The Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum sits on a 34-acre site on Smokey Lane Road SW outside Sugarcreek, in the heart of Ohio's Tuscarawas County Amish Country. At its center is a fully operational, 18-stall brick roundhouse wrapped around a 115-foot turntable — described as the first large roundhouse built in the United States since 1951, when Nickel Plate Road completed its Calumet Yard roundhouse (Trains magazine, 2010). Architect F. A. Goodman designed the roughly 48,000-square-foot building with solid masonry walls and heavy timber framing, making it one of the largest heavy-timber structures in America.

The roundhouse and its collection are the legacy of Jerry Joe Jacobson (1943–2017), a board-certified nurse anesthetist and U.S. Army veteran who built the Ohio Central Railroad System. Jacobson began operating the Ohio Central in 1988 and ran steam-powered passenger excursions between Sugarcreek and Baltic starting in 1989. When he sold the Ohio Central System to Genesee & Wyoming in 2008, he kept his collection of vintage locomotives and rolling stock, bought 34 acres in Sugarcreek, and built the roundhouse to house them; the building was completed around 2010 and the steam locomotives were moved inside in 2011. The museum is owned and operated by the Jerry & Laura Jacobson Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit endowed to preserve the collection.

Today the roundhouse shelters what is described as one of the largest private collections of steam locomotives in the world, alongside historic diesels, passenger cars, freight equipment and cabooses. In September 2025 the museum acquired its 25th steam locomotive, Chesapeake & Ohio 2-6-6-2 No. 1308 — the only articulated steam locomotive in the collection.

The interior of the roundhouse, with locomotives arranged radially around the 115-foot turntable, is the signature shot — a wide-angle lens helps capture the curved stalls and timber roof. The turntable and back-shop work areas show locomotives mid-restoration, a scene rarely accessible elsewhere. Personal photography is permitted and visitors may post images to social media, but commercial use is prohibited and video recording is not permitted on tours. Because the interior is dimly lit compared with outdoors, a fast lens or high-ISO capability is more useful than flash.

For railfans, the Age of Steam Roundhouse is a rare chance to walk inside a living roundhouse where restoration crews actively overhaul steam power, rather than a static display hall. The collection spans the builders that defined North American steam: Baldwin Locomotive Works, Lima Locomotive Works, the American Locomotive Company (Alco), and the Canadian and Montreal Locomotive Works. Highlights include Bessemer & Lake Erie 2-10-4 No. 643 (Baldwin, 1944), the largest locomotive in the collection; Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 Berkshire No. 763 (Lima, 1944); Grand Trunk Western 4-8-4 Northern No. 6325 (Alco, 1943); and the two Canadian Pacific 4-6-2 Pacifics, No. 1278 and No. 1293 (Canadian Locomotive Company, 1948).

The museum also keeps several locomotives in operating condition. McCloud River Railroad 2-8-2 No. 19 (Baldwin, 1915) was returned to steam and given a grand christening in April 2026, and Morehead & North Fork 0-6-0 No. 12 (Alco, 1905, built as Southern Railway No. 1643) is also listed as operational. Unusual machines round out the roster, including a Reading 0-4-0 "Camelback" No. 1187 (Baldwin, 1903) acquired from the Strasburg Rail Road, plus fireless and compressed-air industrial switchers.

Beyond the steam fleet, the roundhouse holds a deep diesel collection — Alco, EMD, Fairbanks-Morse and General Electric switchers and road units — along with passenger cars, freight cars and cabooses, giving visitors a broad view of 20th-century American railroading under a single roof.

Access is by guided tour only. Because the roundhouse is a working site, visitors cannot wander unescorted; a knowledgeable interpreter leads each group on a roughly 90-minute walk of about one-third of a mile through the stalls, the turntable area and the back shop. Tour groups can be up to 50 people, and the entire route is on one level.

Public Roundhouse Tours run April through November on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 10:00 a.m., noon and 2:00 p.m. The Roundhouse and the Depot (museum store) are open from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on tour days. This is fundamentally a museum tour, not a train ride: steam-powered train rides and cab rides are offered only during special events such as the Fall Steam Festival, the WWII-themed Steam to Victory weekend, Evening Lantern Tours and Santa Comes to the Roundhouse.

Tickets are limited. The museum recommends buying online in advance because only online purchases guarantee a specific day and time, though walk-up tickets are sold at the counter when available.

Operating Hours: Public Roundhouse Tours run April through November on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. The Roundhouse and Depot store are open 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on tour days. Office hours are 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday to Friday.

