The B&O in Cincinnati
An old friend of mine that passed away a little less than 20 years ago was Walter Edgecomb. Walt was a founding member of the Winton & Waycross Model RR Club which merged into the Cincinnati Northern Model RR Club around the mid ā80s. I met him in 1988 when I joined the club and was enthralled with his old railroad stories. Walt worked for the B&O in Cincinnati. He started as a fireman firing B&O steamers in the late ā40s and ā50s. He passed his engineers test in time to pilot a B&O Pacific in the last years of steam on the B&O. He went on to pilot diesel electrics for many years. Memories of Walt inspired me to take a look at the B&O in Cincinnatiā¦with of course, a few minor detours!
For Walt, this was likely a common site ā A B&O EMD F7, #1420 at the B&O roundhouse, 1966 (Ryerson Steel in the background).
I never caught what locos he fired, but these B&O Q-3’s are possible candidates. In this pic, the pair of Mikados lead a reefer consist at the Kahn Meat Packing Plant in Cincinnati about 1945. This is a great yard scene
A birds eye view gives us a better perspective of the Kahn’s plant & Stockyards at Hopple & Spring Grove Avenue looking NW. (Hopple St. is the overpass with Spring Grove running parallel to the tracks on the right.) The yard tracks and roundhouse at the top right is the B&O Midland, with the CH&D at the far top left. A connecting track runs on a diagonal between the two railroads.
ā¦just a few blocks away, Powell Valves, Spring Grove Avenue, looking west.
Iāve tried unsuccessfully to find some nice pics of the B&O Midland roundhouse. I visited it a late evening roughly a couple weeks before it burned down. Unfortunately, I somehow ruined the roll of film I used trying to take my own pics of it! Soā¦weāll move a little south and look at the roundhouse that served Union Terminal.
Locomotives for Cincinnati Union Terminal E units belonging to Louisville & Nashville, Chesapeake & Ohio, New York Central, and Pennsylvania idle on the ready tracks near the Cincinnati Union Terminal roundhouse in September 1952. Baltimore & Ohio, CUT, Norfolk & Western, and C&O steam engines populate the whisker tracks in the background.
Going back a few years earlier, we see all steam at Union Terminal Roundhouse.
Still further back, in 1932, we see the construction of the roundhouse & Union Terminal.
The only note on this photo was āCincinnati, OHā. But again, this appears to be the early ā50s near the Union Terminal roundhouse.
Getting back to the B&O and locos Walt would likely have seen, this is B&O 9121, an Alco S2, at Mill Creek Yards, 1972.
No caption came with this photo, but itās definitely a B&O F unit! Iām guessing (partly from where I found this pic) this might be the cleaning of the F7ās used to pull the Cincinnatian.
Walt always talked about catching a ride (on a local train) to the Winton Place station at the end of each work day, then walking a block to catch the bus up Winton Road hill (to go home). I had never seen the depot (unless I passed it as a young child), but knew of its location near Clifton and Spring Grove Ave.
Going back to an earlier era ā 1918: āWINTON PLACE DEPOT, Chester Park, The train station was located on Spring Grove Avenue at the bottom of Clifton Avenue. Passenger trains on two Butler County railroads — the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton (B&O) from Hamilton and the Big Four (New York Central) from Middletown — stopped within a few yards of the park entrance. The Station closed In 1967. Hey look! It is Veteran’s Day! What do you suppose the one woman is saying to her friend?ā
When Walt talked about that first B&O Class P Pacific he piloted, it was likely similar to the loco in this pic. (Never mind the location of the photo!)
Walt was engineer for freight trains local to Cincinnati. So the Class P had been relegated to local freight duty during itās last year. But still, the B&O Class Ps were great steamers.
During the prime of steam, a number of the B&O’s 4-6-2’s were streamlined for named passenger trains. The Cincinnatian was pulled by some of these streamlined Class Pās. They are often regarded as some of the most handsome locos ever built.
Looking at the Cincinnatian, I found this photo: āThe Cincinnatian was the B&O’s exotic streamliner serving Baltimore and Cincinnati debuting in 1947. It later served Detroit and was canceled in 1971.ā
Later Walt was involved with the B&O Federal Credit Union. When he came to the club, he would bring handfuls of the credit union give aways like pens and key chains. Here is an old ghost sign from the B&O Federal Credit Union in Northside.
Anytime you talk about the B&O in Cincinnati, you have to visit Longworth Hall – B & O warehouse under construction 1904 (Longworth Hall).
āB & O warehouse app. 1916 (Longworth Hall) Blood drive for WW Iā
āB & O warehouse app. 1920 (Longworth Hall)ā
I detoured slightly down the Ohio River when I found this photo – This undated photo shows the railroad station at Fernbank. Fernbank is now part of Cincinnati. It was located northwest of Saylor Park and Delhi. The station was on River Road at Catalpa Road.
Still west of Cincinnati, Baltimore & Ohio class P-5 No. 5227, a USRA light Pacific, hurries through North Bend, Ohio, with overnight St. LouisāCincinnati local train 30 in September 1954.
This is supposed to be Cincinnati, but Iām not sure of the location – B&O 80 – HW H9 mail.
ā¦Another detour: I found these two pics from the 1880s of familiar intersections in downtown Cincinnati.
In 1859, Abraham Lincoln was in Cincinnati & made a speech as he ran for President. The location is 5th Street – he’s on the balcony to the right of picture
I found this pic amidst Cincinnati photos. Iām stretching a long way out there, but could this be the construction of the C&O bridge across the Ohio? (Iām thinking not, butā¦)
Local trips through history are fun because of all the sites that are familiar. Then when you meet someone like Walt that can personally take you through a couple decades prior to your own memoriesā¦
Thx,
Kevin
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