		Baggage car	ex-Grand Trunk Western Railroad	Built by American Car and Foundry Company. Acquired 1992. As of 05/28/2014 is NOT used for the "Bike-A-Board" service.
		5 Boxcars
		2 Flatcars

Management

• George Snider, Board Chairman
• Craig Tallman, President/CEO
• Andrew R. Tyson, Treasurer
• Leslie Hoffman, Financial Director
• Larry Blanchard, Director of Operations

See also

• 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

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

General references

•  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Park Service.

External links

• Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad