What Once Was A Unique Shopping Experience
Ohio Station Outlets
Burbank, Ohio
What better way is there to travel around an outlet mall than by train! Unfortunately, this is not the case anymore at Ohio Station Outlets, formerly Lodi Station Outlets, in Burbank, Ohio.
Ohio Station Outlets is an open-air outlet mall located right off of Highway 71 in Northeastern, Ohio. The mall opened as Lodi Station Outlets in 2008 after a rebranding from a previous outlet mall featuring a plethora of stores and dining options. The most notable attraction at the mall though was the 24-inch gauge railway that weaved its way between the stores and around the shopping complex on the 2.5 mile track. A mall map on the Ohio Station Outlets website still shows a map of the railroad tracks around the complex.
The gasoline powered Severn Lamb train parked in the mall's main station.
Mall trains have actually been around for quite some time. Most, however, are small kid-sized trains that run in a circle and are set up during popular holiday times like Christmas and Easter. The Ohio Station Outlets took the mall train idea to the next level! The railroad themed mall featured an entire railroad complete with a main station, small stations around the mall, a large train tunnel that also served as the maintenance facility, and railway-themed buildings.
The Ohio Station Outlet train tunnel and maintenance shed.
Some of the railroad theming featuring a box car, station hut, and a turntable.
The mall featured two unique American 4-4-0 styled trains, named Sophie and Victoria, that were actually built by a train manufacturer called Severn Lamb in the United Kingdom. One train was gasoline powered whereas the other was electric powered. The trains featured closed-in cars that allowed them to operate even during inclement weather.
The electric powered locomotive parked on the maintenance track.
Fun fact! When the mall originally opened, it featured one Severn-Lamb train locomotive and another locomotive made by a small American miniature train manufacturer. For some reason, the mall decided to order another Severn Lamb electric-powered locomotive. The old locomotive sat in the back of the train shed until it was eventually sold to Vala Pumpkin Patch in Nebraska where it serves as a backup locomotive to their main train. It still wears the Lodi Station emblem on it's smokebox.
A photo posted to Tripadvisor.com shows the original Arizona Railroad Company engine from Ohio Station Outlets at its new home at Vala Pumpkin Patch in Nebraska.
Around 2019, the Ohio Station Outlets began to run into trouble. As online shopping continued to surge, more and more brick and mortar stores were closing. Empty storefronts lead to fewer and fewer shoppers. The mall's trains also started facing mechanical problems. Frequent social media posts stated that the train was closed due to maintenance issues. The electric train was completely out of commission and the gasoline powered train was constantly being repaired.
Another bad sign for the mall came in 2022. This year saw the swift removal of the railroad, which was probably the one unique thing about the mall at this point. Both trains were sold off to different owners along with all of the track. The mall still features the railroad theme however there are no longer trains to be found...
A video of the train from my 2019 visit chugging between the Ohio Station Outlet stores.
Where are they now? The gasoline powered train was sold to Lakeland Orchard & Cidery in Scranton, Pennsylvania where it will hopefully be restored and serve as backup train to a new train that was made by Swannee River Railroad Company. The Ohio Station electric powered train was purchased by a separate owner where it will eventually restored to return to the tracks again somewhere new!
A video posted onto Lakeland Orchard & Cidery's Facebook page, advertising they're hiring for train engineers, shows the former Ohio Station Outlets train chugging around the tracks during a test run at it's new home.
It's a shame the mall went downhill and the railroad was removed. Ohio Station Outlets was a unique attraction that sadly lost its chug.
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