About Ohio Rail Experience
The Ohio Rail Experience is a part of Cincinnati Scenic Railway. CSR is a 501c3 nonprofit organization and the operator of the Lebanon Mason Monroe Railroad in Lebanon, OH. ORE excursions are operated in partnership with local historical societies, the Lebanon Mason Monroe Railroad, and the Cincinnati Railway Company.
These trips are a unique opportunity to experience the golden age of rail right in your backyard and feature a casual family friendly atmosphere. ORE trains will travel on railroad tracks that do not regularly host passenger trains. Some lines ORE will traverse have not seen a passenger train in over 40 years.
Passengers ride in vintage railcars pulled by historic diesel electric locomotives. ORE trains will feature open window coaches from the 1940s. Climate controlled deluxe coaches from the 1940s and 50s will also be offered at a higher fare. Passengers can enjoy the breeze from our open air baggage car. A small selection of food and drink will be available in our tavern car.
ORE aims to offer a new and exciting tour schedule every year. Many trips will not be repeated annually. If an excursion catches your eye, we highly recommend climbing aboard.
Our train crossing the Quincy High Bridge in Quincy, OH.
Classes of Service
Air Conditioned Class - Hummingbird
Deluxe Coach class seating will be inside the “Hummingbird” 3200 car. This long distance coach car was featured in the 2015 movie "Carol." The 3200 seats 60 passenger. The car features comfortable reclining chairs, and large picture windows. Seats in deluxe class are reserved. The 3200 car is heated and air conditioned. This car is equipped with restrooms.
Air Conditioned Class - Car 1491
Deluxe Car 1491 is a long distance coach car. The car features comfortable reclining chairs, and large picture windows. The 1491 is heated and air conditioned.
Open Window Coach Class
Our Open Window Coach Cars cars feature traditional railroad bench style seating. This allows families or groups of 4 to face each other. Our Open Window Coach cars are heated and feature open windows. Fans circulate air on warmer days.
“Trains tap into some deep American collective memory.”
Food Service
Open Air Tavern Car
The Queen City Tavern car, RPCX 1379, was initially built as a coal-fired kitchen car by the St. Louis Car Company in 1953 for the United States Army. It carried the U.S. Army number 89687, and was painted standard olive drab. It was acquired by Amtrak from the U. S. government as a surplus equipment transfer in the mid-1970’s, part of a group of 50 similar cars. The car was numbered 1379 by Amtrak. This group of cars was not usable as kitchen cars by Amtrak, and so in 1975 and 1976, Amtrak rebuilt 30 of the cars, including number 89687, into 50 foot baggage-mail cars for service on long distance trains. Because they were 20 feet shorter than most standard baggage cars, these major restorations were commonly called “shorties”. At the time of the rebuild, Amtrak made major improvements to the brake and electrical systems on the cars, and they were used widely throughout the system in so-called Heritage Fleet trains until about 1990 when the arrival of newer, equipment began to displace them.
The 1379 was acquired by a private owner in an Amtrak equipment auction in 1993, and it was used as a passenger car maintenance work shop. In 2008, it was purchased for the Cincinnati Dinner Train and rebuilt for use as an entertainment car. The car was purchased from the Cincinnati Dinner Train in 2018 by Cincinnati Scenic Railway for operation on LM&M Railroad and Ohio Rail Experience excursions.
What to Expect OutSide The Window…
Every trip with the Ohio Rail Experience is unique. We cannot control view beside the line, but we can guarantee that each excursion offers at least one scenic or historic point of interest. Most of our trains travel through rural farmland. However, our Oasis by Daylight, Fireworks Train will offer a look at urban railroading in the Cincinnati Area. Our Lima Limited will offer views from the Quincy High Bridge.
