When Chris Hartley’s catering class was cancelled three years ago, he decided to take a walk down the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway and ended up spending his afternoon painting the steps of a Chesapeake and Ohio caboose.
“I walked in the engine house, and one of the volunteers put a paintbrush in my hand,” Hartley, who is now a volunteer at the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway, said.
He drives 45 minutes every weekend to volunteer, sometimes conducting or working on the engine.
The Hocking Valley Scenic Railway is run almost entirely by volunteers, apart from a full time mechanic, two ticket agents and a gift shop clerk, Harley said. The corporation was established in 1972 as a scenic railway, but the track itself was founded in 1864.
Originally, the track was used for coal and salt transportation, then eventually bricks were being shipped along the track. The track was used to connect Columbus to Athens.
Hartley said it is important to continue sharing the history of the railway.
“In the old 1800s, that used to be the driving force of that whole community,” Bob Baughman, president of the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway, said.
Baughman said that the railway aims to be “for the restoration, operation and preservation of historic railroad equipment.”
The train runs Saturdays and Sundays between Memorial Day Weekend and the last full weekend of October with trips leaving at noon and 2:30 p.m. Tickets for adults attending the noon trip are $13, and $17 for the 2:30 p.m. trip.
Baughman said the track was purchased in the mid-80s and the corporation now owns 11 miles of it.
“We are the only scenic railroad in Southeastern Ohio,” Baughman said.
He added that at one point during the “hay day” of Nelsonville, the railroad was the 7th largest in the country
Ryan Czekalski, who had taken the train ride last summer, said his experience at the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway was extremely informative and quite interesting. Czekalski said he planned on visiting other areas of Hocking Valley that day as well, but he ended up spending his entire day at the railway.
“I had heard good things about it from what I have seen on the internet … so I thought you know, why not?” Czekalski said. “I ended up enjoying it so much. I found that the staff ... were very informed even though they are all volunteers.”
Baughman said the railway appeals to all ages and types of people.
“Some of them are train enthusiasts and some of them are people who have never ridden a train before, and the family just got together to go on a trip,” Baughman said.
Hartley said he enjoys when people ask him or other volunteers questions about the railroad, but his favorite part is the camaraderie between him and his fellow volunteers.
“It’s really nice being part of something bigger than yourself,” Hartley said.
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