Full steam ahead: Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad back in service

Roosevelt Leftwich
·2 min read
1

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (WJW) — There is something charming about riding on a train.

The sound of the wheels on the track is a comforting, old fashioned thing.

The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad has always brought the charm, and now it’s bringing the modern.

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“We took two months off to make some major improvements to our equipment and we’ve done that and a lot more,” CEO Joe Mazur said.

They shut down completely to make the 26-mile trip between Akron and Cleveland a lot better and safer for passengers.

The engines have cameras on board to keep an eye on intersections and the track in case of a crash.

But most of the changes along the railroad are things that passengers will not notice.

The rail line used to operate under its own system. Now, it’s adopted a set of procedures that are more in line with the rest of industry.

“Before, there was nothing stated as that, so everybody was kind of like doing their own thing. Now, they know how to move, what to tell the engineer, what the engineer needs to repeat back to the conductor, as far as radio communications is concerned — so everything is one language now,” railway operations Director James Lawson said.

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But that’s not all.

That two months off allowed them to make upgrades and revamp some cars. They were also able to create new spaces.

“The [disabled-accessible] car, which has a lift on it, which folks in a chair can enjoy now sitting at a table in that car. And in the future, they potentially could have dinner on the train in that car. We also have a dome car, that is the Silver Lariat, that was completely refurbished.” Mazur said.

Outside of a few final details, the train is ready to roll.

This two months off has been a big break and a lot of work. But for the folks around, it’s all about hearing the whistle blow again on May 3.

For more information about the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, including times and trips, you can follow this link.

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