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#12
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If you are in Columbus for the weekend of Oct. 21 try the Circleville
Pumpkin Festival for and interesting local event. The town is a few miles south of Columbus. John James wrote: To all those who have responded to my post so far, thank you very much. You have given me some great ideas and a lot more research to do. One more question if I may - what will the weather be like during mid to late October? I gather I will probably need a coat of some sort but is it likely to be fine or is there a real chance of some rain? Thanks again John James Melbourne, Australai John James wrote: After a 5 day conference in Cincinnati I have 2 days free there before spending 3 days in Cleveland and 4 days in Columbus (these time periods are fixed due to a couple of business commitments which will take up a half day each). Can anyone suggest what I should see while I am in Ohio? I am interested in the outdoors and history, old trains and early settlers but not really into sport or adventure parks. I will be travelling on my own but will have a car so have flexibility in getting around. I would also like to see some amateur theatre if there is a production on. Any suggestions will be much appreciated. John James Melbourne, Australia |
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John James writes:
Can anyone suggest what I should see while I am in Ohio? I am interested in the outdoors and history, old trains and early settlers ... As to trains, I have here a copy of the "Steam Passenger Service Directory", which is really a general guidebook to tourist railways and railway museums in the US and Canada. However, it's the 1997 edition, so some of the information may be out of date -- some places may even have closed. So if any of these look interesting, I strongly suggest searching for newer information on the Web or in other sources; perhaps people in misc.transport.rail.americas can help. In particular, you will want to make sure that any tourist railway you plan to visit is operating on the day you are going there -- in October I would expect most to be open only on weekends or not at all. Because the book is out of date, I won't quote it for hours or prices, and because you'll need to look things up anyway, I won't give addresses. That said, here's what's listed that's within about 80 miles (130 km) of the places you're going. All distances are my rough estimates. I omit one steam railway that's at an amusement park. I have tried to estimate from the guidebook descriptions the amount of material on static display, and the notations from * to **** reflect this, but please realize that I could have been misled; I have not been to any of these places. These are roughly in south-to-north order. *** Versailles, Kentucky (W of Lexington, Kentucky; 75 miles S of Cincinnati) - Bluegrass Railroad Museum - 90-minute excursions with diesel locomotive and old commuter cars, static displays and museum ** Versailles, Kentucky (see preceding) - Nostalgia Station Toy and Train Museum - toy museum including model trains, 1/4 scale live steam locomotive * Paris, Kentucky (NE of Lexington, Kentucky; 70 miles S of Cincinnati) - Kentucky Central Railway - various excursions with steam locomotives and old passenger cars **** Covington, Kentucky (immediately S of Cincinnati) - Railway Exposition Company - six old diesel locomotives and many passenger cars on static display ** Cincinnati - Cincinnati Railroad Club - exhibit in former control tower of city's Union Station * Lebanon (20 miles NE of Cincinnati) - I&O Scenic Railway - 12-mile diesel excursions on operating short-line railway in old commuter cars *** Dayton (35 miles NNE of Cincinnati) - Carillon Historical Park - trains on static display, miniature railway with rides available on certain dates *** Connersville, Indiana (SW of Richmond, Indiana; 35 miles NW of Cincinnati) - Whitewater Valley Railroad - several steam locomotives on static display, diesel excursions 5.5 hours including 2-hour stop at Metamora, restored canal town with working grist mill and many shops * Knightstown, Indiana (SE of Anderson, Indiana; 55 miles NW of Cincinnati) - Carthage, Knightstown & Shirley Railroad - 10-mile excursion with old diesel locomotive, open-window passenger cars * Nelsonville (NW of Athens, 55 miles SE of Columbus) - Hocking Valley Scenic Railway - excursions with steam and old diesel locomotives; some include visit to 1860s village at Robbin's Crossing ** Newark (30 miles E of Columbus) - Buckeye Central Scenic Railroad - old station with exhibits, excursions operated with old diesel locomotive, old passenger cars * Sugarcreek (W of New Philadelphia, 50 miles S of Cleveland, 65 miles NE of Columbus) - Ohio Central Railroad - 1-hour excursions on a working short-line railway, with steam and old diesel locomotives and old passenger cars * Jefferson (near Wooster, 40 miles SW of Cleveland, 60 miles NE of Columbus) - Ashtabula, Carson & Jefferson Scenic Line - 12-mile excursions operated with old diesel locomotive, old passenger