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Site Notes
5/15/09
I added several historic photos to the C&O of Indiana gallery, with scenes from the climb up the hill and many of the old Cheviot/Summit yard, thanks to David Frey. He also sent me several photos of the Winton shops that he took just before it was demolished in November of 1992, which are in the Substations, Carbarns, and Shops gallery. I also added some photos of the Brighton carbarns from 1983, just before it was demolished, to the same gallery as well. Finally, there's a few new photos of a collapsed sidewalk at the CL&N tunnel/underpass at McMillan Street.
5/2/09
I explored the Cincinnati & Westwood right-of-way between South Fairmount and Westwood today, and posted the photos in its gallery. Thanks to Mike Edwards for telling me about an old bridge about half way up the hill. It still remains just behind the new Bluffs at Woodcrest subdivision.
4/30/09
Images from my exploration of abandoned Red Bank Road and Wooster Pike are finally finished, as well as exploration of Torrence Road. There are trolley wire support poles on Torrence Road, so pictures of those have been added to both the Roads and the Trolley Poles galleries. Since there never was a streetcar run on Torrence, I suspect that the poles fed power to the O'Bryonville substation on O'Bryon Street. That was a new substation added to the system when many capital improvements were made in 1925, in conjunction with the decommissioning of the East End power house at Eastern Avenue and St. Andrews Street. I added some photos of the private right-of-way streetcar line in Norwood by the US Playing Card Company, as well as photos of 1940's and 1920's (!) era stoplights in Norwood. Finally, I added photos of exposed tracks on Woodburn and West Clifton Avenues.
3/28/09
Many of the railroad galleries have been updated with new and old pictures.
The B&O/CH&D gallery adds a fascinating photo of the rear of the Baymiller Street station complex from sometime between 1863 and 1888, as well as a few other historic postcards. The B&O/Marietta gallery adds a few photos of Longworth Hall from the early 20th century, and several historic photos of the Winton Place and Loveland stations. I added an aerial photo of the Mill Creek Valley to the C&O of Indiana gallery that shows the old viaduct that started the railroad's climb out of the valley. I added some photos of the abandoned Cincinnati & Whitewater Canal tunnel in Cleves to the NYC/I&O CIND gallery. I also added many new photos of the N&W Peavine from Ault Park east through Clare Yard. Many thanks to Brandon Brooks at Bulkmatic for showing me around there. Along with that trip, I got several photos of the PRR/Little Miami in that vicinity, including shots of Mariemont's old steam heating plant. There's also some drawings of the Pan Handle station, and more historic photos of stations in Loveland, Fosters, and Kings Mills. The CL&N gallery has a new photo of the Deer Creek Valley from about 1880, which shows the south portal of the unfinished Deer Creek Tunnel. There's also an aerial photo of Norwood near Xavier U. that shows the abandoned CL&N ROW and the N&W Connecting Belt line.
The Cincinnati Southern gallery adds a photo of a restored ex-CNO&TP engine serving the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in North Carolina.
There's also a few updates to the interurbans galleries as well. The CL&A page addes two historic postcards from Harrison and Lawrenceburg. I added a color photo of the red C&LE cars, though I don't know from when or where it is. There's one new photo in the Cincinnati & Columbus gallery, of its bridge over the Little Miami River in Milford. The CM&B gallery also adds a few photos and drawing of the 1923 bridge over the Little Miami River as well.
I still need to organize and caption my photos of the old Red Bank Road alignment, and I have to go to Westwood and South Fairmount to document some remaining piers for a creek crossing on the Cincinnati & Westwood. Look for those updates next, as well as photos of revealed tracks from the road construction on Woodburn Avenue in Walnut Hills, and on Eastern Avenue/Riverside Drive at Adams Crossing. I also have some photos of the Brighton carbarns that were taken just before it was demolished, as well as from Union Terminal when the concourse was being taken down. Lastly, I photographed what's left of Torrence Road. The current Torrence Parkway was constructed as part of the Columbia Parkway project. The original smaller, steeper road remains a bit to the east of its younger brother. It used to connect Madison and Grandin Roads with Eastern Avenue, but now only a few small stubs remain. The odd thing is that there are many iron utility poles of the type used by the street railway. They even have the same crossarms and other brackets and connectors, but there were never any streetcars on Torrence Road. All I can think of is that they were used as transmission lines to feed power to the O'Bryonville substation, which was built as part of the 1925 system expansion and modernization.
