RPCA 40th Anniversary 2022 Conference

The 40th Anniversary Rail Passenger Car Alliance Conference is in the books. The conference, attended by close to 200 members was held at the Holiday Inn Conference Center on Rockside Road in Independence, Ohio. Although there were a few last minute cancellations due to Covid that complicated scheduling and finding replacements the conference was deemed a success by those that attended. The arrival of heavy snow Sunday evening made travel difficult for those leaving on Monday but did not affect the conference itself. 

The conference began with early registration on Wednesday evening, January 12th with some sessions scheduled for the following day. Thursday was highlighted by an excursion to the Age of Steam Roundhouse in Sugarcreek, Ohio that included lunch at Der Dutchman in Walnut Creek, Ohio.

A variety of topics were covered in sessions scheduled throughout the weekend including updates from Amtrak and Umler along with presentations outlining the history of Midwest and the various railroads that were important to the growth of northeast Ohio.

Saturday featured an open house at the Historic B&O Roundhouse that also included lunch as well as presentations on window repair, 40 year truck inspection, 4070 and 2100. The privately owned former Great Northern "Going to the Sun Mountain" observation car was on display as well as MRPS's own NKP 62, aka "The Death Car".

Next year's conference is scheduled to be  hosted by the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, North Carolina.

Check out some photos from the conference in the Archive Photos section of this web site!

Share in our vision to preserve railroading's past for future generations to learn from and enjoy.

Click here for the Google Maps directions to the Historic B&O Roundhouse.  

For more information or to arrange a special group tour, call (216) 781-3629. 

Benefits of Using Our Services

Working with a 501(c)3 may provide many opportunities beneficial to your organization.

Our nonprofit status allows us to provide cost effective solutions for locomotive and rail car services. Whatever profit we do realize is invested in the restoration of railroad equipment, the roundhouse or our railyard and ancillary equipment. The same applies also to leasing of our locomotives and rolling stock.

Our location offers easy access and Interchange with class 1 railroads and can be an effective solution to reduce your current hauling costs. We are in the CSX Clark Yard with interchange to CSX, NS and W&LE for easy transport.

We have a heated indoor facility with a machine shop for maintenance and restoration purposes. 

Benefits available include secured outside track for cold or heated storage.

Space is available specifically for storing your equipment no matter what your need.

Heavy equipment is on site and our facility was originally built for servicing railroad equipment.

Among our equipment are; heavy lifting hydraulic and pneumatic jacks, heavy cranes, stalls with pits and wheel drop pits and an operating turntable. We also offer sand blasting and painting and have an EPA approved locomotive-sized paint booth that will be installed in the fully restored roundhouse. 

We have heavy steel fabrication capabilities that include welding and precision cutting equipment, milling machines, lathes and even a full blacksmith shop. 

Locomotive & Amtrak Passenger Services include:

• Complete Rebuilds 
• Steam and Diesel Locomotives
• Brake Systems
• HVAC Systems
• 40 Year Truck Rebuilds
• Traction Motors
• Generators & HEP
• Radiators
• Wheel Installation
• Paint & Body
• Diagnostic
• Outside Storage in a fenced in secure yard
• Heavy Crane Lifting
• Regional Railroad Supply Vendors

Our highly skilled workforce includes diesel mechanics, diagnostic inspectors, certified welders, pattern makers, machinists, certified electricians, sand blasters, paint specialists and a basic labor force.

How do you become a member?

Click the Join us button on our home page or sign up in person at the Roundhouse.

What age groups? 

All Ages!

Under 18 with guardian permission.

What could I do as a member at MRPS?

There are many opportunities to get on the job training and experience that may provide useful skills in other industries as well. 

Does it cost money for a membership? If so, how much?

Senior level ages 55 and up is $40

Regular level ages 54 and below is $45

Family membership is $60

Benefactor membership is $100

Platinum level, for those that wish to give more and help our cause is $500 and above

How do I donate to a project?

This website will have prompts for different projects that will enable you to donate online or you can donate in person at the roundhouse or by mailing a donation to Midwest Railway.

