The investigation has begun into what caused the Saturday night derailment of a scenic Christmas train that left hundreds of passengers stranded in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad's final run Saturday evening of its North Pole Adventure excursion was halted after the train derailed in northern Summit County.
CVSR spokeswoman Lynee Bixler said the train derailed around 8:53 p.m., just north of the peninsula, as it was about to begin its return trip.
No injuries were reported among the hundreds of passengers on board or among crew members.
Peninsula Police officers and park rangers responded to the scene.
Four of the train's carriages derailed and there were 588 passengers and crew on board.
One of the passenger cars that derailed – a historic California Zephyr Silver Sunroom – had an obvious tilt after the crash.
Buses were sent to pick up stranded passengers and volunteers who had to walk near the Lock 29 trailhead to board buses queuing on Mill Street in the Peninsula.
The last passengers were evacuated and taken back to their car around 1 a.m.
It was the last sold-out edition of the season for the scenic railway before the planned winter vacation.
The North Pole Adventure is a family-friendly excursion that departed from the Scenic Railroad's Independence Station earlier in the evening for a hike through Cuyahoga Valley National Park to the North Pole on the peninsula where characters costumed people and Santa Claus greeted passengers before returning to Cuyahoga County.
The tour had just returned from its brief stop on the peninsula when the accident occurred.
“Safety remains our top priority and the incident remains under investigation,” Bixler said. “We deeply regret any inconvenience this incident may have caused.”
Bixler said special equipment was brought in Sunday to get the derailed cars back on the track so they could be taken back to the railroad's Fitzwater maintenance yard for inspection.
Park Service spokeswoman Pamela Barnes said the Federal Railroad Administration will investigate the accident.
The Scenic Railroad operates on tracks owned and maintained by the National Park Service in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Bixler said all affected passengers will receive a full refund.