cars. NOTE: book says reservations required in October: presumably you see trees in fall colors. *** Dennison (SE of New Philadelphia, 75 miles ENE of Columbus, 75 miles S of Cleveland) - Dennison Railroad Depot Museum - museum in old station, including restaurant; excursions of various lengths operated with steam and old diesel locomotives, old passenger cars * Orrville (near Wooster, 40 miles SSW of Cleveland) - Orrville Railroad Historical Society - exhibits in old station, occasional diesel excursions on main line ** Akron (25 miles S of Cleveland) - Quaker Square - model railway layout built around and inside of old Pullman cars ** Youngstown (55 miles SE of Cleveland) - Mahoning Valley Railroad Historical Association - steam locomotive and old cars on static display *** Olmstead (15 miles W of Cleveland) - Trolleyville U.S.A. - various old trolley cars (trams), rides available, some freight cars on static display *** Bellevue (SW of Sandusky, 50 miles W of Cleveland) - Mad River & NKP Railroad Society - old station, several trains on static display, depiction of small-town railroading *** Greenville, Pennsylvania (NE of Youngstown, Ohio; 75 miles E of Cleveland) - Shenango Pymatuning Railway Historical Society - museum, static display of old steam locomotive, freight cars, cabooses *** Conneaut (65 miles ENE of Cleveland, at corner of state) - Conneaut Railroad Museum - old station, exhibits, model railway, steam locomotive on static display; adjacent to operating main line Hope this helps. -- Mark Brader "You mean he made love to you?" Toronto "Well, he went through all the emotions." -- EVERY DAY'S A HOLIDAY My text in this article is in the public domain. |
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what will the weather be like during
mid to late October? I live in central Ohio. Days can be pleasant with highs in the mid 50s (F) to low 60s; nights can be pretty chilly with temperatures in the 30s (we usually get our first frost in late October). Rain is pretty common. Peak fall foliage is often around Oct 10 in central Ohio (earlier in northern Ohio; later in southern Ohio), so unfortunately a lot of the leaves will have already fallen. James ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Remove "NOSPAM" from my address when sending me e-mail. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ - |
#15
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Dear Mark,
Thank you very much for putting so much time and energy into answering my question re what to see in Ohio. I always knew Americans were kind and generous people but the replies I have received from you and the other responders is mind-blowing. I will spend a pleasant few hours following up your train leads. Thank you very much. Regards John James Melbourne, Australia (where it is cold, wet and miserable!) Mark Brader wrote: John James writes: Can anyone suggest what I should see while I am in Ohio? I am interested in the outdoors and history, old trains and early settlers ... As to trains, I have here a copy of the "Steam Passenger Service Directory", which is really a general guidebook to tourist railways and railway museums in the US and Canada. However, it's the 1997 edition, so some of the information may be out of date -- some places may even have closed. So if any of these look interesting, I strongly suggest searching for newer information on the Web or in other sources; perhaps people in misc.transport.rail.americas can help. In particular, you will want to make sure that any tourist railway you plan to visit is operating on the day you are going there -- in October I would expect most to be open only on weekends or not at all. Because the book is out of date, I won't quote it for hours or prices, and because you'll need to look things up anyway, I won't give addresses. That said, here's what's listed that's within about 80 miles (130 km) of the places you're going. All distances are my rough estimates. I omit one steam railway that's at an amusement park. I have tried to estimate from the guidebook descriptions the amount of material on static display, and the notations from * to **** reflect this, but please realize that I could have been misled; I have not been to any of these places. These are roughly in south-to-north order. *** Versailles, Kentucky (W of Lexington, Kentucky; 75 miles S of Cincinnati) - Bluegrass Railroad Museum - 90-minute excursions with diesel locomotive and old commuter cars, static displays and museum ** Versailles, Kentucky (see preceding) - Nostalgia Station Toy and Train Museum - toy museum including model trains, 1/4 scale live steam locomotive * Paris, Kentucky (NE of Lexington, Kentucky; 70 miles S of Cincinnati) - Kentucky Central Railway - various excursions with steam locomotives and old passenger cars **** Covington, Kentucky (immediately S of Cincinnati) - Railway Exposition Company - six old diesel locomotives and many passenger cars on static display ** Cincinnati - Cincinnati Railroad Club - exhibit in former control tower of city's Union Station * Lebanon (20 miles NE of Cincinnati) - I&O Scenic Railway - 12-mile diesel excursions