HISTORY OF THE OHIO VALLEY TERMINAL

Wheeling, West Virginia — The Ohio Valley Terminal Railroad (OVT), founded in 1985 by a coalition of local investors, and former Baltimore& Ohio/CSX employees, has transformed from a 6-mile industrial lifeline into a nearly 1,000-mile regional network spanning Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

1985 – A Small Railroad with a Big Mission

In the mid-1980s, with CSX Transportation abandoning unprofitable lines along the upper Ohio River, industries around Wheeling, West Virginia faced losing their last rail connections. 

The State Rail Authority stepped in and purchased 6-miles of out-of-service track, keeping Wheeling connected to the national rail network. 

The State Rail Authority began looking for an operator.  After hearing this news, a small team led by former B&O trainmaster Tom Rader created the Ohio Valley Terminal Railroad. Operating on state-owned trackage between Wheeling and Benwood, West Virginia, OVT began with just a single ex-B&O GP7 locomotive and a commitment to “customer-first” railroading — promising flexibility, personal service, and reliability.

Early on, OVT only managed a handful of customers, Wheeling Iron Works, Wheeling Water Pollution Control, and the old B&O freight house in downtown. Proving that local ownership and attention could succeed where Class I carriers had given up.

1990 – Expansion West: The Central Ohio Division

Five years later, OVT took a bold leap westward, signing a50-year lease with the State of Ohio to operate the former CSX Central Ohio Division between Bellaire and Zanesville, a 62-mile stretch of ex-B&O mainline. The move, supported by the Ohio Rail Development Commission, turned OVT from a local short line into a regional connector. Crews immediately began rebuilding track, restoring service through Barnesville, Cambridge, and Zanesville, and courting new shippers — from plastics producers to agricultural distributors.

By the early 1990s, OVT had become a symbol of rural revival, reconnecting the industries and towns of eastern and central Ohio. 

1992–1994 – Expansion East: The Pittsburgh Division

While others saw decay, OVT saw opportunity. When CSX announced plans to abandon its Wheeling & Pittsburgh Subdivision, OVT stepped in once more — this time acquiring the 70-mile route to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The purchase, finalized in 1994, gave the railroad its long-sought eastward link to the Pittsburgh region and interchange access with Norfolk Southern, CSX, and Allegheny Valley Railroad.

OVT’s track crews spent the late 1990s rehabilitating the deteriorated corridor, replacing ties and rail, restoring bridges, and restoring a few customers’ sidings. By 1998, freight was once again rolling between Zanesville, Wheeling, and Pittsburgh — reestablishing a historic B&O connection that had gone quiet for years. 

2008 – The Ohio Central Acquisition: 

In 2008, OVT made its most transformative move yet: purchasing the Ohio Central Railroad System (OC) from noted rail entrepreneur Jerry Joe Jacobson. The deal added over 700 miles of trackage across Columbus, Coshocton, Newark, Dennison, and Cadiz, bringing multiple affiliated short lines under one unified OVT banner.

This acquisition gave OVT a continuous east-west corridor from Columbus to Pittsburgh — the first such route under single ownership since the B&O era. The system was reorganized into three major divisions:

* Central Ohio Division (Bellaire–Newark)

* Pittsburgh Division (Wheeling–Pittsburgh)

* C&N Division (Columbus–Newark)

With dual interchange access to CSX and Norfolk Southern, OVT now offered competitive routing options and a true regional logistics network.

2010–2020 – The Energy Boom and the OVT Renaissance

The dawn of the Marcellus and Utica Shale boom in the early2010s catapulted OVT into a new era of growth. Its territory lay directly within the heart of the shale region, making it the natural rail carrier for the fracking and energy supply chain.

Inbound trains of frac sand and construction materials soon gave way to outbound shipments of LPG, condensate, and natural gas liquids. To meet demand, OVT launched a decade-long modernization push, investing over $150million in infrastructure:

* Barnesville Energy Terminal – A 60-acre LPG/NGL facility tied to regional processing plants.

* Cambridge Logistics Park – A modern transload and warehousing hub.

* Cadiz Energy Spur – A rebuilt 10-mile branch serving well-pad suppliers.

* Wheeling Logistics Park - Rail, River, Road transloading facility, giving customer every option to get product in and out. 

By 2018, OVT handled over 125,000 carloads annually, tripling its traffic since 2008. Energy shipments accounted for nearly half of all moves, but traditional freight remained vital to the system’s identity.

A Modern Regional Giant

Today, the Ohio Valley Terminal Railroad stands as a model of short line success — an independently owned, locally managed regional carrier spanning nearly 1,000 miles of track across Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. From its Wheeling headquarters, OVT operates as both a common carrier and a logistics partner, employing over 400 people and supporting thousands more in regional industries.

Even after three decades, Tom Rader’s founding philosophy remains unchanged: “Customer first, always.”

The OVT didn’t just save abandoned lines — it rebuilt an entire region’s economy, proving that with vision, local ownership, and grit, railroading in the Ohio Valley could once again thrive.

ABOUT MYSELF

My earliest memories of trains go back to when I was 4-5 years old. My grandfather always had a Lionel train going around the base of the Christmas Tree. He also had an O-gauge layout in his basement that lasted until after I graduated from high school in 2011. The countless hours I’ve spent watching those trains go around in a circle instilled a passion for model trains that grew with age. 

I found my footing with HO scale due to limited space and have stuck with it ever since. In the mid 2000s I began creating YouTube content and weathering model trains full time while I was in school. I’ve put the hobby aside a few times over the years when life gets busy and priorities change. 

Weathering model trains has always been my favorite part of the hobby, and I have been gaining skills and improving my techniques with each car I complete. 

In all these years, I’ve never had a full working layout of my own. Every time I’ve gotten one somewhat started it seems like it was time to move; but I’ve found a home at the Zane Trace National Trail Model Railroad Club in Zanesville, Ohio since 2010, and that’s where I’ve operated most of my trains since my home layout has yet to be created. 

I’m currently in the early stages of building the Ohio Valley Terminal (OVT) at home. I’m working on a track plan, but I just have some shelving work done and some foam down.