Hocking Valley Scenic Railway facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Hocking Valley Scenic Railway

Overview
Headquarters	33 West Canal Street P.O. Box 427 Nelsonville, Ohio 45764
Reporting mark	HVSR
Locale	Nelsonville, Ohio from Nelsonville, Athens County to Logan, Hocking County, Ohio
Dates of operation	1972–Present
Predecessor	Chesapeake & Ohio Railway
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length	Approx. 12 miles (19 km)
Other
Website	http://www.hvsry.org/

The Hocking Valley Scenic Railway is a special kind of train ride that takes you on a fun trip through the beautiful Hocking River valley in Ohio. It's a non-profit group run by volunteers. This means people who love trains give their time to make sure you can enjoy these historic rides!

The railway operates out of Nelsonville, Ohio, which is in Athens County, Ohio. It's also super close to the amazing Hocking Hills State Park in Hocking County, Ohio. The trains run on old tracks that were once part of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. The Hocking Valley Scenic Railway started operating in 1972.

All About the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway

Most of the tracks used by the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway are part of something called the Hocking Valley Railway Historic District. This means they are important historical places! They are listed on the National Register of Historic Places for Athens County, Ohio.

These tracks used to belong to the Hocking Valley Railway. Later, they became part of the bigger Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. When the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway first started, they used a steam locomotive named No. 33. This train was built in 1916. Today, the tourist trains travel between Nelsonville and a spot just east of Logan, Ohio.

History of the Railway

Building the First Tracks (1864-1930)

The story of these tracks began in April 1864. A company called the Mineral Railroad wanted to build a train line between Columbus, Ohio and Athens, Ohio. This was a distance of about 72 miles! Not much happened until 1867, when the Mineral Railroad changed its name to the Columbus & Hocking Valley Railroad.

The train line was finished in parts between 1868 and 1870. The very first passenger train ran on July 25, 1870. The main thing these trains carried was coal. They also moved clay products. Over time, this railroad joined with others and became the Columbus, Hocking Valley and Toledo Railroad in 1881. This new system stretched from Lake Erie all the way to the Ohio River. In 1899, it became the Hocking Valley Railway. Then, in May 1930, the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway took over.

The C&O Years (1930s-1980s)

Passenger train service on these tracks stopped on December 31, 1949. By this time, the coal business was slowing down south of Columbus. The C&O company was very busy with trains running between Columbus and Toledo. Eventually, only one local train, called the "Nelsonville Turn," was left. It stopped running around 1980.

Starting the Scenic Railway (1972)

Even as the big railway was slowing down, the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway was just getting started! It began operating in 1972 on seven miles of old tracks near Carbon Hill, Ohio. Three men, Frank L. McCauley, Ted Goodman, and Jerry Ballard, created the HVSR.

They first wanted to buy a different abandoned train line. They even bought three old passenger cars! But that first line was scrapped before they could buy it. Luckily, they found the Monday Creek line just in time and bought it from the company that was going to scrap it. Before all this, they had already bought a steam locomotive in 1965. It was No. 33, and they were working to fix it up.

Early Days on Monday Creek (1970s)

In the very beginning, the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway's "station" was just a tarp held up by four poles! Later, a small building was given to them. Eventually, they used an old train office building from Lancaster, Ohio as their depot.

In the early 1970s, during the winter, locomotive No. 33 was stored and fixed up at a bigger train yard. But in 1976, the HVSR got its own engine house in Nelsonville. Volunteers built the tracks to this new building. This was the first time the railway had its own indoor shop! The early years were tough financially, but the railway kept going. It was also in the late 1970s that the popular Santa Claus trains began. They still run every year!

Moving North (1980s)

Around 1980, the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway started to move its operations. They began using the current station site at 33 West Canal Street in 1981. This spot is near where the original train stations used to be.

At the end of 1981, the railway got its first diesel locomotive, No. 7318. The current station building was built in 1982. It was designed by Ted Goodman, one of the railway's founders. In 1982, two more steam locomotives arrived, donated by American Electric Power. These were No. 3 and No. 2. The old Monday Creek Branch tracks were finally removed in 1983.

Reaching Logan (1980s-1990s)

As the bigger train companies moved out of the area, the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway realized it needed to connect to the outside world by rail. So, they started buying more of the old tracks between Logan and Nelsonville. By 1985, the HVSR was running trains to places like East Clayton and Diamond.

By the late 1980s and early 1990s, the trains were running on the route you see today, between East Logan and Nelsonville. They also had shorter trips to Haydenville, Ohio, a historic company town. In the late 1980s, the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway got another diesel locomotive, GP7 No. 5833. In the early 1990s, it was painted to look like it did when it was new.

In 1995, the railway lost its first engine house. Because of this, and new rules for steam engines, locomotive No. 33 had to stop running in 1996. It was later traded for another diesel locomotive, GP10 No. 701, in 2003. Now, No. 701 helps out No. 5833, giving the older train a break!

What You Can See Today

The Hocking Valley Scenic Railway uses historic train cars and locomotives. They offer fun rides through the beautiful Hocking River valley. They also have special trips throughout the year! These include wine-tasting trips, Easter Bunny trains, "robbery trains" (where actors pretend to rob the train!), and the very popular "Santa Trains." In 2013, the Travel Channel even called it one of the world's best family train trips!

Locomotives and Cars

Today, the railway uses several diesel locomotives. These include:

• Electro-Motive Division-built GP7 No. 5833, which used to belong to the C&O.
• GP10 No. 701, which used to be with the Illinois Central Gulf railroad.
• Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton RS-4-TC No. 4005.
• General Electric 45-tonner No. 7318.

There's also a coal-burning steam locomotive, No. 3, that was being fixed up in their Nelsonville shop. It used to belong to the Ohio Power Company. In 2019, the restoration of No. 3 was finished! It moved on its own in April 2019 for the first time in many years. No. 3 is now running and even pulled the "Friendliest Train Robbery" service!

The passenger cars include:

• Commuter coaches from the Chicago & Northwestern and Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific railroads.
• A day-coach and a baggage-passenger car from the Baltimore & Ohio (the baggage-passenger car is the oldest, built in 1917!).
• Two open-air cars made from old flat cars, with wooden bench seats.

All the enclosed cars have heating. A special car, called a transfer caboose, creates electricity for the trains.

Locomotives

Gallery