The Ohio Central Railroad System is a network of ten
short line railroad
:''Short Line is also one of the four railroads in the American version of the popular board game Monopoly, named after the Shore Fast Line, an interurban streetcar line.''
A shortline railroad is a small or mid-sized railroad company that opera ...
s operating in
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
and western
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. It is owned by
Genesee & Wyoming
Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) is an American short line railroad holding company, that owns or maintains an interest in 122 railroads in the United States, Canada, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom and formerly Australia. It operates ...
Headquartered in
Coshocton, Ohio
Coshocton is a city in and the county seat of Coshocton County, Ohio, United States approximately 63 mi (102 km) ENE of Columbus. The population was 11,216 at the 2010 census. The Walhonding River and the Tuscarawas River meet in Cos ...
, the system operates of track divided among 10 subsidiary railroads. Most of the system's routes were divested from
Class I railroads
In the United States, railroad carriers are designated as Class I, II, or III, according to annual revenue criteria originally set by the Surface Transportation Board in 1992. With annual adjustments for inflation, the 2019 thresholds were US$5 ...
and connect industries to the Class I railroads.
The Ohio Central operates on track owned by other entities, including a line from
Newark, Ohio
Newark ( ) is a city serving as the county seat of Licking County, Ohio, United States, east of Columbus, at the junction of the forks of the Licking River. The population was 49,934 at the 2020 census, which makes it the 15th largest city in ...
to
Mount Vernon, Ohio
Mount Vernon is a city in Knox County, Ohio, United States. It is located northeast of Columbus. The population was 16,990 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Knox County.
History
The community was platted in 1805, and named after Mo ...
owned by
CSX
CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...
and the old
Panhandle Route
The Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, commonly called the Pan Handle Route (Panhandle Route in later days), was a railroad that was part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system. Its common name came from its main line, whi ...
, owned by the
State of Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
.
Railroads in the system
Ohio Central's rail system comprises
*
Ohio Central Railroad
*
Ohio Southern Railroad
*
Columbus and Ohio River Rail Road, the former
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...
Panhandle Route
The Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, commonly called the Pan Handle Route (Panhandle Route in later days), was a railroad that was part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system. Its common name came from its main line, whi ...
*
Mahoning Valley Railway
*
Ohio & Pennsylvania Railroad
*
Warren & Trumbull Railroad
The Warren and Trumbull Railroad is a part of the Ohio Central Railroad System, which was bought by Genesee & Wyoming Inc. in 2008, operating three lines in and near Warren. It began operations in 1994 on a line formerly operated by CSX Transpo ...
*
Youngstown & Austintown Railroad
*
Youngstown Belt Railroad
*
Pittsburgh & Ohio Central Railroad[Formerly the Pittsburgh Industrial Railroad, a line from Arden to Neville Island, Pennsylvania. The Ohio Central purchased this line from ]RailAmerica
RailAmerica, Inc., based in Jacksonville, Florida, was a holding company of a number of short-line railroads and regional railroads in the United States and Canada.
In 2007, RailAmerica was acquired by Fortress Investment Group. Before that, it t ...
, in December 2000 for $7.7 million. In 2005, the State of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Mar ...
awarded $2.1 million to repair flood damage along this line.
*
Aliquippa & Ohio River Railroad
Steam operations
As well as being a regular revenue railroad, the Ohio Central had its own steam department that operated
steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
s 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
The Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum, Sugarcreek, Ohio, United States, is a museum roundhouse housing steam and diesel locomotives, passenger cars and other railroad equipment.
History
The roundhouse was built by Jerry Joe Jacobson, former CEO of ...
in
Sugarcreek, Ohio to house that equipment. The collection includes the following:
Operational:
*
Canadian National
The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I railroad, Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern United States, M ...
1551
*
Buffalo Creek & Gauley Railroad
The Buffalo Creek and Gauley Railroad (BC&G) was a railroad chartered on April 1, 1904 and ran along Buffalo Creek in Clay County, West Virginia. The original Buffalo Creek and Gauley ended service in 1965.
The BC&G was one of the last all-stea ...
13
*
Grand Trunk Western 6325
Grand Trunk Western No. 6325 ("Old 6325") is a class "U-3-b" 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive built in 1942 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) for the Grand Trunk Western Railroad. As a member of the dual service U-3-b class, the 632 ...
* Southern Wood Preserving Company 3
*
Canadian Pacific 1293
Canadian Pacific 1293 is a class "G5d" 4-6-2 "4-6-2, Pacific" type steam locomotive built in June 1948 by the Canadian Locomotive Company for the Canadian Pacific Railway. Built for passenger service, 1293 served an eight-year career until being r ...
*
Lake Superior and Ishpeming 33
Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad No. 33 is a preserved SC-1 class 2-8-0 "consolidation" type steam locomotive originally built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in April 1916 for the Munising, Marquette and Southeastern Railway as No. 44. I ...
Awaiting restoration:
*
Canadian National
The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I railroad, Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern United States, M ...
96
*
Canadian Pacific 1278
*
Nickel Plate Road 763
Nickel Plate Road No. 763 is a class "S-2" 2-8-4 "Berkshire" type steam locomotive. It was built in August 1944 by the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio, as the ninth engine of its class. It is a high powered fast freight locomotive that car ...
Former engines:
*
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railroad locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, in the early 20th century. The company was for decades t ...
26, was traded for Canadian National 1551 in 1986 to
Steamtown.
*
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
2100, sold in 1998 to Tom Payne, and it was moved to
St. Thomas,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
.
*
Mississippian Railway
The Mississippian Railway is a short line railroad operating from Amory, Mississippi, to Fulton, Mississippi. It is owned and operated by the Itawamba County Railroad Authority.
The MSRW interchanges with the BNSF Railway at Amory, Mississip ...
76, sold in 2005 to the
Steam Railroading Institute of
Owosso, Michigan
Owosso is the largest city in Shiawassee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 15,194 at the 2010 census. The city is mostly surrounded by Owosso Township on its west, but the two are administered autonomously. The city wa ...
.
Jerry Jacobson died in 2017 at the age of 74.
Acquisition by Genesee and Wyoming
On August 5, 2008,
Genesee & Wyoming
Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) is an American short line railroad holding company, that owns or maintains an interest in 122 railroads in the United States, Canada, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom and formerly Australia. It operates ...
announced an agreement to purchase the Ohio Central System for $219 million. Approval was granted by the
Surface Transportation Board
The Surface Transportation Board (STB) of the United States is a federal, bipartisan, independent adjudicatory board. The STB was established on January 1, 1996, to assume some of the regulatory functions that had been administered by the Intersta ...
on December 30, 2008.
Notes
References
External links
Ohio Central Railroad official webpage - Genesee and Wyoming website
{{Genesee & Wyoming
United States railroad holding companies
Genesee & Wyoming
2008 mergers and acquisitions