A Renewed Fascination With Boston Mill: 4

Last Saturday the weather was ideal as I made my way to the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad to make the final series of images that would conclude my series on steam motive power at Boston Mill.

I talked with several people who had no idea what was coming and they did wait around for the Nickel Plate Road 765 to arrive.

There were no white chains, no “keep out” or “no parking signs,”; it was just the normal signs that are always up.

Cars were parked at spots on Riverview Road like the old days and they were not bothered.

The top image shows the 765 passing through Boston Mill at 10:30 a.m. The middle image shows the afternoon trip at 2:37 p.m.

Both of these excursions had originated at Rockside Road station in Independence.

The third image shows FPA-4 No. 6777, which provided motive power when the train was operating northbound.

Photographs by Edward Ribinskas

CVNP Begins Construction of Visitor Center

A groundbreaking ceremony was held this week for what is being billed as the first full-service visitors center in the 44-year history of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Although eight people engaged in a ceremonial turning of a shovelful of dirt, the new visitor’s center actually will involve renovating what had been a privately-owned apartment building adjacent to the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad tracks just south of the Boston Mills station.

The visitor’s center is projected to cost $5.9 million and open in spring 2019.

It will supplement and not necessarily replace the nearby Boston Store visitor’s center, which will remain open but be given a new focus.

Park officials do not consider smaller-scale facilities at the Hunt House and the Canal Exploration Center to be visitor centers.

Once opened, the Boston Mills Visitors Center will be described as the main stop for park visitors to learn about attractions and activities inside the 33,000-acre park.

The CVNP was created in late 1974 as the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation area.

Now one of 59 national parks, CVNP drew more than 2.4 million visitors last year, ranking it 12^th in attendance among the national parks.