With most donations 100% is tax deductible!

Visit our Donate page to see what projects we're working on.

Established nearly 70 years ago by rail service professionals and experts that are still to this day contributing their knowledge and resources, car repair and restoration has been a major source of income for our organization. MRPS specializes in diesel locomotive engine and railcar restoration and provides affordable and professional services for private railcar owners. Our restoration process follows strict Amtrak regulations when it comes to repairs, documentation and final Amtrak inspections. In addition to repairing cars and locomotives owned by others, MRPS also repairs and maintains its' own rolling stock and motive power, and is able to rent that equipment out to add additional income to the organization's bottom line. 

MRPS offers railcar storage for private car owners within our fenced in rail yard at competitive pricing. The yard is under constant surveillance by a series of security cameras for additional protection.

Unsecured storage is also available for surplus freight cars at a lower rate.

Located in the CSX Clark Yard offering easy access interchange with CSX, NS and W&LE, our location is a cost effective solution to reduce current hauling costs. 

Call 216-781-3629 for pricing or additional information.

Watch for the re-opening of the Historic B&O Roundhouse and rail yard for full scale tours once the current Corona Virus mandates have been lifted. 

Midwest offers to open its' facility to groups for individual events tailored to their specific requests. In the past we have hosted Paranormal Nights for ghost hunters and have opened our gates for photography and sketch groups. We have also hosted birthday parties and boy scouts in their endeavor to earn a railroading badge and a number of movie crews have been on site to shoot local and national movies and videos. The NFL recently visited with a video film crew to shoot footage intended for inclusion during their broadcast of the 2021 NFL draft. Call our office at 216-781-3629 to find out what we can do for you.

Our amazing team of regular and part time volunteers are committed to promoting northeast Ohio's rich railroad history through the many projects and activities of the Midwest Railway Preservation Society. Our member volunteers come from a wide variety of backgrounds, occupations and experiences, notably, railroad operating crew, electricians, machinists, welders, carpenters, pattern makers, mechanics and mechanical engineers. They all share their passion through MRPS and go out of their way to share their knowledge by working together and teaching each other and our younger members new skills that can also help them in their everyday lives.

Railroads played an important role in the growth and development of industry in Northeast Ohio. The Midwest Railway Historical Foundation was incorporated on December 8th, 1955, as a non-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation. It operated under that name until the membership voted to change the name to the Midwest Railway Preservation Society to better reflect the organization's activities and mission. 

Midwest Railway Preservation Society (MRPS) is dedicated to the collection, restoration and preservation of vintage railroad equipment, facilities and memorabilia for public display in a museum-like setting, thus giving present and future generations of visitors access to equipment and facilities that are now a part of railroad history.

MRPS also owns the previously abandoned corporate name of The Cleveland Terminal & Valley Railroad, which was an early and historically significant railroad in the Cleveland area.

The mission of the Midwest Railway Preservation Society is to acquire, restore, preserve and operate vintage railroad equipment, buildings, structures and artifacts for the purpose of educating the general public regarding the history of the American railroad industry and its' role in our nation's progress; to engage in activities for educational, charitable, scientific and literary purposes; to hold, acquire, purchase, lease, possess, sell, exchange or otherwise dispose of such real or personal property necessary or requisite to carrying out the purposes of the Society and all things incident thereto; to perform any and all things necessary or incidental to the accomplishment of the aforementioned purposes of the Corporation and for any other lawful purpose.

The Midwest Railway Preservation Society Inc. does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation or military status, in any of its' activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and firing of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, clients, volunteers, subcontractors and vendors. 

October 29th, 2020 was the premier airing of the episode featuring Midwest and the Historic B&O Roundhouse in the Holzer Files. A ghost story you will not want to miss!

Steve Emling, President

Steve Korpos, Jr., Executive Director

Ken Yandek, Board Chairperson

Allan Thompson, Treasurer

Greg Antz

Mitch Karibinus

Ken McCown

Dale Pietrasz

Petar Stojsavljevic