Steam & Excursion > Riding That NKP 765 Train

Last Saturday I rode the morning excursion pulled by Nickel Plate Road No. 765 on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. The train departed just a couple minutes late from Rockside Road station in Independence, Ohio, a Cleveland suburb, and went as far south as Indigo Lake before reversing direction and being pulled northward by CVSR RS18u No. 1822. My coach ticket cost $25 plus a $1 preservation fee and a 25 cent charge for printing the ticket at home using my own paper and ink.

What follows is an extensive photo essay designed to convey the experience from the perspective of a passenger and not so much a trackside observer. In doing this I'm seeking to show the total experience, which is more than the locomotive.

Photo 1: I arrived at the station just as the steam train was pulling past on a ferry move. Before the departure of the steam train at 9:30 a.m., the regular CVSR National Park Scenic would arrive, board its passengers and depart for Akron at 9 a.m. In this image the 765 is backing up in some sweet morning light. The bridge in the background carries Rockside Road over these former Baltimore & Ohio tracks, which from here south are owned by the National Park Service.

Photo 2: Gotta sell tee shirts and sweat shirts to make money to buy coal for the engine.

Photo 3: A CVSR trainman ponders the work he faces in boarding his passengers on the steam train. Behind him a boy appears to be watching him with a look of admiration. In the background to the right the CVSR Scenic is boarding its passengers.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/19/17 05:56 by SDP40F600.

---

---

---

Photo 4: The CVSR scenic has departed and about 10 minutes later the steam train is arriving in the station after having been parked north of Rockside Road. The arriving train is being captured on video by a boy and his tablet.

Photo 5: The crew of the 765 puts on a show for a mini runby as the Berkshire-type locomotive arrives into the station.

Photo 6: Rich Melvin may have retired as a 765 locomotive engineer, but he is helping to keep an eye on the platform as the steam train arrives. He would handle the radio communications during the trip.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/19/17 05:57 by SDP40F600.

---

---

---

Photo 7: The CVSR has two boarding gates at Rockside Road station. For whatever reason, the northermost gate began boarding first. I was at the head of the line, in large part because it gave me a good open view of the steam train arriving in the station. It also meant that I was one of the first passengers to board and I had this view of the platform just before passengers were released from the south gate.

Photo 8: I was ticketed for car No. 5 and I was the first to board. Most of those passengers lined up on the platform outside the window will be riding in the ADA car, the open window cars, dome coach Silver Bronco, or lounge-observation car Saint Lucie Sound. All of those cars except the ADA car were beyond the platform.

Photo 9: We are underway. We made an unscheduled stop at Brecksville station to pick up three passengers. Don't know if they missed the train at Rockside or got lost or what. This view shows some of the photographers and onlookers at Jaite, which was a company town for the Jaite Paper Mill back in the day. On the B&O there was a station and train order office here, which have been restored. Today the former company houses contain the Cuyahoga Valley National Park administrative offices. Jaite is also a good place to watch trains go by, but CVSR trains do not stop here.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/19/17 06:00 by SDP40F600.

---

---

---

Photo 10: We continued south, passing the stations at Boston Mills and Peninsula. The CVSR tracks twice cross the Cuyahoga River, for which the park and railroad are named. Shown is one of those crossings.

Photo 11: Onlookers view the train as it passes the trail that leads to Deep Lock Quarry. This location is my favorite place to watch the 765 at work southbound because it is coming up a grade out of Peninsula and putting on a wonderful sound show. It looks great here, too.

We continued to Indigo Lake where control of the train was passed to CVSR 1822 and an air test was made. The radio traffic leaving Rockside indicated that we had planned to go as far as Botzum station before reversing course. But the operating plan appeared to be to go as far south as we could until 10:30 a.m.

Our train made an unscheduled stop in Peninsula due to a misunderstanding by the engineer of the 1822. He had been told that the 765 would spot him at Boston Mills, where passengers were to disembark for the photo runbys. But he thought the spotting was supposed to be at Peninsula. He stopped his train, which brought a quick "what's going on" question from the conductor over the radio. The misunderstanding was cleared up and we continued on our way after the brief stop.

Photo 12: Disembarking at Boston Mills station. I was surprised that there was no announcement made over the PA system about what was happening at Boston Mills. It was as thought everyone knew what to do.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/19/17 06:03 by SDP40F600.

---

---

---

Photo 13: Cones had been set up in a line angling back toward the station. We were directed to stand behind the cones. This image shows the photo line toward the north end as the 765 is backing up to execute its first runby.

Photo 14: 765 comes charging past during the first photo runby. The image illustrates the downside to riding the morning excursion. The sun is still to the east of the tracks. That wouldn't be a problem with the afternoon excursion, which I originally had wanted to ride. But my decision to ride at all was almost last minute and by then the afternoon trip was sold out. As it turned out, I was very pleased to to have ridden the morning trip. The afternoon trip was 25 minutes late leaving, didn't go as far south (only to Peninsula), and by the time the runbys were done at Boston Mills the skies had become only partly sunny.

Photo 15: Not all passengers disembarked at Boston Mills for the runbys.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/19/17 06:04 by SDP40F600.

---

---

---

Photo 16: For the second photo runby, I switched to my longest telephoto lens. The 765 is working up a head of steam and smoke as it begins its charge toward the waiting trackside passengers.

Photo 17: Paying tribute to the late Jerry Joe Jacobson, who died on Sept. 13, and was a major figure in the steam locomotive preservation community. Jacobson founded the Ohio Central System, offered steam excursions for many years on the OC, and developed the Age of Steam Roundhouse at Sugarcreek, Ohio.

Photo 18: The photo runbys have been completed and its time to reboard the train. A CVSR volunteer takes a step box back toward the train.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/19/17 06:05 by SDP40F600.

---

---

---

Photo 19: A man wearing a Nickel Plate hat sits in a coach once operated by the Nickel Plate and rides behind a Nickel Plate Steam locomotive.

Photo 20: Back on board, passengers review the videos they made on their smart phones.

Photo 21: A pair of youngsters wait for the 765 to pass Hillside Road, abeit moving backwards. Hey, a steam locomotive is a steam locomotive no matter what direction it is traveling.

---

---

---

Photo 22: The excursion train is back at Rockside Road and a trainman helps a passenger disembark.

Photo 23: Duane was the car host in Coach 5 and he gives me a wave as the train moves north of the station to make way for the CVSR Scenic train, which is due in shortly.

Photo 24: It wasn't a circle trip per se, more of a down and back journey. But I've come full circle by ending my jaunt where it began with an image of the 765 as it backs up to clear up and wait north of Rockside Road for its next call to duty. Thanks for riding with me. I hope you enjoyed the photo journey.

---

---

---

You have posted very well-done coverage of both the train and its passengers.
Thanks for sharing these.
Bob

Wow! I love these on board experience stories so much more than a series of chase photos. You did a terrific job of capturing the feel of the trip both in pictures and words. Thanks for those who can not do it. Great post.

Question? How fast does the train move?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/19/17 08:36 by Tominde.

Very nice coverage, Craig. That's the way I prefer to enjoy steam outings, by riding.

Great stuff..!! Thanks...

Thanks for all of the comments. They are much appreciated. As for how fast the train can travel, the track is said to support higher speeds than the trains go. It is, after all, a sight seeing trip, so they hold the speed to around 25 mph, although it might get higher at times.

Thanks so much for the photos. I did the Sunday 11:15 trip. It was blast, cinders and all.

Photo 24 to me,is a better image of the day.

Uncle Joe
Seffner,Fl.