On the occasion of the 17th National Narrow Gauge Convention in Cincinnati, a look at the Queen City’s unique narrow gauge heritage is in order. Five narrow gauge railroads reached the city and two more passed nearby. The last official prototype Narrow Gauge Convention was held in Cincinnati in 1878. Lastly, the Cincinnati Northern Railroad had two Mason Bogie steam locomotives including a near copy of the South Park’s famous locomotives. This is the locomotive used in our logo.
Cincinnati’s first railroad was the standard gauge Little Miami Railroad. The LM started actual construction in 1841. The railroad construction era in Cincinnati started in 1837 with the first shovel of dirt on the Little Miami and ended in 1904 with the completion of the Chesapeake and Ohio of Indiana to Chicago.
Today, the Indiana and Ohio System, Cincinnati Terminal Railroad operates the Little Miami trackage from downtown Cincinnati to Clare Junction, Oh. on the Norfolk Southern Railway. Nearby the former Cincinnati, Lebanon and Northern trackage from Norwood, Oh. to Blue Ash, Oh. is also operated by the Indiana and Ohio Railroad (INOH) upon a former narrow gauge right of way. The Norfolk Southern Corp. also operates its former N&W Cincinnati to Portsmouth, Oh. mainline along a former narrow gauge right of way. Lets take a brief look at the narrow gauge railways that served Cincinnati.
THREE FOOT GAUGE RAILROADS
MIAMI VALLEY NARROW GAUGE RAILWAY – 1874 TO 1880
CINCINNATI NORTHERN RAILWAY – 1880 TO 1885
CINCINNATI LEBANON AND NORTHERN RAILWAY – 1885 TO 1894
STANDARD GAUGE SUCCESSORS
CINCINNATI LEBANON AND NORTHERN RAILWAY – 1894 TO 1896
PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD (CL&N Div. UNTIL 1920s)-1896 TO 1968
PENN CENTRAL TRANSPORTATION CO.- 1968 TO 1976
CONSOLIDATED RAIL CORPORATION(CONRAIL) – 1976 TO 1985
INDIANA AND OHIO RAIL CORPORATION – 1985 TO DATE
By 1874 most of the major standard gauge railroads had reached Cincinnati. However, the communities of Lebanon, Mason and Blue Ash wanted a better way to move agricultural products and manufactured goods to the prosperous trade center of Cincinnati and its thriving Ohio River public landing. In 1874 promoters from Lebanon and other on line communities formed the Miami Valley Narrow Gauge Railway to connect Lebanon with Cincinnati by way of a three foot gauge railroad. Between 1874 and 1876 the Miami Valley graded 36 miles of right of way from Norwood to Waynesville before going broke.
In March, 1880 the property was sold at auction to C. S. Brice and associates who formed the Cincinnati Northern Railway (CN). The Cincinnati Northern completed 24 miles of track from Norwood to Lebanon using some of the original right of way by May 30, 1881. Another 23 miles were constructed between Lebanon and Dayton where it connected with the three foot gauge Dayton and Southeastern Railroad(D&SE) at Lebanon Junction. In 1881, the CN came under control of the Toledo, Delphos and Burlington Railroad which had financed construction. The Toledo, Delphos and Burlington was the outgrowth of the projected Lake Erie to the Gulf of Mexico, “Grand Narrow Gauge Trunk” project of 1870’s. This was one of several subjects of discussion and development at the last Narrow Gauge Convention of 1878. In 1881 backers of the Toledo, Delphos and Burlington had financial problems completing the extension across Indiana and Illinois to St. Louis, Missouri. They formed the Toledo, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railroad to consolidate three narrow gauge lines and finish building to St. Louis.
