Ohio Central Railroad System
 | |
 An Ohio Central train in South Zanesville, Ohio | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Coshocton, Ohio |
| Reporting mark | OHCR, OSRR, CUOH, MVRY, OHPA, WTRM, YARR, YB, POHC, AOR |
| Locale | Ohio, Pennsylvania |
| Dates of operation | 1988–present |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
The Ohio Central Railroad System is a network of ten short line railroads operating in Ohio and western Pennsylvania. It is owned by Genesee & Wyoming.
Headquartered in Coshocton, Ohio, the system operates 500 miles (800 km) of track divided among 10 subsidiary railroads. Most of the system's routes were divested from Class I railroads and connect industries to the Class I railroads.
The Ohio Central operates on track owned by other entities, including a line from Newark, Ohio to Mount Vernon, Ohio owned by CSX[1] and the old Panhandle Route, owned by the State of Ohio.[2]
Railroads in the system[edit]
Ohio Central's rail system comprises[3]
- Ohio Central Railroad
- Ohio Southern Railroad
- Columbus and Ohio River Rail Road, the former Pennsylvania Railroad Panhandle Route
- Mahoning Valley Railway
- Ohio & Pennsylvania Railroad
- Ohi-Rail Corporation
- Warren & Trumbull Railroad
- Youngstown & Austintown Railroad
- Youngstown Belt Railroad
- Pittsburgh & Ohio Central Railroad[note 1]
- Aliquippa & Ohio River Railroad
Steam operations[edit]
As well as being a regular revenue railroad, the Ohio Central had its own steam department that operated steam locomotives for tourist trains, excursions, and special events. When owner Jerry Joe Jacobson sold OHCR in 2008, he maintained ownership of the antique equipment, including the collection of steam locomotives. He built the Age of Steam Roundhouse in Sugarcreek, Ohio to house that equipment. The collection includes the following:
Operational:
- Canadian National 1551
- Buffalo Creek & Gauley Railroad 13
- Grand Trunk Western 6325
- Southern Wood Preserving Company 3
- Canadian Pacific 1293
- Lake Superior and Ishpeming 33
Awaiting restoration:
Former engines:
- Baldwin Locomotive Works 26, was traded for Canadian National 1551 in 1986 to Steamtown.
- Reading 2100,[4] sold in 1998 to Tom Payne,[5] and it was moved to St. Thomas, Ontario.
- Mississippian Railway 76, sold in 2005 to the Steam Railroading Institute of Owosso, Michigan.
Jerry Jacobson died in 2017 at the age of 74.
Acquisition by Genesee and Wyoming[edit]
On August 5, 2008, Genesee & Wyoming announced an agreement to purchase the Ohio Central System for $219 million.[6][7] Approval was granted by the Surface Transportation Board on December 30, 2008.[8]
Notes[edit]
- ^ Formerly the Pittsburgh Industrial Railroad, a 42-mile (68 km) line from Arden to Neville Island, Pennsylvania. The Ohio Central purchased this line from RailAmerica, in December 2000 for $7.7 million. In 2005, the State of Pennsylvania awarded $2.1 million to repair flood damage along this line.
References[edit]
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 9, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2007.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Ohio Central RR hopes to lease Panhandle line". Coshocton Tribune. October 2007.[dead link]
- ^ "Ohio Central". Archived from the original on October 25, 2007.
- ^ Reading T-1 No. 2100--60 MPH pacing on the Ohio Central, archived from the original on December 12, 2021, retrieved October 24, 2021
- ^ "Life & Times: Railway Hall of Fame inductee and 'father of short-line railways' Tom Payne passes away". edmontonjournal. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- ^ Genesee & Wyoming, Inc. (August 4, 2008). "Genesee & Wyoming Inc. Signs Agreement to Acquire Ohio Central Railroad System" (Press release). Archived from the original on January 27, 2016.
- ^ "Connecticut company buys Ohio Central Railroad". Business First of Columbus. August 4, 2008. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
- ^ "GENESEE & WYOMING INC.—CONTROL EXEMPTION—ALIQUIPPA & OHIO RIVER RAILROAD CO.,THE COLUMBUS AND OHIO RIVER RAIL ROAD COMPANY, THE MAHONING VALLEY RAILWAY COMPANY, OHIO AND PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD COMPANY, OHIO CENTRAL RAILROAD, INC., THE PITTSBURGH & OHIO CENTRAL RAILROAD COMPANY, OHIO SOUTHERN RAILROAD, INC., YOUNGSTOWN & AUSTINTOWN RAILROAD, INC., THE YOUNGSTOWN BELT RAILROAD COMPANY, AND THE WARREN & TRUMBULL RAILROAD COMPANY". United States Surface Transportation Board. December 30, 2008. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016.