byesville scenic railway

Be transported to a bygone era, when coal was king and whistle-stop train stations dotted the landscape.
 
Each spring, summer and fall, passengers climb aboard the Byesville Scenic Railway to enjoy a 1-½ hour-long round trip train excursion through scenic southeastern Ohio. Departing from Byesville, vintage coach cars take passengers through the beautiful countryside while a first-person interpreter makes the trip educational and entertaining.
 
The train takes visitors on a magical journey through time. Locally owned and operated by a nonprofit organization, the Byesville Scenic Railway is comprised of dedicated volunteers who enjoy sharing the thrill of riding the rails with thousands of visitors each year.
 
The Byesville Scenic Railway offers a unique glimpse into the past each season. Passengers throughout the summer and fall seasons are greeted by miner-car attendants (dressed as coal miners) who share the life, heritage, and culture of coal miners who once worked underground in the numerous deep mines along the Marietta Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad…where coal was king.
 
This living history of the local coal miners is depicted by their descendants and leaves one spellbound. Passengers listen to the stories of the local miners as they sing along to “I Owe My Soul to the Company Store.” In addition, actual coal mining tools and relics from the early 1900s, such as picks, shovels, augers, tamping bars, copper needles, miner’s check tags and carbide lamps, are on display.
 
The sights and sounds of a live steam locomotive are set in motion when a 1940s steam locomotive makes its annual visit to the Byesville Depot during the Coal Miner’s Festival each October. Music, food and entertainment add to the excitement when Ohio Central Railroad’s steam-spurting behemoth rolls into town.
 
Even with the spectacular array of color in the fall, Christmas is not to be out done. As the seasons change, so does the miner’s story. With the advent of the Christmas holiday, the train cars are adorned with the simplest of decorations reminiscent of the hard times the coal miners and their families endured. Stories of life during the winter and around the holidays fill the train’s coaches as first-person interpreters enthrall passengers with stories of the life of a coal miner when “Old Man Winter” blew his cold breath over the mining town.
 
An annual schedule is available detailing the train excursions, rain or shine. Special exclusive group trips may also be scheduled in advance during the day or in the evenings. Learn more about each excursion at www.bsrw.org.
 
Before you go, also contact the Cambridge/Guernsey County Visitors & Convention Bureau for a complete listing of events, updates and other points of interest. Call 800-933-5480 or visit www.VisitGuernseyCounty.com.

Photos courtesy Cambridge/Guernsey County Visitors & Convention Bureau.