In 1882 the CN pushed south from Norwood to reach downtown Cincinnati. The line was completed to Court Street where a terminal was built a few blocks from the city center. One spectacular feature of this line was the steep 3.4% descent into Cincinnati down the Deer Creek valley over a long trestle. Today Interstate 1-71 parallels this steep route north out of Cincinnati. At the top of the hill the narrow gauge built a 1,050 foot tunnel under Walnut Hills. This operating headache was the reason the Mason Bogies were purchased. An earlier railroad survey and tunnel construction had projected a two mile long tunnel under the ridge that was abandoned in the 1870’s. This tunnel was uncovered during the construction of 1-71 in the early 1960’s.
Between 1882 and 1886 the Cincinnati Northern operated as part of the 780 mile Toledo, Cincinnati and St. Louis. Unfortunately, the light construction, poor maintenance and wobbly track plagued the narrow gauge and the narrow gauge empire began to unravel soon after the TC&ST.L was formed. Poor financing, late mortgage payments and labor problems led to the collapse of the TC&ST.L in 1885. In 1885 the CN was reorganized as the Cincinnati, Lebanon and Northern Railway (CL&N)and remained narrow gauge until 1894. The CL&N operated its narrow gauge trackage from Cincinnati to Dayton until its connections in Dayton were standard gauged in 1887. The CL&N operated narrow gauge trackage only to Dobbs 6 miles north of Lebanon. Its connecting line to the north was standard gauged for 17 miles in 1891, renamed the Dayton, Lebanon and Cincinnati Railroad and leased to the CL&N in 1892.
The CL&N outlived its competitors as a narrow gauge due to its heavy commuter traffic and little need to interchange with other freight lines other than coal from the coal fields near Ironton via the D&SE narrow gauge line. The D&SE was standard gauged in 1887 and later become part of the Baltimore and Ohio’s Wellston Subdivision. The CL&N had two branch lines; from Blue Ash to Montgomery 1.4 miles abandoned in the 1930’s and a short branch to the Cincinnati Zoological Gardens in Walnut Hills which was abandoned in 1890’s after city street cars reached the Zoo. The rest of the line was standard gauged in 1894 and came under control of the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1896. Passenger operations ended in 1933 with the opening of the Cincinnati Union Terminal (CUT). The 7 mainline railroads that used CUT agreed to close all downtown stations which included the CL&N’s Court Street Station. Today the Cincinnati Greyhound bus depot is built on the site of this station and the nearby yards.
After surviving Penn Central and later Conrail the remaining segments were conveyed to the INOH in 1985 and 1987. Today the INOH operates two segments of the former CL&N. The Mason, Oh. to Lebanon line and a segment of the former Middletown and Cincinnati standard gauge line that crossed the CL&N from Hageman Junction to Middletown. Diesel excursion passenger trains operate from early April to November on weekends from Lebanon to near Mason on the former CL&N. Another segment runs from Norwood to Blue Ash where the line is cut off from the Mason line by 3 miles of track abandoned by Conrail (CR) in the 1970’s. The remaining trackage from Lebanon to near Lytle was abandoned in 1939 and the rest near Dayton in the 1980’s. The final section into Cincinnati was cut in the 1960’s at the Oak St. tunnel and finally abandoned in the 1980’s. Today the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority has purchased some of the property for a future light rail corridor. In Norwood the Hopkins Ave. station still stands awaiting the return of narrow gauge trains as do replica depots in Silverton and Lebanon.
THREE FOOT GAUGE RAILROADS
CINCINNATI AND EASTERN RAILWAY – 1876 TO 1887
OHIO AND NORTHWESTERN RAILROAD-1887
STANDARD GAUGE SUCCESSORS
OHIO AND NORTHWESTERN RAILROAD – 1887 TO 1891
CINCINNATI, PORTSMOUTH AND VIRGINIA – 1891-1901
NORFOLK AND WESTERN RAILWAY – 1901 TO 1982
NORFOLK SOUTHERN CORP. – 1982 TO DATE
Originally chartered as the Cincinnati, Batavia and Williamsburg on January 11, 1876 this line was soon reorganized as the Cincinnati and Eastern Railway (C&E) and projected to Portsmouth on the Ohio River. On October 18, 1876 the line was opened from Batavia Junction near Mariemont on the Little Miami Railroad to Batavia, a distance of 15 miles. In August, 1877 the line pushed 48 miles east to Winchester. The C&E turned west in 1878 and built 5 miles from Batavia Junction (Clare) to Idlewild and a connection with the new Miami Valley Narrow Gauge. The connection and entry to Cincinnati would have to wait until 1882 when the Cincinnati Northern completed its line to Court Street Depot, on trackage rights. The CN and C&E shared the Court Street station for many years until C&E was standard gauged.
