Zanesville & Western Scenic Railroad Under Threat

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – The Muskingum River is known as being a major means of historic transportation but many of the surrounding hills and hollows have been carved into by railroads. 

Zanesville and Western Scenic Railroad Consultant Tom Barnett met with the Muskingum County Commissioners to discuss a local railway closure that will eliminate a local tourist attraction as well as the ability to conduct any future rail commerce along that corridor. 

“They operate on the so-called, 13-mile-long, Glass Rock Line,” Barnett said. “Which runs from South Zanesville out through Avondale, East Fultonham and over into Mount Perry and Glass Rock. And it is being considered for scrapping. We think the line has a lot of potential and we believe it should not be cut up for scrap at this time.”

The railway, which is owned by the state, is currently operational and is being leased by the Zanesville and Western Scenic Railroad. The State Route 93 Crossing in Avondale has already been removed and the Ohio Rail Development Commission has been seeking legislative approval for the removal of the rest of the corridor. 

“We operate on the Glass Rock Line currently, on about a mile and a half of it,” Zanesville and Western Scenic Railroad President Bill Ratz said. ” We would use more but we need to rehabilitate the bridges to get across it. It’s the same thing if you want to turn it into a bike trail. You’re going to have to rehabilitate the bridges as the same deal. Probably the same amount of money even. We had a grant for $125,000 from the State of Ohio to work on the first bridge but we need to get matching local funds, 50 percent, which is a stretch.”

The railway advocates informed the commissioners of their interest in keeping the line operational and asked for their help in preventing the state from eliminating future commerce by writing a proclamation to save it. The commissioners said they will sort through the information that was presented before taking any action.