on operating short-line railway in old commuter cars *** Dayton (35 miles NNE of Cincinnati) - Carillon Historical Park - trains on static display, miniature railway with rides available on certain dates *** Connersville, Indiana (SW of Richmond, Indiana; 35 miles NW of Cincinnati) - Whitewater Valley Railroad - several steam locomotives on static display, diesel excursions 5.5 hours including 2-hour stop at Metamora, restored canal town with working grist mill and many shops * Knightstown, Indiana (SE of Anderson, Indiana; 55 miles NW of Cincinnati) - Carthage, Knightstown & Shirley Railroad - 10-mile excursion with old diesel locomotive, open-window passenger cars * Nelsonville (NW of Athens, 55 miles SE of Columbus) - Hocking Valley Scenic Railway - excursions with steam and old diesel locomotives; some include visit to 1860s village at Robbin's Crossing ** Newark (30 miles E of Columbus) - Buckeye Central Scenic Railroad - old station with exhibits, excursions operated with old diesel locomotive, old passenger cars * Sugarcreek (W of New Philadelphia, 50 miles S of Cleveland, 65 miles NE of Columbus) - Ohio Central Railroad - 1-hour excursions on a working short-line railway, with steam and old diesel locomotives and old passenger cars * Jefferson (near Wooster, 40 miles SW of Cleveland, 60 miles NE of Columbus) - Ashtabula, Carson & Jefferson Scenic Line - 12-mile excursions operated with old diesel locomotive, old passenger cars. NOTE: book says reservations required in October: presumably you see trees in fall colors. *** Dennison (SE of New Philadelphia, 75 miles ENE of Columbus, 75 miles S of Cleveland) - Dennison Railroad Depot Museum - museum in old station, including restaurant; excursions of various lengths operated with steam and old diesel locomotives, old passenger cars * Orrville (near Wooster, 40 miles SSW of Cleveland) - Orrville Railroad Historical Society - exhibits in old station, occasional diesel excursions on main line ** Akron (25 miles S of Cleveland) - Quaker Square - model railway layout built around and inside of old Pullman cars ** Youngstown (55 miles SE of Cleveland) - Mahoning Valley Railroad Historical Association - steam locomotive and old cars on static display *** Olmstead (15 miles W of Cleveland) - Trolleyville U.S.A. - various old trolley cars (trams), rides available, some freight cars on static display *** Bellevue (SW of Sandusky, 50 miles W of Cleveland) - Mad River & NKP Railroad Society - old station, several trains on static display, depiction of small-town railroading *** Greenville, Pennsylvania (NE of Youngstown, Ohio; 75 miles E of Cleveland) - Shenango Pymatuning Railway Historical Society - museum, static display of old steam locomotive, freight cars, cabooses *** Conneaut (65 miles ENE of Cleveland, at corner of state) - Conneaut Railroad Museum - old station, exhibits, model railway, steam locomotive on static display; adjacent to operating main line Hope this helps. |
#16
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Dear Mark,
Thank you very much for putting so much time and energy into answering my question re what to see in Ohio. I always knew Americans were kind and generous people but the replies I have received from you and the other responders is mind-blowing. I will spend a pleasant few hours following up your train leads. Thank you very much. Regards John James Melbourne, Australia (where it is cold, wet and miserable!) Mark Brader wrote: John James writes: Can anyone suggest what I should see while I am in Ohio? I am interested in the outdoors and history, old trains and early settlers ... As to trains, I have here a copy of the "Steam Passenger Service Directory", which is really a general guidebook to tourist railways and railway museums in the US and Canada. However, it's the 1997 edition, so some of the information may be out of date -- some places may even have closed. So if any of these look interesting, I strongly suggest searching for newer information on the Web or in other sources; perhaps people in misc.transport.rail.americas can help. In particular, you will want to make sure that any tourist railway you plan to visit is operating on the day you are going there -- in October I would expect most to be open only on weekends or not at all. Because the book is out of date, I won't quote it for hours or prices, and because you'll need to look things up anyway, I won't give addresses. That said, here's what's listed that's within about 80 miles (130 km) of the places you're going. All distances are my rough estimates. I omit one steam railway that's at an amusement park. I have tried to estimate from the guidebook descriptions the amount of material on static display, and the notations from * to **** reflect this, but please realize that I could have been misled; I have not been to any of these places. These are roughly in south-to-north order. *** Versailles, Kentucky (W of Lexington, Kentucky; 75 miles S of Cincinnati) - Bluegrass Railroad Museum - 90-minute excursions with diesel locomotive and old commuter cars, static displays and museum ** Versailles, Kentucky (see