Steam train excursion set from Youngstown to Ashtabula

YOUNGSTOWN — A 1944-vintage steam-powered locomotive will pull an excursion train from Youngstown to Ashtabula and back in two separate one-day trips July 25 and July 26.

The 19-car train, pulled by Nickel Plate Road No. 765, will leave the Covelli Centre, 229 E. Front St., Youngstown, at 8:30 a.m. each day and travel over a Norfolk Southern route that saw its last passenger train more than 60 years ago.

Some 650 to 700 passengers per trip will ride in 1920s to 1950s vintage cars, with each trip returning to the Covelli Centre about 5 p.m.

“It’s an opportunity to share a piece of American history with the people of the [Mahoning] Valley,” said Rich Melvin of Struthers, who will operate the July 25 excursion train.

“These passenger trains were the airliners of the 20 and 30s,” said Melvin, who is operations manager for the Fort Wayne (Ind.) Historical Society, which owns the 404-ton, 4,500 horsepower locomotive.

After leaving Youngstown, the train will go through a sparsely populated area without passing through any towns until it reaches Ashtabula.

For the complete story, read Sunday's Vindicator and Vindy.com