Jerry Joe Jacobson passes.

Very sorry to learn of Jerry's passing, although I know he was having major health issues in recent times.

He was a fellow paratrooper, although we were in different and highly competitive divisions: he in the 82nd and yours truly in the 101st. A lot of good-natured rib-poking between members of those respective units continues to this day.

One of the featured lines on my soon-to-be built O gauge layout will be the Ohio Central (have a good assortment of motive power from MTH already), along with the U.S. Army Transportation Corps (also a large roster already assembled). I decided on the OC as a line to model some time ago, even before learning of Jerry's failing health. You can be certain that some structure or other feature on the new layout will be appropriately named in tribute to  Jerry Joe and all he accomplished in his lifetime.

My sincere sympathies to Laura and Jerry's entire family.

We all lost a good friend today. 

I knew Jerry for more than 40 years. I worked for him when I was Superintendent of Operations for the Ohio Central Railroad's Youngstown Division. The very first steam engine I ever ran was one of Jerry's, at an abandoned steel mill in Jackson, Ohio, many years ago. And today I am enjoying a late-life career as a King Air 350 pilot, thanks to Jerry asking me to be the Ohio Central corporate pilot many years ago. I owe him a lot.

While I am sad that he is gone from this Earth, I am happy that his suffering is over and he has entered the life eternal.

Here is the text of the write-up on the AOSR site:

Jerry Joe Jacobson
June 27, 1943 – September 13, 2017

Age of Steam Roundhouse Statement on the Passing of Jerry Joe Jacobson

Jerry Joe Jacobson has died. After a long illness and surrounded by members of his family, Jerry passed away peacefully on September 13, 2017. He was 74. Visionary, businessman, anesthetist, philanthropist, entrepreneur, family man, railroad tycoon and friend to many. Of the many words used to describe Jerry Joe Jacobson perhaps his most favorite was “paratrooper”; more specifically, Sergeant Jacobson, parachute rigger, Company B, 407 PIR, 82nd Airborne Division, US Army. He continued his military service with the U.S. Army Reserve, eventually rising to the rank of Captain.

Born in Jacksonville, Illinois, and spending his youth in the shadow of northern Indiana’s sprawling steel mills, Jerry’s character was forged by his tough‐as‐nails father, yet tempered by his loving mother. The family moved to Ohio where Jerry enjoyed high school activities of playing drums and wrestling, but most of all he loved watching the last steam locomotives still operating on the Baltimore & Ohio’s Akron Division main line near his home in Cuyahoga Falls. Jerry vowed that one day he would own his own steamer, realizing that in order to run his own locomotive he would have to own his own railroad.

Jerry studied at Kent State University for two years and then went on to receive his degree in anesthesia from a teaching hospital in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, right in the middle of a Pennsylvania‐Dutch country. Spending available weekends at the steam‐powered Strasburg tourist railroad, he came to appreciate the simple, quiet life of the surrounding Amish community. Jerry moved back to Ohio and began his anesthesia career in maternity suites and operating rooms at local hospitals.

During the early 1980s Jerry became involved with the operation of two Ohio short lines, and dreams of owning his own railroad came true when in 1988 he purchased a little‐used branch of the Norfolk & Western. Running 90 miles between Brewster, Ohio, and Zanesville, this former W&LE/Nickel Plate line was renamed the Ohio Central (OC). One of the first things Jerry did was to acquire from Steamtown its ex‐Canadian National 4‐6‐0 #1551 in trade for his Jackson Iron & Steel 0‐6‐0 #3 (formerly Baldwin Locomotive Works plant switcher No.26, recently rebuilt and again operating at Steamtown). Jerry rebuilt the 4‐6‐0, acquired open‐window passenger coaches, and began operating daily‐except‐Sunday steam‐powered tourist trains on his new railroad line…that just happened to pass through the largest Amish community in the United States. It was a natural fit—people came from miles around to shop and visit the quaint Amish community of Sugarcreek, and, while in town these same tourists would ride OC passenger trains. There was the occasional freight train, but on some days the line’s sole income was derived from the tickets sold to eager steam train passengers.