From 1878 to 1880 the C&E built a 14 mile branch line from New Richmond Junction near today’s Newtown to New Richmond on the Ohio River. At Tobasco Junction the C&E had a physical connection with the three foot gauge Cincinnati, Georgetown and Portsmouth Railroad. This branch operated until 1886 under C&E ownership when sold to Mr. William P. DeVou. It is possible during that brief period when the giant TC&ST.L empire was operating in the 1880’s that a CG&P or a C&E narrow gauge cars could have been interchanged and could operate from Portsmouth or Hillsboro to East St. Louis, Illinois. Available records are very vague as to the amount of interchange between these lines.
The C&E struggled from its opening in 1876 until its sale in 1886 and 1887 to different groups of investors. In 1883 the C&E tried to take over the abandoned tunnel under Walnut Hills and was unsuccessful. In 1882 the line pushed east to Peebles, 72 miles from Cincinnati. Construction from Winchester to Portsmouth was to be standard gauge and was built to standard gauge clearances with rails on standard gauge ties but laid to three foot gauge. When tracks reached Rarden, 85 miles from Cincinnati it was announced that the C&E would convert to standard gauge on September 1, 1883, but this was delayed until 1885. On September 14, 1883 the Clermont County Court appointed Samuel Woodward receiver until the line reached Portsmouth. On June 2, 1884 the principle financial backer and creditor Mr. W. R. McGill committed suicide by jumping from a baggage car door over the high trestle near Winchester 70 feet to his death. It was later discovered that Mr. McGill had invested most of his personal wealth and had lost it in the railroad’s failure. Finally, in August, 1884 the C&E reached Portsmouth over the 1,000 ft. Scioto River trestle.
Disaster after disaster befell the struggling C&E. A trestle collapsed on the New Richmond branch at Nineveh killing three and injuring nine on August 8, 1885. By May, 1885 the Winchester to Portsmouth section of the C&E was converted to standard gauge. However, funds to re-equip the line where not available and the eastern line was idle until December, 1885. In early 1886 the line was reconverted to three foot gauge and operations once again ran the length of the railroad. After two more sales of line the railroad was reorganized as the Ohio and Northwestern Railroad (O&NW) during February, 1887. The O&NW acquired a feeder railroad the Columbus and Maysville Railway (C&M) on February 12, 1887. The C&M was chartered in 1877 and projected from Washington Court House to Maysville, Kentucky across the Ohio River from Aberdeen. Trackage was built to three foot gauge in 1878 and 1879 from Hillsboro to Sardinia on the C&E. Part of the line was operated south of Sardinia as the Columbus and Ohio River standard gauge. This line connected with the CG&P in Georgetown.
Finally, between 1887 and 1889 the railroad was converted to standard gauge including the Hillsboro branch. The C&M Hillsboro branch was sold back to its original owners and reorganized in 1890 as the Hillsboro Short Line. It was purchased by the Norfolk and Western Railway in 1901 along with the Cincinnati, Portsmouth and Virginia which was founded in 1891 to take over the O&NW. Today the Portsmouth Subdivision of the former N&W is operated by the Norfolk Southern. It is often referred to as the “Peavine” because of its former narrow gauge alignment through the hills of Southern Ohio. Most of the former narrow gauge grade is used except for two realignments near Batavia and Plum Run Creek. A former narrow gauge C&E section house still stands along the tracks at Perintown. The Otway depot has been moved alongside Ohio Route 73 as a gas station. The Portsmouth line is a busy part of the NS. Only four miles of the Hillsboro branch is still in place from Sardinia to Mowrystown.
