Tracks in the Cuyahoga Valley as well as a four-foot area starting at the edge of the ties will be closed to pedestrians, the entities said in a release. In addition to promoting a safe distance, the prohibition is “enforceable.”
“We want to be proactive rather than wait until there’s an incident,” said CVSR President Joe Mazur.
This is the first time the CVSR and NPS have issued such a warning to Cuyahoga Valley visitors, in part because of the popularity of Steam in the Valley, which begins Sept. 3, said NPS spokeswoman Pam Barnes.
“There’s enough near misses that it’s a concern. And one near miss is too many,” Barnes said.
Each year, CVSR partners with the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society to bring the historical society’s 404-ton Nickel Plate No. 765 steam locomotive to the valley to run the tracks, pulling the scenic railroad over the course of several weekends.
“Sometimes you’re in that mode of either just getting the most awesome photo, or you’re just in vacation mode, where you’re not completely paying attention to your surroundings,” Barnes said. “We just want people to know that it’s an active rail and a train can come by at any time.”
The No. 765 steam locomotive stands 15-feet tall and has 14 wheels, officials said. The No. 765 is in a class of steam engines called the Berkshire, known for their “superpower” technology, propelling it up to 70 mph.
The Fort Wayne railroad Historical Society advised visitors on its Facebook page to stay 25-feet back from the tracks.
Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad partners with the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society to bring the 404-ton Nickel Plate No. 765 steam locomotive to the valley each year. (Courtesy CVSR/George Sillet)
In addition to being fast, locomotives are huge, weighing about 400,000 pounds, officials said. They hang several feet past the rail and usually take several lengths of a football field to stop.
The scenic railroad runs 26 miles through the national park, so people who come upon the tracks while walking in the park should not assume those tracks are unused, Barnes said.
“We’ve tried to do a better job of telling people that the tracks are alive,” Barnes said. “Because one wrong step if you’re in the wrong place, it could turn into the worst day of your life or the last day of your life.”
Steam in the Valley was canceled last year because of the pandemic, which could result in more onlookers near the tracks than past years, officials said.
Passengers on each run during Steam in the Valley will have an opportunity to deboard the train to get photos of the train rushing by, pulled by the steam locomotive, the railroad said.
The scenic railroad powered by the No. 765 will crisscross the valley over the next three weekends, departing from Rockside Station in Independence and from the Northside Station in Akron. Check the CVSR website for times and dates, or to buy tickets.