3/2/09
I have updated the main information page with detailed write-ups on various steam railroads. Some have much more information than others, and some still just have the basic information that's listed farther down on this page, but it's a start. I updated the map to show the route of the Deer Creek Tunnel under Walnut Hills, as well as the Cincinnati & Western tunnel under Fay Apartments. Neither was ever finished, but I indicated which sections of the Deer Creek Tunnel were completed. The entrance portals of both tunnels have been demolished, but other sections remain buried and unused.
I also began mapping some proposed and never-completed railroad routes. It would be too difficult to try to show all the proposed railroads in the area, but I am trying to document at least where roadbeds were officially platted and graded. For example, in the sorted history of the CL&N, predecessor companies graded most of an early route between Sharonville and Waynesville. As it was finally built, the CL&N only used part of this graded roadbed between Dimmick Road (at the Butler and Warren County lines) and Dodds (a hamlet on Old OH-122 half way between Lebanon and Waynesville). The roadbed between Dodds and Waynesville is still somewhat intact, with crumbling stone bridge abutments flanking some of the small creeks. The bit between Dimmick Road and Sharonville is a bit harder to discern due to suburban development, but I marked out my best guess at the possible routes of both, based on old maps, current satellite photos, and GIS information. If I can find some more information on the Cincinnati & Western, I'll get that on the map as well. In the most basic sense, it was projected to run from the tunnel under today's Fay Apartments north through Mt. Airy Forest, roughly paralleling Colerain Avenue through Ross to points north and west.
Look for updates to the Norfolk & Western and Little Miami galleries in the next few days, with photos of the Red Bank Road trestle and Clare Yard to the end of the tracks by Mariemont's old steam plant. I got some interesting photos of the old alignments of Red Bank Road and Wooster Pike, both of which used to intersect behind the Cincinnati Paperboard plant, in the triangle of land between Valley, Redbank, and Rendcomb junctions. There is a demolished bridge over Duck Creek and a remaining small concrete bridge over Little Duck Creek back there.
1/24/09
I have added copies of several old maps to the "Roads & Viaducts" and the "Subway" galleries. They show the old Wright-Lockland Highway, Columbia Parkway in Linwood, and the subway route in St. Bernard and Bond Hill. I also fixed the formatting and some of the information on the railroad descriptions below, but the "more information" page still needs work.
1/17/09
The map files have been updated with some minor corrections and additions. I have also added and updated some of the links.
About this Site
Background
The growth and development of cities throughout the world is profoundly influenced by the available modes of transportation at the time. Until the 19th Century, walking was the only way to get around town. Horses and carriages were generally only used for travelling between cities or by the wealthy. For the vast majority of folks, walking was the only way to get around on a daily basis. Since most people don't want to commute more than about 30 minutes (which is still true today), this limited the size of the walking city to about two miles across. The historical center of most European cities, as well as many east coast cities in the United States were first developed in this walking age. The centers of London, Paris, New York, Boston, and Charleston all grew in this time. It wasn't until the introduction of the railroads that things started to change.
At first, railroads didn't affect the size of cities much. They linked the city with the countryside, spurring the growth of many country towns where farmers brought their produce to be shipped to the city by train. Here in Ohio, any town with a population over 5,000 had a railroad connection of some sort. Towns such as Loveland, Montgomery, Springdale, Sharonville, and Newtown started in this way. In the big cities though, the change was increasing industrialization of certain areas of the city where the railroads had their yards and other support facilities. With the exception of some wealthy railroad commuter suburbs like Glendale and Norwood (yes Norwood), most people still had to live within walking distance of work and their everyday needs, as the railroad was too expensive to take on a daily basis.
