Ohio Central Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Ohio Central Railroad System is a network of short line railroads operating in Ohio
and western Pennsylvania
. It is owned by Genesee & Wyoming Inc.
Headquartered in Coshocton, Ohio
, the system operates 500 miles 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 Transportation
and the old Panhandle Route, owned by the State of Ohio
.
s for tourist trains, excursions and special events.
Steam locomotives
Steam locomotives owned by the Ohio Central Railroad include:
Operational:
Awaiting restoration:
Former engines:
on December 30, 2008.
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and western Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. It is owned by Genesee & Wyoming Inc.
Headquartered in Coshocton, Ohio
Coshocton, Ohio
Coshocton is a city in and the county seat of Coshocton County, Ohio, United States. The population of the city was 11,682 at the 2000 census. The Walhonding River and the Tuscarawas River meet in Coshocton to form the Muskingum River....
, the system operates 500 miles 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
Newark, Ohio
In addition, the remains of a road leading south from the Octagon have been documented and explored. It was first surveyed in the 19th century, when its walls were more apparent. Called the Great Hopewell Road, it may extend to the Hopewell complex at Chillicothe, Ohio...
to Mount Vernon, Ohio
Mount Vernon, Ohio
Mount Vernon is a city in Knox County, Ohio, United States. The population was 16,990 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Knox County. The city is named after Mount Vernon, the plantation owned by George Washington.-History:...
owned by CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
and the old Panhandle Route, owned by the State of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
.
Railroads in the system
Ohio Central's rail system comprises- Ohio Central RailroadOhio Central Railroad (1988)The Ohio Central Railroad is a part of the Ohio Central Railroad System, operating a former Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway line between Warwick and Zanesville, Ohio, United States. Operations began in 1988...
- Ohio Southern RailroadOhio Southern Railroad (1986)Ohio Southern Railroad is a railroad that is owned by Genesee & Wyoming Inc. It begins in Zanesville, Ohio along the intersections of Ohio Central Railroad and Columbus and Ohio River Railroad which are both also owned by Genesee & Wyoming...
- Columbus and Ohio River Rail Road, the former Pennsylvania RailroadPennsylvania RailroadThe Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
Panhandle Route - Mahoning Valley RailwayMahoning Valley RailwayMahoning Valley Railway is a short-line railroad in Mahoning County, Ohio, USA, owned by Genesee & Wyoming Inc. It has an interchange with Norfolk Southern Railway at its east end. The west end is Youngstown Belt Railroad which is also owned by Genesee & Wyoming. This services Youngstown, Ohio area...
- Ohio and Pennsylvania Railroad
- Warren and Trumbull RailroadWarren and Trumbull RailroadThe 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...
- Youngstown and Austintown RailroadYoungstown and Austintown RailroadYoungstown and Austintown Railroad is a short-line railroad that exists just west of Youngstown, Ohio, USA. It is owned by Genesee & Wyoming Inc. It connects with the Youngstown Belt Railroad which is owned by the same company. The lines are very short and they service the steel industry in...
- Youngstown Belt RailroadYoungstown Belt RailroadThe Youngstown Belt Railroad is a part of the Ohio Central Railroad System, which was bought by Genesee & Wyoming Inc. in 2008, serving the area northwest of Youngstown, Ohio. It began operations in 1997, mainly on ex-Erie Railroad trackage owned by the affiliated Warren and Trumbull Railroad ,...
- Pittsburgh and Ohio Central RailroadPittsburgh and Ohio Central RailroadThe Pittsburgh and Ohio Central Railroad is a short-line railroad operating 35 miles of track over the Chartiers Branch in southwest Pennsylvania...
- Aliquippa and Ohio River Railroad
Steam operations
As well as being a regular revenue railroad, the Ohio Central has its own steam department that operates steam locomotiveSteam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s for tourist trains, excursions and special events.
Steam locomotives
Steam locomotives owned by the Ohio Central Railroad include:
Operational:
- Grand Trunk Western 6325Grand Trunk Western 6325Grand Trunk Western 6325 is one of two survivng examples of the Grand Trunk Western Railroad U-3-b class of steam locomotives. The U-3-b class is a 4-8-4 type steam locomotive.- History :...
- Lake Superior and Ishpeming RailroadLake Superior and Ishpeming RailroadThe Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad , a U.S. railroad offering service from Marquette, Michigan, to nearby locations in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, began operations in 1896...
33 - Canadian Pacific RailwayCanadian Pacific RailwayThe Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
1293 - Canadian National RailwayCanadian National RailwayThe Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
1551 - Buffalo Creek and Gauley RailroadBuffalo Creek and Gauley RailroadThe Buffalo Creek and Gauley Railroad 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....
13 - Southern Wood Preserving Company 3
Awaiting restoration:
- Nickel Plate Road 763
- Canadian Pacific 1278
- Canadian National 96
- Wheeling and Lake Erie RailwayWheeling and Lake Erie Railway (1916-1988)The Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway was a Class I railroad mostly within the U.S. state of Ohio. It was leased to the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad in 1949, and merged into the Norfolk and Western Railway in 1988...
3960
Former engines:
- Mississippian RailwayMississippian RailwayThe Mississippian Railway is a short line railroad operating from Amory, Mississippi to Fulton, Mississippi. It is operated by the Mississippian Railway Cooperative.A connection is provided with BNSF Railway at Amory, Mississippi.-Sources:...
76, sold in 2005 to the Steam Railroading Institute of Owosso, MichiganOwosso, MichiganOwosso is a city in Shiawassee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 15,713 at the 2000 census. The city is located on the eastern side of Owosso Township, but is politically independent...
. - Baldwin Locomotive WorksBaldwin Locomotive WorksThe Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
26, was traded for Canadian National 1551 in 1986 to SteamtownSteamtown National Historic SiteSteamtown National Historic Site is a railroad museum and heritage railroad located on in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, at the site of the former Scranton yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad . The museum is built around a working replica turntable and a roundhouse that is...
Acquisition by Genesee and Wyoming
On August 5, 2008, Genesee and Wyoming Inc announced an agreement to purchase the Ohio Central System for $219 million. Approval was granted by the Surface Transportation BoardSurface Transportation Board
The Surface Transportation Board of the United States is a bipartisan, decisionally-independent adjudicatory body organizationally housed within the U.S. Department of Transportation. The STB was established in 1996 to assume some of the regulatory functions that had been administered by the...
on December 30, 2008.