Railroad association hosts annual open house on train history

YOUNGSTOWN — Gavin Esposito may not have been around when the Mahoning Valley’s major steel mills were operating, but don’t assume the 14-year-old is bereft of knowledge pertaining to and appreciation for what was one of this area’s biggest and most-thriving industries.

“Youngstown began with iron in the 1870s, then steel in Youngstown grew,” the Hubbard Middle School eighth-grader, history lover and train enthusiast explained. “The railroads were one of America’s steel-producing centers.”

Gavin and his father, Ben Esposito, got to savor a taste of that history, because they were among those who came to the Mahoning Valley Railroad Heritage Association’s annual open house today at the Jim Marter Railroad Yard, 1340 Poland Ave., on the South Side.

The 31-year-old nonprofit MVRHA is dedicated to gathering, restoring, preserving and displaying railroad-related equipment of historic value that served or continues to serve the Valley, with an emphasis on that which was used in the steel industry, according to its website.

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