Although the railroads themselves didn't start to change the growth pattern of cities significantly in themselves, some of their spin off technologies did. The development of steel rails and steam engines allowed for the construction of horsecar (essentially a small trailer with seats pulled by a team of horses) and cable car lines, as well as Cincinnati's famous inclines. These allowed more than just the very wealthy, who could afford to take a horse carriage from neighborhoods like Clifton or East Walnut Hills to downtown, to start moving farther away from the increasingly crowded and polluted central city. It wasn't until the development of reliable electric traction motors that the spreading out of cities began in earnest.
In the late 1800's, slow and unreliable horsecar lines began converting to electric streetcars. While horsecar lines in some cities reached several miles from downtown, such as in Chicago, the hills of Cincinnati meant that they couldn't operate very effectively. Cable cars work great in hilly terrain like Cincinnati and San Francisco, and even Chicago had an extensive system, but they were still slow and prone to breakdown. Electric streetcars were much faster (at that time), and more reliable, so except in a few rare cases they replaced all the horsecar and cable car lines. The streetcar systems which developed allowed cities to grow from two miles across to nearly 10 miles. Just about every neighborhood within the boundaries of the City of Cincinnati, but outside of downtown, Over-the-Rhine, the West End, and Queensgate, grew during the streetcar era.
At the same time, the interurbans took streetcar technology and applied it to longer-distance travel. They linked the city with the country much as the railroads had, but they provided much more frequent and less expensive service. Unfortunately, just as quickly as the interurbans sprang up, they quickly disappeared due to competition from private automobiles and paved public highways. By the time of the Great Depression, most were gone. The streetcars hung on for another two decades, but most of them disappeared by the 1950's.
Today, all cities in the United States, and more and more around the world, are completely dependent on the automobile, and to a lesser extent the diesel bus. The many neighborhoods and towns that grew up around the streetcars, interurbans, and railroads in most cases no longer have the transportation that they grew around. They have to function in a car-oriented society, and while some have been able to survive, many of these older neighborhoods are dysfunctional in some respect or completely failing. Few people today remember the streetcars, let alone the interurbans. Today's mainline railroads are seen more as an annoyance when a large freight train holds up traffic, and their role as the lifeblood of small towns and big cities is mostly forgotten. I hope by documenting as much of the history of these rail systems as I can, that more people will understand and appreciate the significant impact they had on the growth of not only Cincinnati, but nearly every city in the United States.
Other Resources
Many large cities around the country have web sites with information about former transit systems. It's not difficult to find maps, photos, detailed history, and commentary on the Chicago L, the New York Subway, or the Pacific Electric in Los Angeles. For smaller cities like Cincinnati, information can be pretty hard to come by. There are many very small systems in cities you wouldn't expect which are almost completely forgotten. The surface lines of Charleston, South Carolina aren't documented at all on the web, and the trolley line which connected Southern Pines with Pinehurst, North Carolina is a complete mystery. Aside from a few short descriptions, photos or maps are virtually nonexistant. This is something I am trying to supply, at least for Cincinnati.
Most of the information on Cincinnati's transit history is in books and journals, which are inaccessible on the internet. Wagner & Wright's Cincinnati Streetcars is an invaluable 10 volume collection that has numerous historical photographs, maps, diagrams, and general history. Most of the pictures have been redistributed around the internet. Much of the information, however, is not published on the web. Also, most of these volumes are out of print, and some can be rather difficult to find. The Cincinnati Historical Society Library in Union Terminal has all volumes, but they can't be checked out.
Information on the interurbans is spotty. George Hilton and John Due's The Electric Interurban Railways in America is an excellent book about the interurban industry. It has been recently republished and is readily available. However, aside from what I have quoted in the information section, there isn't much else in that book about the specific interurbans in Cincinnati. Some books have been published on individual interurbans, however. David McNeil has published books on the Cincinnati Georgetown & Portsmouth, Cincinnati & Columbus, the Cincinnati & Lake Erie, and the Cincinnati Milford & Blanchester. Some of them can be rather difficult to find. These are excellent resources, containing maps, pictures, history, news events, and numerous business records (especially for the CG&P). Nothing has been written specifically about the Cincinnati Lawrenceburg & Aurora, the Cincinnati & Hamilton, or the three Interurban Railway & Terminal lines as far as I can determine.
