Ohio Central Railroad System


The Ohio Central Railroad System is a network of short line railroads operating in Ohio and western Pennsylvania. It is owned by Genesee & Wyoming Inc.
Headquartered in Coshocton, Ohio, the system operates of track divided among 10 subsidiary railroads. Most of the system's routes were divested from Class I railroads and connect industries to the Class I railroads.
The Ohio Central operates on track owned by other entities, including a line from Newark, Ohio to Mount Vernon, Ohio owned by CSX Transportation and the old Panhandle Route, owned by the State of Ohio.

Railroads in the system

Ohio Central's rail system comprises
As well as being a regular revenue railroad, the Ohio Central had its own steam department that operated steam locomotives for tourist trains, excursions and special events.
Steam locomotives
The Ohio Central Railroad System owned and operated several steam locomotives. When Jerry Joe Jacobson sold OCRS in 2008, he maintained the ownership of the antique equipment including the collection of steam locomotives. He built a large roundhouse in Sugarcreek, Ohio, called the Age of Steam Roundhouse to house that equipment including the following:
Operational:
Awaiting restoration:
Former engines:
Jacobson died in 2017.

Acquisition by Genesee and Wyoming

On August 5, 2008, Genesee and Wyoming Inc announced an agreement to purchase the Ohio Central System for $219 million. Approval was granted by the Surface Transportation Board on December 30, 2008.