Celebrating Women's History Month

Women Who Shaped the Rails and the Valley

At  Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, we often talk about the beauty of the ride and the history of the rails. But behind every mile of track and every preserved landscape are people who made it possible. Many of them are women whose dedication, leadership, and love for rail travel helped shape both the Valley and the railroad experience we know today.

Here are just a few of their stories.

Peg Bobel: Protecting the Valley We Travel Through

If you have ever looked out the train window and admired the forests, trails, and river winding through Cuyahoga Valley National Park, you have benefited from the work of Peg Bobel.

Peg grew up near the Valley and fell in love with its woods and trails as a child. In the early 1970s, she joined local conservation efforts to protect the area from development. She helped gather signatures and build public support for what became the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area in 1974, which later gained full national park status in 2000.

Peg went on to serve as the first president of the Cuyahoga Valley Trails Council and later as executive director of the Cuyahoga Valley Association, now known as the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park. During her leadership, trails expanded, educational programs grew, and community involvement flourished. She also co-authored guidebooks that have helped thousands of visitors explore the park with confidence.

Because of Peg and others like her, the landscape through which our train travels remains protected and accessible. Her legacy lives in every preserved acre and every visitor who discovers the Valley for the first time.

The Zephyrettes: Bringing Care and Class to the Rails

Long before heritage railroads became popular, a group of remarkable women helped define what passenger rail travel could be.

The Zephyrettes served aboard the California Zephyr and Denver Zephyr. Beginning in 1936, these college-educated, registered nurses welcomed passengers, cared for children, made scenic announcements, and even handled medical emergencies.

They were often advertised as the “woman’s touch” of rail travel, but their role was far more significant. They brought professionalism, warmth, and confidence to long distance journeys from Chicago to the West Coast. They set a standard for hospitality that still influences passenger rail today.

Their story is a reminder that the passenger experience has always been about more than the destination. It is about how people feel along the way.

Carol Schroeder: Restoring History by Hand

Volunteerism has always been at the heart of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, and Carol Schroeder is a perfect example of that spirit.

After retiring, in 2008 Carol began volunteering with CVSR. What started as seasonal and support roles soon turned into something much bigger when she became deeply interested in a vintage lounge car called the St. Lucie Sound. Hidden beneath layers of carpet was an original hand carved linoleum mural that had been covered for decades.

When the car was taken out of service for restoration, Carol was asked by the railroad’s founder Siegfried Buerling to lead the mural project. With no formal restoration training but a deep knowledge of the car’s history, she organized a volunteer group known as the “Scrappy Scrapers.” Together, and with guidance from professional conservators, they carefully removed layers of glue using surgical tools and logged hundreds of hours revealing the artwork underneath.

Carol also made sure passengers could follow the progress, turning restoration into a shared story. Her leadership preserved a meaningful piece of railroad heritage and strengthened the volunteer community that keeps CVSR thriving.

Josephine Delgado Moss: Growing Up Along the Tracks

For Josephine Delgado Moss, the railroad was not just something to visit. It was home.

Her family immigrated from Guanajuato, Mexico, to Cleveland in 1928, where her father worked for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. When she was nine years old, the family moved to Independence, Ohio, and lived in a converted boxcar near the tracks. She became known locally as “the boxcar child.”

Her childhood unfolded between the railroad and the Cuyahoga River. She attended local schools, helped her family, and grew up surrounded by the rhythms of railroad life. In 1945, her parents purchased a house beside Rockside Station, further tying their story to the community.

Josephine went on to become a nurse, working in Cleveland’s first modern cardiac unit and later serving communities beyond Ohio before returning home to retire. The lessons she learned along the tracks about hard work, resilience, and community stayed with her throughout her life.

A Shared Legacy

Each of these women contributed in her own way. Peg Bobel helped protect the land. The Zephyrettes shaped the passenger experience. Carol Schroeder preserved railroad history. Josephine Delgado Moss lived the railroad story from childhood.

Together, their stories remind us that railroads are not just about trains. They are about people who care deeply about the places they serve. Every time our train rolls through the Valley, it carries forward that legacy.