There is an excellent book about local railroads. The Railroad and the City by Carl Condit provides very useful information about the history of all Cincinnati's railroads, and how they've affected growth throughout the region. There is also some information on the interurbans. This book is over 25 years old now, so the latest railroad mergers by CSX and Norfolk Southern are not dealt with. It is still an excellent resource.
The Map
The map on this site is something I put together from many drives around town, maps that I've seen in books, and information from other knowledgeable folks. Let me start by saying that this map does not represent the system as it would have appeared at any one point in time. It's more a map of where there have ever been streetcar lines, as if you took all the maps ever made and overlaid them. The purpose behind this is for people who (like me) are curious about whether there are/were tracks buried under the road they're driving on, or if the trolley poles holding up the traffic lights were actually for streetcars (there's a handful that weren't). This map also shows interurban and mainline railroads. Again, this shows all alignments that I know of, and while I have tried to differentiate between active and abandoned railroads, I cannot be certain that lines aren't abandoned or just infrequently used. Of course, all the interurbans and streetcars are gone. Other transit infrastructure such as tunnels, major viaducts, canals, and major passenger and freight stations have also been added. Most of that information has been gathered from 1912 USGS topographic maps. Therefore, some later changes may have been missed, but the overall pattern is certainly right. While I have tried to make everything as correct as possible, I cannot make any guarantees about accuracy.
Pictures
While exploring around town looking for information I took pictures of my on-site reconnaissance. There are hundreds of photos from all over the area, most starting around the year 2001. A few pictures depict scenes that have already changed, removing traces of transit history that were once obvious. While most railroad aficionados take pictures of locomotives and other train movements, my focus is on rights-of-way, and other examples of the physical plant. These are the things that most people see, but tend to ignore. What may be the obvious remains of a railroad line one day, can be reduced to a mere memory after road construction or another building project. Someone could be living right on top of a line that was once an immensely important transit route for a community and not even know it. Photographs help bring to life some of the history that surrounds us.
I welcome any feedback, corrections, links, pictures, or questions you have, don't hesitate to e-mail me.
Map of Cincinnati's Streetcars, Interurbans, and Railroads
Click on the map to see a larger version and choose what area you want to zoom in on
Streetcars
- Information
- Cincinnati route data from 1925
- Photographs
- Revealed Tracks
- Routes and Rights of Way
- End of Line Loops
- Trolley Wire Support Poles
- Substations, Carbarns, and Shops
Interurban Railways & Suburban Railroads
- CL&A - Cincinnati Lawrenceburg & Aurora
- Anderson Ferry - Aurora, IN, branch to Harrison
- Standard gauge line constructed by the Cincinnati, Lawrenceburg & Aurora Electric Street Railroad in 1900
- Abandoned and dismantled west of Fernbank in 1930 Remainder to Anderson Ferry purchased by the Cincinnati Street Railway, for suburban servuce until 1940
- More Information
- Photographs from Anderson Ferry to Harrison
- Cincinnati & Westwood
South Fairmount - Westwood
Narrow gauge line constructed by the Cincinnati & Westwood Railroad in1874
Converted to Standard Gauge, 1891
Abandoned in 1926
More Information
Photographs from South Fairmout to Westwood
- C&LE - Cincinnati & Lake Erie
- Winton Place - Detroit, MI
- Narrow gauge steam line constructed by the College Hill Railroad to Mt. Healthy in 1873
- Converted to standard gauge and electrified in 1901-1902 after purchase by the Southern Ohio Traction Company
- Merged into the Ohio Electric Railway and eventually reorganized as the Cincinnati & Lake Erie
- Abandoned and dismantled in 1939
- More Information
- Photographs from Spring Grove to Mt. Healthy
- Cincinnati & Hamilton (Mill Creek Valley Line)
- Hartwell - Hamilton
- Broad gauge line constructed by the Cincinnati & Hamilton Traction Company in 1901
- Abandoned and dismantled north of Springdale in 1926, remainder purchased by Cincinnati Street Railway for suburban service until 1932
- More Information
- Photographs from Hartwell to Springdale
- IR&T - Interurban Railway & Terminal: Rapid Railway
- Kennedy Heights - Lebanon
- Broad gauge line constructed by the IR&T's Rapid Railway subsidiary in 1903
- Abandoned and dismantled in 1922
- More Information
- Photographs from Deer Park to Lebanon
- IR&T - Interurban Railway & Terminal: Suburban Traction Co.
