The Elderberry Line tourist railroad opreation served Minerva through 2003. (Photograph by Richard Jacobs)
Want to buy and operate your own tourist railroad? The Steam Railroad Museum in Minerva, Ohio, is for sale. It’s equipment will be auctioned by Kiko Auctions on October 15, 2009.
The rolling stock to be sold includes two Alco 1,000-hp diesel switchers, a Wheeling & Lake Erie caboose, a Fairmount M4 motorcar and trailer, a baggage car, a railroad crane and numerous shop machines and some railroad signs and signals. The museum operated the Minerva Scenic Railway for three seasons beginning in 2004. It shut down when insurance costs exceeded its budget. It operated over a portion of Ohi-Rail out of Minerva, but that option is no longer allowed by the new owners of Ohi-Rail.
Before that the Carrollton, Oneida & Minerva Railroad operated passenger trains from Carrollton to Minerva and return on a 22-mile trip. Known as the Elderberry Line, it used a portion of Ohi-Rail to enter Minerva and a W&LE branch line between Carrrollton and Minerva Junction.
Barbara and I rode this train in September 1998. We rode in the cab of Alco No. 102 (now for sale) on the return to Carrollton. The Elderberry Line ceased operations after the 2003 season.
In these days of higher liability insurance costs and railroad mega-mergers, preservation of our nation’s railroad heritage has become more difficult.
Richard Jacobs
This Alco switcher pulled trains for the Minerva Scenic Railroad for three seasons beginning in 2004. Now it will be sold as the Steam Railroad Museum in Minerva sells its equipment at auction. (Photograph by Craig Sanders)
Tags: Elderberry Line, Minerva Ohio, Minerva Scenic Railroad, Ohi-Rail, Steam Railroad Museum, Steam Railroad Museum of Minerva, Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway
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February 2, 2012 at 2:56 am |
Does anyone know what happened to the 603?
December 11, 2012 at 6:19 pm |
I have video of me when i was about five years old on the elderberry line, there was a contest there and you could win a ride in the cab with the engineer. Sure enough my dad and I won the contest, so we have video of us in the cab on the train! I am hoping to convert to dvd due to the fact that it is on tape. I cant find video of the elderberry line anywhere on youtube so I might have the only video of it!
February 10, 2020 at 3:55 pm |
I was at the auction in 09. Mom pulled me out of school early to go. We where outbid for the magizine’s, but managed to get the boxes of old Lionel stuff. Sadly no Locomotives or cars, but alot of track, and a working transformer.
Never found out what happened to the old steamer.