This summer, customers of the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway are just asking to be robbed.
Ohio’s Friendliest Train Robbery allows passengers to board a train carrying a “gold” shipment that is robbed by “bandits” on horseback. Before boarding the train, every passenger receives play money at the train depot. The bandits eventually board the train and come for that play money. The bandits are equipped with pistols filled with black powder cartridges.
“(The pistols) make a lot of noise and smoke,” said Mark Semingson, owner of the Smoke Rise Ranch, which partners with the railway for the event, who also plays a bandit. “We are riding full speed; there’s a big gang of us… We dress up like cowboys… It’s a lot of fun.”
Chris Burchett, marketing director for Hocking Valley Scenic Railway, said the event has been and still is a popular one. Beginning as a one-day, one-train event, the Train Robbery’s popularity encouraged a second day and second train to be added to the schedule.
“Last year, there was a little over 1,000 to 1,200 people between the two trains (with around 500 people per train),” he said. “So far for the train coming up this Saturday, that train is already over half sold. And as it gets closer to the date, the tickets go faster.”
But, the fun isn’t only for passengers.
“It’s a chance to pretend you’re living back in the 1800s,” Semingson said. “It’s acting like Jesse James or being Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.”
Semingson added that he enjoys interacting with customers.
“We make them jump every time we shoot our guns,” he said. “We tell them, ‘Put the money in the bag, or it’s your life!’ Some kids say, ‘No.’ So, I say, ‘All right, I’ll let you keep your milk money this time.’”
Tickets are available on the railway’s website, Facebook page or by purchase at the Nelsonville depot. Tickets are on sale at the depot two hours before the train’s scheduled departure.
Due to the popularity of the event, Burchett said he recommends that people buy tickets ahead of time.
mg986611@ohiou.edu
If You Go:
What: Ohio’s Friendliest Train Robbery
When: 6 p.m. June 8 and Aug. 3
Where: Hocking Valley Scenic Railway, 33 East Canal St., Nelsonville
Admission: $20 adults, $18 seniors (60+), $16 children (ages 3-12), children under 3 years old are free but must sit on a guardian’s lap
