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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Dates of operation | August 21, 1871–June 1915 |
| Successor | Baltimore and Ohio Railroad |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Length | 75.47 miles (121.46 km)[1] |
The Valley Railway was a shortline railroad which operated between the city of Cleveland and small town of Zoarville in the state of Ohio in the United States. The railroad was founded in 1871, but the first segment of track did not open until 1880 and the line was not completed until 1884. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) obtained a controlling interest in the Valley Railway in 1890. The railroad went bankrupt in 1895, at which time it was reorganized as The Cleveland Terminal and Valley Railroad Company (CT&V). The B&O took over operation of the CT&V in 1909, and the company was merged with the B&O in 1915.
Traffic on the road declined significantly after the 1920s. CSX, the B&O's successor, abandoned a third portion of the line in 1984, and the line was acquired by the National Park Service three years later. Since 1975, the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad (CVSR) has operated seasonal tourist excursion trains on this portion of the line. CSX sold about 12 miles (19 km) of track south of Canton to the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway in 1992, and 24 miles (39 km) the track between Akron and Canton to Akron's METRO Regional Transit Authority in 2000.
CSX continues some freight operations on the remaining track, which is referred to as the Cleveland, Terminal and Valley Subdivision. The Valley Railway Historic District (a National Register of Historic Places site) encompasses the former Valley Railway from Independence to Akron. The railway also passes through or is adjacent to a number of other sites listed on the National Register.