Departing from Nelsonville in the hills of southeastern Ohio, the Hocking Valley runs regular excursions every weekend from April through October, plus special-occasion trains, under diesel power and over tracks listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Rides are 14 or 22 miles, and at the end of the 2010 season fares were $12 and $16 for adults.
In southwestern Ohio, the LM&M runs regular one-hour trains with historic narration from downtown Lebanon on designated days from May through October at ticket prices topping out at $12 for adults in 2010. There are also special-season trains. The LM&M is also affiliated with the Cincinnati Railway Company, which runs private and public dinner trains and private rail cars on excursions anywhere there are tracks in the United States.
Running one-hour excursions over the last active stretch of the fabled Nickel Plate Road for adult fares of $11 announced for 2011, the Toledo, Lake Erie & Western leaves from Waterville, where there's also a museum to explore. The Railway's fabled "Bluebird" is off the line for the end of the 2010 season for mechanical and track upgrades.
The Ashtabula Carson & Jefferson runs scenic trains in the northeast corner of the state every weekend from the middle of June through October at 2010 adult fares of $12. The fare was $15 for the "Steam Weekend" that kicked off the 2010 season and $14 for the re-enacted "Civil War Raid."
Several railroads near the center of Ohio offer excursions. From June to October, the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad runs to eight stations for a "ride all day" fare of $15 in 2010. From November to May the line serves only three stations. The Orrville Railroad Heritage Society runs a more limited schedule of historically grounded excursions. The Lorain & West Virginia Railway runs only during the week of the Lorain County Fair in August and weekends in October, offering a 12-mile round trip and limited rides in the diesel cab.
Passenger service on the Cardinal line three days a week runs along the Kentucky side of the Ohio River from Ashland to Maysville, then crosses to Cincinnati for a short stretch before entering Indiana. The Capitol Limited enters Ohio every day at Pittsburgh and makes stops from Alliance to Toledo before traveling on to Indiana and Chicago. The Lake Shore Limited includes Ohio stops from Bryan to Cleveland on its daily route.
