Embrace the Old West on Ohio’s Friendliest Train Robbery

The bad news is you’re being robbed by a group of marauding, Old West-style bandits on horseback. The good news is they’re polite, and the whole experience is a lot of fun. Hocking Valley Scenic Railway stages Ohio’s Friendliest Train Robbery several times a summer, and it’s one of the wildest train excursions you’re likely to take.  

Riders are given some play money before setting off on their evening trip from the Nelsonville Depot. Near the end of the ride, a group of robbers on horseback ride up alongside the train and stop it. After hopping aboard, the bandits collect the “money” from riders and then invite them outside to take a closer look at the horses. 

“[People] enjoy the event because trains just naturally make everybody happy,” says Isaac Miller, a Hocking Valley Scenic Railway conductor and the organization’s director of marketing. “Then you have the element of surprise, which really appeals to people.”

The Hocking Valley Railway dates to the 1860s, when construction started on the line primarily to move salt and coal out of the region. Passenger service came in the decades to follow and ran until the end of 1949. In 1972, the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway began operating historical train rides out of Nelsonville. Today, the nonprofit organization hosts regularly scheduled scenic excursions, as well as themed rides throughout the year. 

Miller says Ohio’s Friendliest Train Robbery was conceived in 2005 to provide a more interactive train ride experience. It happens six times a summer, operating two dates each in June, July and August. Tickets tend to sell out fast, and its recommended riders be at the station 30 minutes in advance as the train departs promptly at 6 p.m. 33 W. Canal St., Nelsonville 45764, 855/323-3768, hvsry.org

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