THREE FOOT GAUGE RAILROAD
CINCINNATI, NEW RICHMOND AND OHIO RIVER RAILROAD – 1886-1898
The New Richmond branch of the C&E was sold to Mr. DeVou on September 1, 1886 and renamed the Cincinnati, New Richmond and Ohio River Railroad (CNR&OR). After the C&E was converted to standard gauge the CNR&OR continued to use a third rail along the C&E to Court Street Station.
Mr. DeVou envisioned extending the line up the Ohio River to Aberdeen. The line shutdown in July 1889 and never reopened. By 1898 the tracks were taken up. Today little remains of the route through eastern Hamilton and Western Clermont counties along Eight and Nine mile Roads. Housing developments in the expanding Anderson Township area have covered most of the old roadbed.
THREE FOOT GAUGE RAILROAD
CINCINNATI, ATLANTIC AND COLUMBUS RAILWAY – 1882 TO ?
This is the most obscure of all the narrow gauge roads that were in the Cincinnati area. Originally chartered in 1877 as the Cincinnati and Fayetteville to build a three foot gauge railroad from Cincinnati to Fayetteville, Oh. It was reorganized in 1880 as the Cincinnati, Hocking Valley and Huntington to build to a point on the Ohio River opposite Point Pleasant, West Virginia with a branch from Fayetteville to Columbus Ohio. The company laid nearly 11 miles of track on part of the right of way starting near South Milford on the C&E to Newtonsville. The line never purchased equipment or operated trains. Trackage was removed in 1891. However, the line lived on in use of its right of way for both the Cincinnati, Milford and Loveland Traction Company for its 5 Ft. 2 1/2 In. wide gauge line from Milford to Newtonsville and the Cincinnati and Columbus Traction Company standard gauge traction line purchased the Fayetteville to Hillsboro right of Way. Some of this right of way can be seen and followed today.
THREE FOOT GAUGE RAILROAD
CINCINNATI, GEORGETOWN AND PORTSMOUTH RAILROAD – 1873 TO 1902
STANDARD GAUGE SUCCESSORS
CINCINNATI, GEORGETOWN AND PORTSMOUTH RAILROAD – 1902 TO 1927
CINCINNATI, GEORGETOWN RAILROAD – 1928 TO 1936
Originally chartered as the Cincinnati and Portsmouth Railroad and incorporated in March 1, 1873. This road was projected between Cincinnati and Portsmouth south of the C&E route across southwestern Ohio. Construction began in the fall of 1876. The CG&P was built to light standards included a 4% grade out of the Ohio River valley. The 3 foot gauge began at Carrel Street along the Little Miami Railroad and was built east 11 miles to Mount Carmel by October, 1877. Due to early construction problems the road was in trouble with its builders. In September 11, 1880 the road was sold to its creditors and reorganized as the Cincinnati, Georgetown and Portsmouth Railroad(CG&P) on March 21, 1881. Construction resumed again in 1881 and trackage was extended to Bethel 29 miles from the Carrel street terminal.. In 1882 the trackage reached 34 miles to Hamersville. The same year John W. Rutherford, the Columbus business man who purchased the line in 1880 died. The railroad was sold by the heirs of his estate to a syndicate of railroad men headed by M. E. Ingalls for $140,000 in July 1885. Soon afterwards the new owners invested an equal amount to complete the railroad across 1,410 foot long and 110 foot high White Oak River trestle to reach Georgetown 42 miles on February 1, 1886.