Special Events: Annual Fall Steam Festival (late September), Steam to Victory (June), Touch-A-Truck, Touch-A-Train (August, free admission), Evening Lantern Tours, Caboose Rides, Yard Tours and Santa Comes to the Roundhouse. Steam-powered train rides are offered only during special events.

Peak Season: Summer and early autumn, peaking around the Fall Steam Festival in late September.

Admission Prices: Roundhouse Tour admission is $20 for adults (ages 17–64), $17 for seniors and veterans (65+), $12 for youths (ages 3–16), and free for children ages 2 and under (prices confirmed on the official site for the 2026 season).

Ticket Types: A single guided Roundhouse Tour ticket covers the approximately 90-minute tour. Group tours are available for parties of 20 or more, and special events are ticketed separately.

Booking: Tickets are limited and may be purchased online or at the ticket counter, but only online purchases guarantee the selected day and time. The museum recommends booking ahead because tours sell out.

Discounts: Reduced admission for seniors and veterans (65+) and for youths (ages 3–16); children 2 and under are free.

Wheelchair Access: The entire tour route is on one level and is accessible with wheelchairs and personal scooters.

Mobility: The tour covers about one-third of a mile over roughly 90 minutes; soled, closed-toe footwear is required for the working-site environment.

Family Facilities: Families with small children are welcome and encouraged to bring their own strollers, as the museum does not provide strollers or wheelchairs.

Service Animals: Certified service animals are permitted on the tour; emotional-support animals are not.

Clothing: Comfortable, closed-toe, soled footwear is required; dress for an active site partly exposed to outdoor conditions.

Camera Gear: A fast lens or high-ISO-capable camera helps in the dim roundhouse interior; video is not permitted on tours.

Food & Water: No food service is available on site, so bring water; staff can direct visitors to nearby eateries in Sugarcreek.

Family Items: Bring your own stroller for small children if needed.

Best Vantage Points: The radial view of locomotives around the 115-foot turntable and the curved interior of the 18 stalls.

Optimal Lighting: Interior light is lower than outdoors; shoot at higher ISO rather than relying on flash.

Equipment: A wide-angle lens captures the full sweep of the roundhouse; a fast prime helps in low light.

Composition: Use the turntable and stall radial lines to lead the eye toward a feature locomotive.

Restrictions: Personal still photography is allowed and may be posted to social media; commercial use is prohibited and video recording is not permitted on tours.

Nearest Airport: Akron-Canton Airport (CAK) is the closest commercial airport, roughly 35–40 miles (about 56–64 km) north of Sugarcreek; Cleveland Hopkins International (CLE) is a larger alternative about 80 miles (about 129 km) north.

Ground Transportation: There is no public transit to the rural site; a rental car is effectively required.

Travel Time: Approximately 50 minutes to one hour by car from Akron-Canton Airport (distances approximate; verify before travel).

Nearest Station: There is no scheduled passenger rail service to Sugarcreek; the nearest Amtrak service is well to the north and a car is required to reach the museum.

Transfer Options: None by rail — plan to drive.

Scenic Connections: The Dennison Railroad Depot Museum (about 22 miles / 35 km southeast) runs seasonal train excursions and makes a natural rail-themed pairing.

Major Routes: From Interstate 77, take Exit 83 (Dover / Sugarcreek) to OH-39 West, then OH-93 South toward Baltic; after about 2.1 miles turn left on County Road 167, then right on Smokey Lane Road SW — the roundhouse is on the left.

From Major Cities: From Cleveland, I-77 South to OH-39 West to OH-93 South (roughly 90 miles / 145 km). From Pittsburgh, I-376 West to US-22 to US-250 to I-77 North to OH-39 West (roughly 110 miles / 177 km). From Columbus, I-70 East to I-77 North to OH-39 West (roughly 100 miles / 161 km). Distances approximate.

Scenic Routes: The drive winds through Ohio's Amish Country; the museum advises following its posted directions rather than GPS, which may route you on less direct roads.

On-Site: Free parking is available at the museum on Smokey Lane Road SW.

Cost: No charge for parking.

RV/Bus: Motorcoach groups are accommodated; group tours (20 or more) should arrange visits in advance.

Overflow: The rural 34-acre site has ample open parking. (Specific overflow arrangements are not detailed on the official site — confirm for large groups.)

Public Transit: None serves the rural museum site; a private vehicle is required.

Rideshares: Rideshare availability is limited in this rural part of Tuscarawas County and should not be relied upon.

Walkability: The museum is outside the village of Sugarcreek and is not within walking distance of downtown shops and restaurants.

Bike Rentals: No on-site bike rentals; the area is rural with rolling terrain.