Oil Creek & Titusville Railroad - Titusville, PA
Posted by: 
Szuchie
N 41° 37.443 W 079° 40.625
17T E 610204 N 4608881
The Oil Creek & Titusville Railroad will take you to historic places and through beautiful countryside - all aboard!
Waymark Code: WM3D4A
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 03/17/2008
Views: 94
According to the railroad's website:
In the Beginning...there wasn't much. Only 13.5 miles of double ribbons of rusty rail, not good enough for ConRail to use, buried beneath the brush and fallen trees.
In 1982 two groups were planning to purchase the track, one for recreational use and the other to continue the freight connection for Titusville industry. These groups came together to form the Oil Creek Railway Historical Society and purchase the track, buildings, and real estate on June 6, 1986, after over a year of frantic fund-raising and negotiations. That purchase began the Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad.
July 18, 1986 saw the inaugural excursion of the OC&T train, utilizing cars leased from several railway historical societies, individuals, and museums, traveling through Oil Creek State Park, the site of the world's first oil field. During the first winter, we purchased the seven coaches now being used. Over the winter and spring, they were reconditioned.
In 1987 our four stations opened. The existing facilities at Drake Well and Rynd Farm were completed over the next several years. In the fall, after extensive renovations, our "northern light" opened on Perry Street in Titusville. The replica station in Petroleum Centre opened as a "flag stop" in 1989. Pictures of all of these are on this site. 1987 proved to be a great year for the OC&T Railroad. Our ridership grew by 3,000 to 38,000 passengers.
From then until now, all our cars have been completely rewired. Restroom holding tanks now hang under the cars. Sound systems with wireless micro-phones and ceiling fans have been installed. Interiors have been repainted. Seats have been reupholstered. Electric heaters have been provided. Best of all, our roofs have been recovered. Before, we told passengers not to sit on wet seats when it rained. Now, the rain doesn't get in. We still have much to do to make our 76-year-old coaches as good as new. We spend every spring tuning up for the next season.
Today, the OC&T travels over 13.5 miles of double shiny steel ribbons, connecting Titusville industry to the USA rail network. It hauls over 1000 carloads of freight each year. It carried over 540,000 passengers by its 20th birthday. With your help, it won't take another 20 years to get to 1,000,000 riders.
Engine Type: Diesel
Gauge of Railway: Standard Gage
Approximate Adult Fare: 15.00 (listed in local currency)
Approximate Child Fare: 9.00 (listed in local currency)
Type: Spur (out and back)
Length of Route: 13.5 miles
Dates of Operation: From: 06/01/2008 To: 10/31/2008
Key Attractions:
According to the website: You'll travel down the winding rails, alongside scenic Oil Creek. Your stops on today's trip include Drake Well Park (home of the Drake Well Museum) and Petroleum Centre Station, in beautiful Oil Creek State Park.
Does this Scenic Railroad Provide: Brunch, Lunch or Dinner Trains?: no
Railroad Website: [Web Link]
Frequency of departures: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:Provide a picture of something with the train. Possible photos include the entertainment on board the train, the train itself at any location along the route, a picture of the scenery with part of the train in view, the kids borrowing the engineer’s hat. Show us you had a good time visiting the train. If the train isn't running when you visit get a photo of one of the many railway related items that can be found in locations like this.