Little‐by‐little freight traffic increased as Jerry acquired, rehabilitated and operated more and more down‐on‐their‐luck railroads until he had amassed the ten lines that comprised the greater Ohio Central Railroad System. Stretching from Columbus to the Ohio River with satellite rail lines in Youngstown and Pittsburgh, the OCRS had grown to 550 miles with more than 200 employees. Instead of abandoning rights of way or giving‐in to non‐revenue producing bike trails, Jerry had revived 10 faltering railroads that now paid taxes and purchased millions of dollars’ worth of fuel, supplies and services. Offering fresh competition to the monopolizing trucking industry, Jerry’s railroads caused shipping costs to fall and businesses to relocate beside his railroad tracks. His railroads created jobs whose employee’s paychecks stimulated local economies, and whose payroll taxes supported on‐line communities. As an added bonus, upon an employee’s 10th anniversary with the OCRS Jerry took them on his annual trek to Fort Bragg to celebrate the 82nd’s All‐America Week.

Jerry eventually acquired ten steam locomotives and two‐dozen passenger cars, and for nearly twenty years OC’s summertime tourist trains and day‐long excursions were pulled by steam locomotives to the delight of millions of people, both aboard the trains and those watching from trackside. But OC’s main focus was hauling freight, and the little railroad prospered beyond all expectations by hauling plastic pellets, aggregates, grain, paper, chemicals, pipe, bricks, steel and unit coal trains.

In 2008 Jerry reached retirement age and sold his railroad empire to the Genesee & Wyoming. He pursued other interests, including the establishment of an investment business and the Jerry & Laura Jacobson Foundation, Inc., a charitable institution. Along with devoted wife, Laura, the Jacobsons funded the $10 million construction of a new student dormitory at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia where their two sons attended high school. Back home in Ohio, Jerry built a functioning steam locomotive repair facility right out of the 1930s, including an 18‐stall roundhouse, 115‐foot turntable, back shop, wood water tank, huge store house and depot/office, etc., to restore and exhibit his collection that had grown to 19 steamers, 28 diesels, two‐dozen passenger cars and other historic railroad items. The Age of Steam Roundhouse is the world’s largest, privately funded, railroad historical project, and the roundhouse is one of the largest timber framed structures in the world.

Jerry Joe Jacobson’s childhood dream had come true. Everyone who loves trains—and many who only know trains as an occasional annoyance at grade crossings as they wait for a slow‐moving freight to pass—also enjoy the many benefits, public and private, created by Jerry Joe Jacobson’s dream.

So very sad.  We have lost another good man but he is at rest. Never met him but enjoyed and appreciated what he did for the railroads and people.

Sorry to learn of his passing. I'm sure he is in a better place. I know Rich was close and I share his sadness. All the best to his family. Dave G.

Very sad....condolences to his many family and friends. I am glad that his legacy will continue. 

Jerry died doing what he loved, how many of us get to do that? Whether you knew him or not, we all lost a great  friend....

RIP Jerry, you will be missed...

Glad he lived long enough to see his round house dreams become a reality.

 This was one very fine gentleman who raised the bar for the rest of us!

so sad to hear of this. I hadn't known of his illness, but now he has a new body. I had hoped to met him at Train Fest in '04, but his father had just passed IIRC, but I did get to meet Rich and Ross. Thank you Mr Jacobson for all you have done for your country and us train lovers.

We've applied Jerry's name to the locomotive for this weekend's trips.

A great loss for the steam fraternity. Had the opportunity to ride a number of David Goodheart charters on the OC out of Sugar Creek - and had the good fortune to ride the cab of GTW 4-8-4 #6325, as a result. A large thank you to Mr. Jacobson for enriching many of our lives.

From reading the posts here, he lived a full life with many family and friends.

My condolences to those of you who were fortunate to call him family or a friend.

-Greg

Life is short.  Jerry Jacobson did not waste the earthly time that was granted him.  May he rest in peace.  My sincerest condolences go out to all of his friends and family.

I never met the guy but he has inspired and touched many railroad hobbyists in so many ways it tough to count. God Bless and God's speed! I hope his AOSR and his legacy be around for centuries!