Hocking Valley Scenic Railway

The Hocking Valley Railway was merged into the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway in May 1930, becoming the Hocking Division. Passenger service ended on the lines south of Columbus on December 31, 1949, and many depots ultimately torn down (the only surviving HV depots today are Prospect, Canal Winchester, Carroll, Haydenville, and Wellston). Freight service dropped off over time, with the line through Nelsonville finally coming to an end in the early 1980s. We, operating earlier the old Monday Creek Branch from Nelsonville to nearby Carbon Hill, did not want to be cut off from the rest of the national rail network. So, we managed to acquire a sizable chunk of the former C&O Armitage Subdivision and began operating on it around 1985. Funds were very tight then, requiring a loan to start each season, so the Monday Creek line had to be scrapped to help make ends meet. Since then, the HVSR has grown and become one of the premier tourist railroads in Ohio. Of course, everything is a work in progress, as we deal with equipment dating back as far as 1917 and track that has undergone its first major overhaul in many years.

Built in 1916 as Munising, Marquette & Southeastern Railway No.44, this massive 2-8-0 was specially designed for service on heavy iron ore trains in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. These ore trains were operated from the Marquette Iron Range to docks on Lake Superior for shipment by lake boats to lower Great Lakes steel mills. Three identical locomotives were sold to the neighboring Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad, into which the MM&S was eventually merged in 1924. As part of the merger, the engine was relettered and renumbered as LS&I No.33.

Developing a whopping 72,309 pounds of tractive effort with its rare tender steam booster engine cut-in, this engine and tender had more low-speed pulling power than many larger locomotives. In fact, No.33 and its sister engines were designed to exacting dimensions to fit within the railroads tight clearances and existing turntables. In other words, Baldwin squeezed in as much locomotive as possible!

After being retired in 1962, No.33 was purchased in 1968 by Jerry Ballard for use on Ohio’s Hocking Valley Scenic Railway. Rebuilt to operating condition by a flock of volunteers (who removed the tender booster and its complicated piping), No.33 ran on the tourist railroad for many years before finally being parked in need of heavy repairs. In 2003 No.33 was traded to Jerry Joe Jacobson and moved to the Ohio Central Railroad shop for repairs. The locomotive made its inaugural run on the OC in 2005, and operated occasionally until the railroad was sold in 2008. During the time when the Age of Steam Roundhouse facilities were being constructed, there was no opportunity to repair or operate any of Jerry’s steamers. Repairs to No.33’s firebox resumed, and this 2-8-0 was returned to steam on November 11, 2018.

Age of Steam Roundhouse

The original railroad line we operate over was founded as the Mineral Rail Road on April 14, 1864 to build a railroad from Columbus to Athens, Ohio. In 1867, the name was changed to the Columbus & Hocking Valley Railroad. Construction then began in mid-1867–over 140 years ago! The primary purpose for building the C&HV was to transport the Hocking Valley’s salt and coal out; the famous brick industry arose to prominence not long after. The first train arrived in Canal Winchester in 1868, with regular passenger service established to Lancaster in 1869. The very first freight train from Nelsonville arrived in Columbus on August 17, 1869. As this particular train made its way from Nelsonville, there was an actual cannon on board that was fired as it approached each town along the way to let everyone know they were coming! Full service to Athens was in place by August 1870. Eventually, the C&HV grew and became the Columbus, Hocking Valley & Toledo Railway before ultimately becoming the Hocking Valley Railway in 1899. Known as the “Buckeye Route” and “Columbus’ Railroad,” the HV was the largest independent railroad located entirely within the state of Ohio–you couldn’t cross Ohio east to west without crossing the HV at some point! The HV connected Toledo and Lake Erie with the Ohio River towns of Pomeroy and Gallipolis.

Hocking Valley Scenic Railway