On February 5, 1886 the first train reached Georgetown and a great celebration was held. The C&E had already reached Portsmouth so the CG&P dropped its extension plans. It took 2 hours and 45 minutes to run the 42 miles from the standard gauge connection at Carrel Street to Georgetown over the narrow gauge. During the period of 1895 to 1901 interest concerning the”new electric railway construction would affect the CG&P. In 1899 the City of Cincinnati was building a new waterworks plant at California near the CG&P narrow gauge line at Mt. Washington. To help build the waterworks plant a standard gauge branch was needed to bring in supplies. By 1900 a third rail was laid from the CG&P terminal to a junction with a new line to the waterworks. A 630 foot bridge crossed Lick Run from California Junction on the CG&P narrow gauge main to the waterworks plant. Soon standard gauge cars were being moved by narrow gauge steam locomotives to the plant. Later the CG&P would buy an ex-PRR 0-6-0 to switch. In 1901 the CG&P came under the control of the Comstock-Haigh Syndicate and plans were made to convert the line to standard gauge and to electrify it as an interurban railway.
A new powerhouse was built at Lake Allyn near Batavia and the line was converted between 1902 and 1903. For a short time in 1902 the CG&P would have narrow gauge, standard gauge and finally a wide gauge branch was built over the trestle to California to allow CG&P 5 foot 2 1/2 in. gauge streetcars to reach Coney Island amusement park on the Ohio River. This allowed the CG&P streetcars to reach the wide gauge Cincinnati Street Railways trackage to downtown Cincinnati. It is believed that on Saturday November 29, 1902 the last narrow gauge train operated and on Sunday November 30, the railroad was standard gauged in four hours by moving one rail. Trackage was prepared in advance by removing the spikes on one side and leaving every fifth spike on the other side. On Monday December 1, 1902 regular electric interurban service began to Georgetown. In addition to its main line, the CG&P operated branches to Batavia, Russelville and Felecity.
The CG&P would continue to operate as a electric interurban until abandonment in 1936. Today the only narrow gauge remnant is the Mt. Washington depot which is now a American Legion Post on Sutton Ave. Two CG&P interurban cars survive as a home in Bethel across the street from the former CG&P depot. The former narrow gauge grade in the California Nature Preserve is now a short hiking trail. All of the narrow gauge locomotives and cars have long since disappeared in sales to other lines and were eventually scrapped. This was the last narrow gauge railroad to operate in Cincinnati.
THREE FOOT GAUGE RAILROADS
COLLEGE HILL RAILROAD – 1873 TO 1884
CINCINNATI NORTHWESTERN RAILWAY – 1884 TO 1887
STANDARD GAUGE SUCCESSORS
CINCINNATI NORTHWESTERN RA1LWAY – 1887 TO 1901
SOUTHERN OHIO TRACTION CO. – 1901 TO 1902
CINCINNATI, DAYTON AND TOLEDO TRACTION COMPANY – 1902 TO 1907
OHIO ELECTRIC RAILWAY – 1907 TO 1922
CINCINNATI AND DAYTON TRACTION CO. – 1922 TO 1925
CINCINNATI, HAMILTON AND DAYTON RAILWAY – 1925 TO 1929
CINCINNATI AND LAKE ERIE RAILROAD – 1929 TO 1939
The College Hill Railroad had the distinction of being the last active interurban railroad route into Cincinnati after its conversion from narrow gauge to standard gauge. The College Hill Railroad was created as commuter railroad to bring suburbanites into Cincinnati to work. The three foot gauge railroad was incorporated May 23, 1873 and construction began in 1875. Trackage was completed 3 miles from a junction with the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad(B&O) standard gauge line near today’s Spring Grove Cemetery to College Hill. This included a steep 4.5 per cent grade up to College Hill and a 600 ft long 60 ft high trestle. The railroad was extended October 13, 1877 3.5 miles to Mount Healthy. Plans for extensions north west towards Ross,18 miles from the junction with the CH&D never developed.
