Scenic Railroad maintenance crew excited to return trains to the tracks
by Kim Scott Sowinski
If you live within earshot of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, you have probably missed the two long blasts, one short blast, then another long blast as the whistle signals the train is approaching a crossing.
The familiar sound will soon return, as train rides are scheduled to begin again Oct. 1.
The CVSR has been shuttered, like many businesses, since the middle of March because of the pandemic.
“We were all in the trailer getting ready to have a Polar Express meeting, while watching the governor on TV. The operations manager came in and said we were shutting down,” recalled Brian Rivera, shop superintendent/road foreman of engines at the Fitzwater Maintenance Yard in Independence. “Everyone’s phones were dinging. It was very 911-esque.”
The railroad expected to close for a month and restart in April, said Division Superintendent Matt Peel. “As things progressed, it was obvious that was not going to happen, so our president decided to close up shop for a few months,” he said. “The vast majority of our staff was furloughed for four months.”
They got called back on Aug. 10.
“Our staff and volunteers were waiting at the gate at 5:30 in the morning, earlier than we normally arrive to work,’’ Rivera said with a smile, recalling the day. “They were all so excited to get back. The amount of motivation here is higher than I’ve ever seen. We had a car that was jacked up at the shop for wheel replacement, and it was back on the tracks with new wheels by the end of the day.”
The Fitzwater Maintenance Yard, just south of Hillside Road, employs three full-time shop mechanics and two service crews. The property was originally a county maintenance service facility until the National Park purchased it about 1997.
The Scenic Railroad has a great relationship with the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The park maintains the tracks and owns the land and buildings. The governing body of the CVSR is the Federal Railroad Administration in Washington, D.C.
During normal times, there are between 10 and 15 shop volunteers maintaining, repairing and restoring the train’s 43-plus cars, including three dome cars, most of which were built in the late 1940s.
“These cars have more complicated heating and air conditioning ventilation systems, a different style wheels and specific power requirements,” Peel said. “It’s like having a fleet of rolling houses. The plumbing and electrical are similar. It’s just that we have 43 of them.”
Rivera said freezing problems and wheel problems are common.
“Every now and then we will get a wheel defect from people putting things on the tracks, which is very damaging to our equipment,’’ he said. “Especially rocks and other metallic objects.”
Most maintenance on each car is scheduled. “Very rarely do we have a critical failure that we have to take care of. We don’t run any equipment that is not safe,” Rivera said.
“We have very stringent testing and exceed a lot of federal regulations standards, especially when it comes to wheels and brakes. Air brakes have to be checked daily before operation. If they do not work, we do not roll.”
Working on the rails
Rivera, originally from Mantua, began his career at CSX Transportation as a conductor in late 2010.
“The CSX training program is on-site in Atlanta, where you learn fundamentals by cubbing (similar to apprenticing) with 18 weeks of on-the-job training,” he said,
Within the next couple of years, Rivera was promoted to conductor, called to engine service and then trained as an engineer.
“I started as a volunteer here last year for a week and then was hired as a road foreman of engines, which is the supervisor of locomotive engineers,” he said.
Parma native Peel started as a volunteer in 2014 and joined the staff part time two years later, loading bikes for the Bike Aboard program.
“I have worn a few different hats in my time since being added to the full-time staff in 2017,” he said.
One thing that motivates Peel to do his job is the ability to pass on the opportunity that was given him.
“I was just some kid who showed up and wanted to learn something about trains, and ended up kind of running the place,” he said. “To take guys that worked 50 years, then retired from the Ford Motor Co. having a lifelong dream as a kid to be a train engineer, and all of a sudden it’s like, ‘Hey, we can make that happen for this guy.’ That is my drive to provide that experience for people.”
Rivera agrees volunteers drive the CVSR, saying, “Every operating crew on that train is a volunteer. Locomotive engineers, brakemen, conductors, trainmen to concessions people, all have a love of trains.”
“We have an engineer who is a biology professor, another guy who just retired from flying Boeing 777’s all over the world, police officers, firemen and nurses,” Peel said.
“We have a guy who built his own steam engine,’’ Rivera said. “I have a few shop volunteers that were electrical engineers for General Motors. They are always out doing some crazy contraption, trying to figure out how to make something better. There is literally something for everyone here.”
For information on volunteering, visit CVSR.org/volunteer.
Feature image photo caption: Brian Rivera (l) and Matt Peel started as volunteers for the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad before coming aboard full time as members of the maintenance crew at Fitzwater Yard in Independence. Photo by K. Scott Sowinski