- Columbia - Bethel
- Broad gauge line constructed by the IR&T's Suburban Traction Company in 1903
- Abandoned and dismantled north of Coney Island in 1918
- More Information
- Photographs from California & Mt. Washington
- IR&T - Interurban Railway & Terminal: Cincinnati & Eastern Electric Railway
- Columbia/Tusculum - New Richmond
- Broad gauge line constructed by the IR&T's Cincinnati & Eastern Electric Railway in 1902
- Abandoned and dismantled in 1922
- More Information
- Photographs from California
- C&C - Cincinnati & Columbus
- Norwood - Hillsboro
- Standard gauge line constructed by the Cincinnati & Columbus Traction Company in 1906
- Abandoned and dismantled in 1920
- More Information
- Photographs from Norwood to Hillsboro
- CM&B - Cincinnati Milford & Blanchester
- Madisonville - Blanchester
- Broad gauge line constructed by the Cincinnati, Milford & Loveland Traction Company in 1903
- Reorganized as the Cincinnati, Milford & Blanchester Traction Company in 1906
- Abandoned and dismantled east of Milford in 1926, remainder purchased by Cincinnati Street Railway for suburban service until cut back to Mariemont in 1936, and abandoned and dismantled completely in 1942
- More Information
- Photographs from Madisonville to Blanchester
- CG&P - Cincinnati Georgetown & Portsmouth
- Columbia/Tusculum - Russellville, branches to Batavia and Felicity
- Narrow gauge steam line constructed by the Cincinnati & Portsmouth Railroad in 1902
- Reorganized as the Cincinnati, Georgetown & Portsmouth Railroad, electrified, and converted to standard gauge in 1902
- Reorganized as the Cincinnati-Georgetown Railroad Co. in 1928
- Abandoned east of Georgetown in 1933 and the remaining outer 20 miles, the branch to Batavia, and all passenger service in 1935. The whole line was abandoned in 1936, but the portion between Carrell Street and the Cincinnati Waterworks facility in California was sold to the City and used into the 1940s.
- More Information
- Photographs from Columbia/Tusculum to Russellville
- L&F - Lebanon & Franklin
- Lebanon-Franklin
- Standard gauge line constructed by the Lebanon & Franklin Traction Company in 1904
- Abandoned and dismantled in 1919
- More Information
- Photographs from Lebanon to Franklin
Railroads
- Baltimore & Ohio/Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton - CSX, Cincinnati Terminal Subdivision
Former Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton/Baltimore & Ohio to Lima
Standard gauge line opened to Dayton in 1851
Downtown terminal: Baymiller Street Station (5th & Baymiller Streets)
- Mostly abandoned south of Ivorydale (St. Bernard), in active use north of Ivorydale
More Information
- Photographs from Queensgate to Glendale
Baltimore & Ohio to Columbus - Indiana & Ohio, Midland Subdivision
Former Marietta & Cincinnati/Cincinnati Washington & Baltimore/Baltimore & Ohio to Columbus
Standard gauge line opened in stages from 1855 to 1864
Downtown terminal: Central Union Depot (3rd Street & Central Avenue)
In active use
More Information
Photographs from Downtown through Loveland
Baltimore & Ohio to Washington, IN - CSX, Louisville Division, Indiana Subdivision
Former Ohio & Mississippi/Baltimore & Ohio to Washington, IN
Broad gauge (6'-0") line opened in 1857, converted to standard gauge in 1871
Downtown terminal: Front & Mill Streets (Now Mehring Way & Gest Street), then Central Union Depot (3rd Street & Central Avenue)
In use except downtown terminal areas
More Information
Chesapeake & Ohio to Russell, KY - CSX, Cincinnati Terminal Subdivision
Former Chesapeake & Ohio to Russell, KY
Standard gauge line opened to Cincinnati in 1889
Downtown terminal: 4th Street Station (4th Street between Smith and John)
In active use
More Information
