CANFIELD — Carl Jacobson’s life was meant to be along the rails, and he plans to “stay on track” as he enjoys life to its fullest.

Jacobson, the Mahoning Valley Railroad Heritage Association president, recently was voted in as a trustee of the Western Reserve Village Foundation at the Canfield Fairgrounds.

He brings a lot of railroad knowledge with him, but is no stranger to the Village.

Jacobson grew up in Brownlee Woods. He said his parents bought their home new in 1956. The home was just 12 blocks from the present MVRHA property.

“As a kid, I remember hearing pipe being loaded behind what is now Jim Marter Yard,” Jacobson said.

He attended Wilson High School and graduated in the Class of 1972. Among his early jobs was working in hot metal transportation for the U.S. Steel Ohio Works.

“The hot metal cars we worked with were built right here in Youngstown by the Pollock Company,” he said.

Jacobson went on to work at U.S. Steel and Sharon Steel as well as working for several small railroads that included the Ohio Central and the Grand River Railway.

“I retired from the Grand River Railway,” Jacobson said. “I served there as a conductor and shipping agent. The railway ran from Painesville to Fairport Harbor.”

He retired in 2018 at age 64, but he was far from done with the railroad industry.

HERITAGE GROUP

“In 2005 I met Jim Marter and the following year I joined the MVRHA,” he recalled.

The MVRHA was formed in 1985 as a 501(c)3 organization to preserve the railroading history and heritage of the Mahoning Valley. Because steel was the major industry in the Youngstown-Warren area, it became a focus for the group. In 1988, LTV Steel donated two hot metal cars and one slag car to form the basis of the group’s collection.

Jacobson said Marter actually began the preservations long before the turn of the century.

“Jim had purchased (Engine) 301 for $1 from Youngstown Sheet and Tube,” Jacobson said.

That engine was moved to the Canfield Fairgrounds and preserved as a historic piece of Mahoning County history. The MVRHA took on the restoration and care of the vintage engine.

The year after Jacobson joined the group, Marter got the property off Poland Avenue to use as a storage yard for the growing collection. The property used to be the Republic Steel parking lot.

Jacobson was working for the Ohio Central during those years and was eventually elected as an officer of the MVRHA. He also became a member of the Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor, and enjoyed working for both entities.

Seven years ago, Jacobson became president of the MVRHA and after retirement, he turned his free time into full-time efforts at the steel museum and the Jim Marter Yard as more items were added to the growing collection.

FULL-TIME EFFORT

Jacobson said it has become a full-time effort among the steel museum, the MVRHA yard and the 301 at the Western Reserve Village.

“In 2015, we painted the whole engine, but the liquid road salt the state uses on Route 46 is eating the 301 apart,” he said. “We want to paint the engine again this year as best we can and hopefully restore the interior of the cab with green paint.”

He pointed out some metal deterioration that also will need to addressed.

At the Western Reserve Village Foundation, Jacobson was elected as a trustee. He is replacing George Seil, who stepped down for personal reasons.

As a member of the WRVF, Jacobson will be able to give reports on the engine and rail equipment. Besides the work on 301, the MVRHA is also helping restore a vintage railroad signal that was damaged during a spring storm.

“I have a certified welder who can weld the signal and help restore it,” he said.

All the parts have been removed from the signal and the group has located replacements.

For Jacobson, restoring vintage equipment can be a challenge. One good example is the vintage Davenport switch engine at the Jim Marter Yard.

“We had to send the alternator out to be rebuilt because we couldn’t find a replacement,” Jacobson said. “They just don’t make them anymore.”

In the past seven years, Jacobson said 1,300 feet of track and two switches have been laid at the yard in Youngstown. He said it was all laid by the members.

The track has allowed for the MVRHA to move most of its roster to the site for display and restoration work.

BUSY RETIREE

If Jacobson is not at the Fairgrounds working on the signal or the 301, or at the steel museum, he can be found at the Jim Marter Yard working on the equipment and collection, and that is like a full-time job.

“This is what I choose to do with my retirement,” Jacobson said. “I enjoy talking to people, enjoy our open houses at the (rail yard) museum, and enjoy talking to fairgoers during the fair.”

He is ready to work the 5-1/2 hour shifts sitting in the 301 to talk with people. He is also ready to give his first report as a Western Reserve Village trustee.