American Steam Railroad Announces Summer 2010 Fundraising Events

The American Steam Railroad (ASR) is proud to announce its first fundraising events for 2010! These events kick-off an ambitious year of train rides and rail-related events, all for the benefit of restoring St. Louis – San Francisco Railway (Frisco) steam locomotive #1352. ASR needs your help to bring this piece of living history back to life, and these events provide the perfect opportunities for you to do so! We’ve done our best to provide “something for everyone,” from affordable train rides for the whole family to railfan-oriented chartered excursions.

Friday June 18, Saturday June 19 and Sunday June 20 – Train rides on the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway

ASR presents family train rides that won’t break the bank! Take a trip on the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway, traveling on the tracks of the former Columbus and Hocking Valley Railway. This once-famous line ran from the Ohio River and the coal fields of southeastern Ohio through the Hocking Hills to Columbus and on to the ports at Toledo, providing a gateway for shipping down the Maumee River. This year we’ll be taking a trip on the section that ran from Logan to Nelsonville, now better known as the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway. This 1.5 hour round trip takes you through the heart of the Hocking Hills in Athens and Hocking counties. Pulled by a historic diesel locomotive, you’ll relax in vintage passenger cars as you watch the Ohio countryside flash by. We’ll also be stopping at Robbins Crossing, an 1840’s pioneer village along the route. Your visit to the railway can be part of a great family getaway weekend in the beautiful Hocking Hills. Bring the whole family out on Father’s Day weekend for an affordable ride into yesteryear!

Where: Hocking Valley Scenic Railway, trains depart at Nelsonville, OH depot
When: June 18 – 6:30 PM departure
June 19 - 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 2:30 PM and 5:00 PM departures
June 20 - 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 2:30 PM and 5:00 PM departures
Cost: $16.00 per adult, $10.00 per child (12 and under)

Saturday July 24 and Sunday July 25 – ASR Excursion / Fitzwater Shop Tour on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad

Calling all railfans! Join ASR for a unique charter aboard the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. We’ve included some unique features that only ASR can put together! We’ll depart from the Akron Northside Station at 11:30 AM for a trip north along the former Baltimore & Ohio line into picturesque Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Our first destination is the Fitzwater Shop Complex, where CVSR services and maintains its vintage car and locomotive fleet. We’ll detrain at Fitzwater for a tour of the shops, something never before offered to the public! Following our shop tour, we’ll head further north to the Rockside Station, before heading back south for a stop at the Village of Peninsula. Here, we’ll detrain to spend an hour visiting the various shops in this quaint town. After boarding again, it’s on south to beautiful Indigo Lake. Here we will again detrain for photo runbys, an event rarely offered on the CVSR. After our runbys we’ll head back for Akron, arriving by 4:45 PM. Planned consist for this excursion will be a matched back-to-back set of historic CVSR FPA-4 diesels, a coach, Cuyahoga Inn lounge, Emerson vista dome car, and the fabulous St. Lucie Sound observation car. You’ll be provided with a box lunch as part of the ticket price, and an open bar and snacks will be available for purchase aboard. Come ride along, and don’t forget your camera for a rare glimpse behind the scenes of this wonderful railroad. Only 180 seats are available per day, so reserve your tickets today!

Where: Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway, trains depart Akron Northside Station
When: July 24 and 25, 11:30 AM departure
Cost: Coach – 45.00 per person
Emerson Dome Car – 55.00 per dome seat (only 20 available!), 50.00 per club seat
Cuyahoga Inn Lounge Car – 60.00 per seat
St. Lucie Sound Observation Car – 65.00 per seat (only 20 available!)

Ready to purchase tickets? Order online at http://www.americansteamrailroad.org – click on “Events and Excursions” and select “More Info” next to the event you’re interested in. Click “Buy Now” to enter our ticket ordering system.

Or, order by mail, indicating the event you’re purchasing tickets for and number of / type of seats needed. Make check or money orders payable to American Steam Railroad. Send to:

American Steam Railroad
Attn: Hocking Valley / CVSR Trip (select which)
PO Box 558
Groveport, OH 43125

Have a question? Need directions? Get in touch with us! Email us at contact@americansteamrailroad.org, or send us a letter at the address above. Join us for one or more of these fantastic events, for with your help, we can all continue “Preserving America’s Railway Heritage!”

The American Steam Railroad Preservation Association is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, restoring, and operating historic railroad equipment. ASR is currently raising money to move its first project, St. Louis – San Francisco Railway 2-8-2 steam locomotive #1352, to the ASR shop in Logan, Ohio for complete rebuild to operating condition. More information about ASR can be found at http://www.americansteamrailroad.org or sign up for our Email list at the http://www.americansteamrailroad.org web site.

Come ride and support our Fund raising Efforts

Steven M Harvey
Chairman and CEO
American Steam Railroad