Photographs from Downtown & Queensgate
Chesapeake & Ohio of Indiana - Indiana Eastern Railroad
Former Chesapeake & Ohio of Indiana to Cottage Grove, IN
Standard gauge line opened in stages between 1902 and 1910
Downtown terminal: Central Union Depot (3rd Street & Central Avenue) or 4th Street Station (4th Street between Smith and John)
Dismantled south of Fernald in 1979, in use north of Fernald
More Information
Photographs from South Fairmount to Glenway Crossing
Louisville & Nashville to Corbin, KY - CSX, Huntington West Division, CC Subdivision
Former Kentucky Central/Louisville & Nashville to Corbin, KY
Standard gauge line opened in the late 1850's
Downtown terminal: Central Union Depot (3rd Street & Central Avenue) or 4th Street Station (4th Street between Smith and John)
In active use
More Information
Louisville & Nashville LCL Subdivision - CSX, Louisville Division, LCL Subdivision
Former Louisville, Cincinnati & Lexington/Louisville & Nashville LCL Subdivision (Short Line)
Standard gauge line opened in 1869
Downtown terminal: Pan Handle Station (Pearl & Butler Streets)
In use
More Information
Louisville & Nashville, Wilder Main - CSX, Louisville Division, LCL Subdivision
Formerly part of the Louisville & Nashville LCL Subdivision (Short Line)
Standard gauge line opened in 1869
Downtown terminal: Pan Handle Station (Pearl & Butler Streets)
Dismantled north of former C&O line in Newport, KY
More Information
Photographs from Newport, KY
New York Central/Big Four, CIND Subdivision - Indiana & Ohio, CIND Subdivision
Former Indianapolis & Cincinnati/CCC & St. L (Big Four)/New York Central to Indiana
Standard gauge line opened to Cincinnati in 1863
Downtown terminal: Central Union Depot (3rd Street & Central Avenue)
In use except downtown terminal areas
More Information
Photographs from Downtown & Cleves
New York Central/Big Four to Columbus - Norfolk Southern, Dayton District, Central Division
Former CCC & St. L (Big For)/New York Central to Columbus
Standard gauge line opened in 1872
Downtown terminal: Central Union Depot (3rd Street & Central Avenue)
Line begins at Ivorydale (St. Bernard) and heads north via Sharonville, Middletown, and Dayton
In active use
More Information
New York Central/Big Four, Whitewater Division - Indiana & Ohio, Brookville Subdivision
Former New York Central, Whitewater Division to New Castle, IN
Standard gauge line opened in 1862
Downtown terminal: Baymiller Street Station (5th & Baymiller Streets)
In limited local use, all track restricted to 10 mph or less
More Information
Norfolk & Western to Portsmouth - Norfolk Southern, Cincinnati District, Lake Division (Peavine)
Former Cincinnati & Eastern/Cincinnati, Portsmouth & Virginia/Norfolk & Western to Portsmouth
Narrow gauge (3'-0") line opened in stages between 1876 and 1882, converted to standard gauge in 1894
Downtown terminal: Court Street Station (E. Court & Reedy Streets)
In limited local use (no through traffic)
More Information
Photographs from Norwood to Mariemont
Norfolk & Western, Cincinnati Connecting Belt Railroad
Former Cincinnati, Portsmouth & Virginia/Norfolk & Western from Idlewild (Norwood) to Ivorydale (St. Bernard)
Standard gauge line opened in 1901
Mostly abandoned except a few connecting tracks near Ivorydale
More Information
Photographs from Evanston through Norwood
Pennsylvania Railroad/Norfolk & Western to Ft. Wayne, IN - Norfolk Southern, Newcastle District
Former Hamilton & Eaton/Cincinnati, Richmond & Chicago/Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton/Pitsburgh, Cincinnati & St. Louis/Pennsylvania/Norfolk & Western Railroad to Ft. Wayne, IN
Standard gauge line opened in 1852(?) [in conjunction with the Cincinnati & Chicago/PRR Richmond Division](?)
