Photo by George Campbell from Worthington, OH, USA, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Upcoming Events
No ticketed events are currently listed for Ohio Railway Museum. Many heritage operators publish schedules seasonally or run on regular open hours instead of dated events.
Check the operator’s website for current hours and special runs, or subscribe to event alerts and we’ll email you when something is scheduled.
About Ohio Railway Museum
Riding historic streetcars and interurban cars along the museum’s private track in Worthington, Ohio, visitors experience living railroad history near Columbus. The operating line carries the 1949 PCC car #450, the 1900 DuPont Type C streetcar #472, and the 1905 Ohio Public Service interurban #21 on scheduled trips, while the museum’s collection includes a 1910 Norfolk & Western Pacific locomotive and a 1924 Marble Cliff Quarries saddle‑tank engine.
History
The Ohio Railway Museum originates in 1948 when the Central Ohio Railfans Association acquires its first piece of equipment, Ohio Public Service car #21, and moves it to the former Columbus, Delaware and Marion Railway grounds the same year. It incorporates as a nonprofit on August 22 1950 and later adopts its present name on February 17 1993. Over the decades the collection expands through key donations: Marble Cliff Quarry Co. locomotive #1 in 1954, Kansas City Public Service streetcar #472 in 1956, Norfolk & Western locomotive #578 on February 12 1959, Columbus Railway Power and Light car #703 in 1962, and Illinois Terminal Railroad PCC #450 in 1964. The museum’s records also note an inception date of 1965, reflecting a formal establishment milestone. A 2006 cosmetic restoration sends Marble Cliff #1 to the Depot Rail Museum, and the engine returns to the museum property in 2018.
The Trains
The Ohio Railway Museum’s operating line features Norfolk & Western 4‑6‑2 “Pacific” E2a steam locomotive #578, the sole survivor of its class, and the 0‑4‑0 saddle‑tank Marble Cliff Quarry Co. #1, both used to pull historic interurban cars such as Ohio Public Service #21 (a 1905 wooden interurban built by Niles Car and Manufacturing) and the 1949 PCC streetcar Illinois Terminal Railroad #450 on museum runs. Additional preserved equipment includes Kansas City Public Service streetcar #472, Columbus Railway Power and Light #703, and a variety of freight and passenger cars, all displayed or operated on the museum’s track.
Nearby
The Ohio Railway Museum is a long-running streetcar and rail stop; build it into a wider Ohio day.
Where to Stay
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Most heritage railroads sit well off the interstate. Picking up a rental at the nearest airport is usually the easiest way in.
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