preceding) - Nostalgia Station Toy and Train Museum - toy museum including model trains, 1/4 scale live steam locomotive * Paris, Kentucky (NE of Lexington, Kentucky; 70 miles S of Cincinnati) - Kentucky Central Railway - various excursions with steam locomotives and old passenger cars **** Covington, Kentucky (immediately S of Cincinnati) - Railway Exposition Company - six old diesel locomotives and many passenger cars on static display ** Cincinnati - Cincinnati Railroad Club - exhibit in former control tower of city's Union Station * Lebanon (20 miles NE of Cincinnati) - I&O Scenic Railway - 12-mile diesel excursions on operating short-line railway in old commuter cars *** Dayton (35 miles NNE of Cincinnati) - Carillon Historical Park - trains on static display, miniature railway with rides available on certain dates *** Connersville, Indiana (SW of Richmond, Indiana; 35 miles NW of Cincinnati) - Whitewater Valley Railroad - several steam locomotives on static display, diesel excursions 5.5 hours including 2-hour stop at Metamora, restored canal town with working grist mill and many shops * Knightstown, Indiana (SE of Anderson, Indiana; 55 miles NW of Cincinnati) - Carthage, Knightstown & Shirley Railroad - 10-mile excursion with old diesel locomotive, open-window passenger cars * Nelsonville (NW of Athens, 55 miles SE of Columbus) - Hocking Valley Scenic Railway - excursions with steam and old diesel locomotives; some include visit to 1860s village at Robbin's Crossing ** Newark (30 miles E of Columbus) - Buckeye Central Scenic Railroad - old station with exhibits, excursions operated with old diesel locomotive, old passenger cars * Sugarcreek (W of New Philadelphia, 50 miles S of Cleveland, 65 miles NE of Columbus) - Ohio Central Railroad - 1-hour excursions on a working short-line railway, with steam and old diesel locomotives and old passenger cars * Jefferson (near Wooster, 40 miles SW of Cleveland, 60 miles NE of Columbus) - Ashtabula, Carson & Jefferson Scenic Line - 12-mile excursions operated with old diesel locomotive, old passenger cars. NOTE: book says reservations required in October: presumably you see trees in fall colors. *** Dennison (SE of New Philadelphia, 75 miles ENE of Columbus, 75 miles S of Cleveland) - Dennison Railroad Depot Museum - museum in old station, including restaurant; excursions of various lengths operated with steam and old diesel locomotives, old passenger cars * Orrville (near Wooster, 40 miles SSW of Cleveland) - Orrville Railroad Historical Society - exhibits in old station, occasional diesel excursions on main line ** Akron (25 miles S of Cleveland) - Quaker Square - model railway layout built around and inside of old Pullman cars ** Youngstown (55 miles SE of Cleveland) - Mahoning Valley Railroad Historical Association - steam locomotive and old cars on static display *** Olmstead (15 miles W of Cleveland) - Trolleyville U.S.A. - various old trolley cars (trams), rides available, some freight cars on static display *** Bellevue (SW of Sandusky, 50 miles W of Cleveland) - Mad River & NKP Railroad Society - old station, several trains on static display, depiction of small-town railroading *** Greenville, Pennsylvania (NE of Youngstown, Ohio; 75 miles E of Cleveland) - Shenango Pymatuning Railway Historical Society - museum, static display of old steam locomotive, freight cars, cabooses *** Conneaut (65 miles ENE of Cleveland, at corner of state) - Conneaut Railroad Museum - old station, exhibits, model railway, steam locomotive on static display; adjacent to operating main line Hope this helps. |
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John James writes:
Thank you very much for putting so much time and energy into answering my question ... You're welcome. To be honest, if I'd realized quite how many there were going to be, I probably would have reduced the amount of detail, but once I got started I figured I might as well finish. -- Mark Brader There are people on that train! Toronto Sure, they're Canadians, but they're still people! -- Paul Gross, "Due South" |
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In article ,
Mark Brader wrote: *** Dayton (35 miles NNE of Cincinnati) - Carillon Historical Park - trains on static display, miniature railway with rides available on certain dates If you're visiting Dayton anyway (for the Wright Brothers sites and/or the Air Force Museum), this is definitely worth a visit. They have a rather new display building which looks rather like a railroad roundhouse, with a small but varied collection of restored vehicles: a small steam locomotive, an ex-Dayton streetcar, an electric interurban car that once operated out of Toledo, a Pullman car, and an electric trolleybus that ran in Dayton until the 1970s. (Dayton still runs trolleybuses, with modern vehicles that are about five years old). Another building has a 1905 Wright Flyer airplane that was restored in the 1940s under the supervision of Orville Wright. * Sugarcreek (W of New Philadelphia, 50 miles S of Cleveland, 65 miles NE of Columbus) - Ohio Central Railroad - 1-hour excursions on a working short-line railway, with