Downtown terminal: Pan Handle Station (Pearl & Butler Streets)
In active use
More Information
Pennsylvania Railroad Richmond Division - Indiana & Ohio, Oasis Subdivision
Former Cincinnati & Chicago/Pennsylvania Railroad - Richmond Division from Valley (Fairfax) to Mill (Evendale)
Standard gauge line opened in 1852(?) [in conjunction with the Cincinnati, Richmond & Chicago/PRR to Ft. Wayne](?)
Downtown terminal: Pan Handle Station (Pearl & Butler Streets)
In limited use by Norfolk Southern (via trackage rights)
More Information
Photographs from Rendcomb Jct. to Norwood
Pennsylvania Railroad/Cincinnati, Lebanon & Northern - Indiana & Ohio, Blue Ash and Mason Subdivisions
Former Cincinnati Northern/Cincinnati, Lebanon & Northern/Pennsylvania to Lebanon and Dayton
Narrow gauge (3'-0") line opened in 1881, converted to standard gauge in 1894
Downtown terminal: Court Street Station (E. Court & Reedy Streets)
Mostly abandoned except limited local use from Norwood to Fields Ertel, and Mason to Lebanon
More Information
Photographs from Downtown to Lebanon
Pennsylvania Railroad/Little Miami Railroad - Indiana & Ohio, Oasis Subdivision
Former Little Miami/Pan Handle/Pennsylvania Railroad to Springfield
Standard gauge line opened in stages from 1841 to 1847.
Downtown terminal: Pan Handle Station (Pearl & Butler Streets)
Mostly abandoned except limited local use from Fairfax to downtown
More Information
Photographs from the Purple People Bridge through Xenia
Pennsylvania Railroad, Waterfront Belt Line
Former belt line built to connect the Little Miami and Indianapolis & Cincinnati along the Cincinnati waterfront
Standard gauge line opened in 1864
Abandoned in 1986 and dismantled west of Broadway Street in 2000
More Information
Photographs from Queensgate to the Purple People Bridge
Pennsylvania Railroad, Zanesville Branch
Former Cincinnati & Muskingum Valley Railroad from Morrow to Zanesville
Standard gauge line opened in 1856
Downtown terminal: Pan Handle Station (Pearl & Butler Streets)
Dismantled between Morrow and Wilmington, in use east of Wilmington
More Information
Photographs from Morrow to Wilmington
Southern Railway - Norfolk Southern, Central Division, Cincinnati New Orleans & Texas Pacific 1st District
Cincinnati Southern Railway/CNO&TP
Broad gauge (5'-0") line opened to Chattanooga in 1880, converted to standard gauge in 1886
Downtown terminal: Central Union Depot (3rd Street & Central Avenue)
In active use
More Information
Photographs from Queensgate to Ludlow Kentucky
Other Transit Items
Links to Other Transportation Sites
(All links from here on open in a new window)
Cincinnati/Ohio Transportation Related Sites
- Abandoned "...a personal project aimed to document and record the abandoned and neglected buildings through text and photographs."
American Memory: Railroad Maps of Ohio Site with some high-quality scans of old railroad maps from the 19th century.
Cincinnati Regional Transportation History Committee Timeline at Lane Library "The goal of the CRTHC is to compile a comprehensive history of transportation in the region since 1788."
Cincinnati-Transit.net A large and very thorough site "Dedicated to the history of and future plans for the city's transportation infrastructure."
Cincinnati Transit Historical Association "The CTHA is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving transit information, photographs, ephemera and memorabilia relating primarily to the Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana region."
Dave's Electric Railroads Numerous historical photos of streetcars and trolley buses from throughout the country.