The railroad operated three small narrow gauge locomotives, a combine, coach and three freight cars. In February, 1883 the management defaulted on a mortgage payment and the line was sold for $30,000 to previous owners John Davey and Robert Simpson whom formed the Cincinnati Northwestern Railway to take over operations on April 3, 1884. In an effort to operate standard gauge passenger cars to downtown Cincinnati without changing cars a third rail was laid over the line in 1886 to reach the CH&D Cincinnati depot. The standard gauge equipment never arrived and the line operated as narrow gauge line until November, 1887. Plans to extend the line to Liberty, Indiana were dropped at the same time. Passenger operations ceased in April, 1899.
The railroad was sold to the Southern Ohio Traction Company in 1901. The railroad was reorganized several times before it was made part of Dr. Thomas Conway Jr. Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railway a standard gauge interurban line that utilized the former narrow gauge right of way. It was eventually merged into the Cincinnati and Lake Erie Railroad. The C&LE operated for 10 years from 1929 to 1939. The old narrow gauge route to College Hill operated as a standard gauge electric freight branch line until 1939 when it was abandoned along with the rest of the C&LE system. The grade to College Hill is still there today but is hard to find.
THREE FOOT GAUGE RAILROAD
CINCINNATI AND WESTWOOD RAILROAD – 1874 TO 1891
STANDARD GAUGE SUCCESSORS
CINCINNATI AND WESTWOOD RAILROAD – 1891 TO 1941
The Cincinnati & Westwood was one of the least successful of all the Cincinnati narrow gauge railroads. It was a commuter railroad built to reach the suburban communities to the northwest of the city. The narrow gauge Cincinnati and Westwood Railroad was organized May 20, 1874 by residents of Westwood. Construction started in the fall of 1875. The 5.6 mile long narrow gauge was completed to Robb’s, named after the James Robb Farm near Westwood, OH. The line opened on May 22, 1876. The C&W was a financial failure. Little freight was hauled and it had only a small fleet of cars. By September 1, 1886 the railroad was forced to suspend service. The line was sold at foreclosure on May 30, 1887 to a group of bondholders headed by James N. Gamble of Procter and Gamble soap fame.
The line resumed operation on August 1, 1877 under the same name. The management also wanted to reach downtown Cincinnati like the College Hill Railroad. It prepared to convert the railroad to standard gauge by purchasing two tank engines in 1891. The track was converted in the fall of that year. By 1895 the Cincinnati Street Railway had reached Westwood and much of the passenger business started using the streetcars instead of the C&W. The C&W gave up passenger service on August 11, 1896. It continued limited freight service until May 31, 1924. Seen as possible entry to Cincinnati for the Indianapolis and Cincinnati Traction Co., the C&W retained the route for a possible route connection. The I&C lines from Indianapolis never got beyond Connersville, Indiana on one route and Greensburg, Indiana on the other. The C&W continued from 1924 to 1941 using a section car to maintain its charter. The line was abandoned in 1941 and sold for war scrap by 1942. The builders plate and number plate of 2-6-2 #3 is on display at the Cincinnati Railroad Club’s meeting rooms in Tower A in Cincinnati Union Terminal. Only some hard to find right of way remains in the hills of Western Cincinnati.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Hauck, John W., Narrow Gauge in Ohio-The Cincinnati, Lebanon and Northern Railway, Pruett Publishing Company, Boulder, Colorado, 1986
Hilton, George W,. American Narrow Gauge Railroads, Stanford University Press, Stanford, California 1990
Keenan, Jack, Cincinnati and Lake Erie Railroad- Ohio’s Great Interurban System, Golden West Books, San Marino, California, 1974
McNeil, David, Cincinnati and Columbus traction Co. Dave McNeil, Wyoming, 1996
McNeil, David, Railroad with 3 Gauges, The Cincinnati Georgetown & Portsmouth Railroad and Felicity & Bethel Railroad, Dave McNeil, Wyoming, 1996
Light Iron and short Ties, Newsletter, The Three Rivers Narrow Gauge Historical Society Inc.