steam and old diesel locomotives and old passenger cars This is one of the most important operators of steam-hauled excursions in the U.S. I've never visited them myself, but I want to do it someday. *** Olmstead (15 miles W of Cleveland) - Trolleyville U.S.A. - various old trolley cars (trams), rides available, some freight cars on static display Their site has been sold, they must vacate by 2006, and they are looking for a new home. They haven't had regular operations for a couple of years. I'll also mention the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, which operates regular excursions along the Cuyahoga River from a point south of Cleveland, to Akron and Canton. http://www.cvsr.com/ -- Jon Bell Presbyterian College Dept. of Physics and Computer Science Clinton, South Carolina USA |
#19
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John James wrote: After a 5 day conference in Cincinnati I have 2 days free there before spending 3 days in Cleveland and 4 days in Columbus (these time periods are fixed due to a couple of business commitments which will take up a half day each). Can anyone suggest what I should see while I am in Ohio? I am interested in the outdoors and history, old trains and early settlers but not really into sport or adventure parks. I will be travelling on my own but will have a car so have flexibility in getting around. I would also like to see some amateur theatre if there is a production on. Any suggestions will be much appreciated. John James Melbourne, Australia Chagrin Falls is a lovely town about 30 miles from Cleveland. Surrounding Chagrin Valley will be scenic with fall foliage. It has a theatre. Don't know if it will still be performing in October. Try a web search. |
#20
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On Sat, 21 Aug 2004 16:30:05 +1000, John James wrote:
After a 5 day conference in Cincinnati I have 2 days free there before spending 3 days in Cleveland and 4 days in Columbus (these time periods are fixed due to a couple of business commitments which will take up a half day each). Can anyone suggest what I should see while I am in Ohio? I am interested in the outdoors and history, old trains and early settlers but not really into sport or adventure parks. I will be travelling on my own but will have a car so have flexibility in getting around. I would also like to see some amateur theatre if there is a production on. Any suggestions will be much appreciated. I see you've already gotten some excellent suggestions! Hocking Hills is very pretty, even though it's a bit of a drive from Cincinnati. Unfortunately, the outdoor theater "Bluejacket" production will have ended by the time you visit. In Adams County is the Serpent Mound, an ancient earthwork that's supposed to be the largest serpent-shaped one in the U.S. http://www.ohiohistory.org/places/serpent/ Along similar lines is Dayton's Sunwatch Village, built 800 years ago by the Fort Ancient Indians: http://www.sunwatch.org The Ohio Rennaissance festival may still be on at this time (it ends in late October), and it's a little hokey perhaps, but if you're at all interested in this kind of stuff, it's a fairly large festival. There's lots of booths that sell crafts, clothing, and various free shows. Admission's kind of high, however: http://www.renfestival.com/ North of Dayton, there's the Ohio Caverns, a privately owned cave that offers nice tours (http://cavern.com/ohiocaverns). The cave's not as done up as others are, and it's got lots of stalactite and stalagmite formations. Nearby is the town of West Liberty, which has a restaurant that (or so I'm told) serves a great pork tenderloin sandwich, another Midwestern specialty. If you're a foodie, Jungle Jim's is an interesting place to poke around. To call it a grocery store doesn't really do it justice. It's huge, full of ethnic goods from around the world and also a good place to pick up gourmet picnic supplies and snacks with a very large wine and beer section. It's in a northern suburb of Cincinnati: http://www.junglejims.com Cincinnati's got a good variety of restaurants as well. I haven't had a chance to try even a small fraction, but they do have Chinese, Thai, Indian, Mexican, French, Italian, Japanese, Senegalese, Ethiopian, etc. Also a local food is Cincinnati-style chili, which is not to everyone's taste. It's a rather comparatively mild chili of ground beef, maybe with a touch of cinnamon, and it's served over spaghetti and mixed with your choice of beans, onions and a humongous mound of frighteningly orange/yellow cheese. This is also served over a small hotdog, called a "coney". Mid to late October is usually cooling down in this area a bit-- highs in the upper 60's/lower 70's, as low as the 40's at night and it can be rainy at times. We're having an unusually mild summer though, so it's hard to predict what fall will be like. I'd recommend a light jacket and clothing that can be layered--and maybe an umbrella if you have the room for it. It can be so changeable within even a two-week period. Have fun on your trip! Ariane |
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