- Cincinnati Street Railway
Cincinnati & Lake Erie
Ohio Electric Includes CG&P, CM&B, and the C&LE predecessor Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton.
- Dayton Trolley Transit Small site with history, maps, and pictures of Dayton's trolleybus system.
David Rumsey Map Collection High quality scans of many old maps of the Cincinnati area
DuckCreek.org "Pre-Interstate Urban Archaeology, Duck Creek Road Cincinnati and Norwood, Ohio." This site has a ton of information and pictures of this road that has been mostly obliterated by I-71.
Hobo's Guide to the Pennsy "This page, and those below it, represent a community effort to document the history of the Pennsylvania Railroad, including all of her branches and ancestor lines."
Historic Aerials "Provides free online access to historic and current aerial photography."
Interurban Railways in Ohio List and brief history of Ohio's interurban railroads.
Kings Mills Trolley Station A description of Daniel Bingamon's home, which used to be the town's IR&T Rapid Railway station.
Lebanon Railroads This blog focuses on the historic and present day railroads around the town of Lebanon, Ohio. Specifically the site focuses on the Cincinnati, Lebanon, and Northern Railroad.
Light Rail Cincinnati "The Alliance for Regional Transit (ART) expects to make the civic case for higher-level transit, including light rail, in the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Area."
MyTopo: Historical Topographic Maps Scans of USGS maps from the early part of the 20th century.
My Road Photos "This webpage features photos (and videos since 2008) of roads, transportation features, and city skylines that I or my cohorts have taken over the years."
NOAA Historical Map and Chart Project This site has very detailed topographic maps of Cincinnati from 1912.
- Search for "Cincinnati" as the keyword. The maps are listed by number. See here for a list of which maps show what neighborhoods.
- PUCO Interactive Railroad Map This huge map by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio picks up where mine leaves off. It shows all the abandoned railroads and interurbans in Ohio.
- The Railroads of Cincinnati Information and maps of Cincinnati's current railroads.
Rails and Trails A neat site with old USGS maps of Cincinnati "devoted to transportation history and the conversion of abandoned roadbeds into rail-trails"
Tom's North American Trolley Bus Pictures "A non-profit entity dedicated to educating all who have an interest on the history of trolleybuses in North America."
A Trip on the Mill Creek A short gallery showing railroad bridges along Casey Walter's kayaking trip down the Mill Creek.
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Other Transportation Sites
- Chicago "L".org "The internet's largest resource for information on Chicago's rapid transit system."
- Forgotten-NY Enormous site about everything from NYC subways and trains to lamp posts and alleys.
- North Shore Line Very extensive site on the Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad.
- Old Railroad Museums Collection of links to railroad museums around the country.
- The Transit Stations of Arthur Gerber Information and pictures of this architect's designs for North Shore Line stations.
- This site includes a drawing by yours truly.
My Other Site
- Architecture Resume and Portfolio
- Includes some transit related projects:
- Mt. Adams Incline from a new Broadway Commons Park
- Cincinnati Area Transit System (CATS)
- North Shore Line Ravinia Station rendering
- North Shore Line Beech Street Station rendering
Acknowledgments
Many thanks to: Jim Barrie, Bruce Bernhard, Daniel Bingamon, Jack Bonert, Brandon Brooks, Steve Cutter, Mike Edwards, Jeff Evans, Don Faris, David H. Fritze, Andy Harman, Jim Hetzer, Tim Hoeflich, J.E. Landrum, Phil Lind, Patrick McDermott, Jake Mecklenborg, Kyle Montgomery, Allen Morrison, Tom Morrow, Bill Myers, Rick Myers, Lee Nordloh, Mike Oestreich, Cliff Scholes, Dick Segerer, Allen Singer, Casey Tompkins, David Wallace, Casey Walter, Jeff Wood, and anyone else I forgot to mention, for providing helpful information and other contributions to this site.
Non-Internet References
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- This web site was made on a Mac with Adobe GoLive
- The map was made from GIS data with PowerCADD and Adobe Photoshop
- All images © 2001-2009, Jeffrey B. Jakucyk unless otherwise noted.
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