The Buffalo Cattaraugus & Jamestown Scenic Railway Company Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
453627146
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2013–2025
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2014
Location
Strasburg, OH, USA
Phone
3307050028
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
History Museums

Reported finances

Revenue
$139,003
Expenses
$102,572
Assets
$312,922
Liabilities
$20,296

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • RAYMOND KOLASA (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • RAYMOND KOLASA (PRESIDENT)
  • DIANE KOLASA (VP/TREASURER)
  • ROY DAVIS (VP/DIR OF SA)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The mission of the buffalo, cattaraugus & jamestown scenic railway company is to attract the public to participate in steam-powered excursion passenger train rides so that they may learn about and appreciate the equipment and culture of american railroads and to do so in a manner that is safe, educational, enjoyable, economically self-sustaining, and a credit to the legions of men and women who have worked for or used the railroad before us and will in the future.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 94% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Liabilities are high compared with assets.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 84
  • Transparency & Controls: 82
  • Sustainability: 73
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 73.8%; rating input score 74
  • Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 26.2%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.05; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 10.2% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 15.1% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 21.8% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 73.8% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $103K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 7 of 7 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2013 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 24/100.