Abandoned NYC line: Western Ohio

Sorry if this has been posted before, I am a n00b.

Anyways, I have noticed a while back when flying (I am a pilot), a line that runs parallel to the OH/IN state line. After further research, I found that this was the former Cincinnati Northern, later Big 4 then NYC line, that ran from Jackson, Michigan to Franklin, Ohio. A website, michiganrailroads.com, states that the portion of this line from Cement City, Michigan to Bryan, Ohio was abandoned in 1975. Otherwise, the history of this line is very sketchy.

Does anybody know when the line was built, and the rest abandoned?

Thanks

here is some maps of the line:
(1916) http://www.michiganrailroads.com/RRHX/M ... ap1916.htm
(1967) http://www.railsandtrails.com/Maps/PC-O ... /index.htm

There was supposed to be a book coming out on the Cincinnati Northern a few years ago but I can't find decent information on it online now. I did find that "March 31, 1977 was the last run by Conrail through Van Wert to North Paulding" (WesternOhioRails).

Northwest727

Go over to the New York Central forum, I believe if you check way back in the threads, there is one on the Cincinnati Northern. Unfortunately, the CN is probably the NYC line I am least familiar with. If you can find the thread post your question there.

BTW does Northwest have any 727's left????

Mike Fleming
President Emeritus, Memphis Society of Model Railroaders

Thanks guys, I appreciate it. For whatever reason, abandoned railroads always fascinate me.

tocfan wrote:BTW does Northwest have any 727's left????

No, they retired them in early 2003, I believe. I was able to fly on one, N719RC, back in 1998.

I used to live in Englewood, OH (1973-83). This line was ripped up South of Greenville, OH to around Germantown, OH around 1980-81. I used to frequently cross the old Cinci Northern (Conrail in its later days) at Lewisburg, OH on US40 and was amazed that the rail there was welded and seemed fairly well used in the mid-1970's.

By the early 80's, there were just weeds left.

I grew up in Dayton and I spent some time there during the summer of 2008.

I recall watching New York Central trains roll slowly over the old Cincinnati Northern in the 1960s. The boxcars swayed so much that once, at the Market Street crossing, I felt compelled to back my car up. The track is intact between Carlisle, Ohio (where it comes off the NS) and Germantown and there are still crossbucks on the road crossings as well; the line's bridges, however, have permanent-looking barriers on both ends. There's an industry in Germantown that apparently uses tiny diesel switchers to move metal products around the property--forgive my vagueness here, I can't quite recall what the locomotives looked like but I don't think they were the common 44 tonners. My wife found them remarkably "cute."

North of Germantown the right-of-way is traceable if you look for it as you pick your way northwest. The depot at Farmersville, across the street from the grain elevators, is used as a residence (or was used recently as a residence); it was a small, ramshackle affair in the 1960s and I was surprised to see it still standing in 2008. The rather handsome wooden station at West Alexandria (on US 35) has been restored; the station at Germantown has also been restored but it's been moved away from the track to a park.

This part of western Ohio does not boast breath-taking scenery (I live now in northern California) but it's lush in the summer and interestingly stark in the winter and it offers pleasures to people willing to travel slowly on the back roads.

Brown, Jim. A History of the Cincinnati Northern Railroad. Sparta, WI: The Little Falls Railroad & Doll Museum, 2003.

I believe Mr. Brown was an operator for a time on the CN and his father was a trainman at Van Wert. This book is rather scarce. I understand he was hoping to bring out a newer, should I say, better version. Updated, some of the reproduced pictures aren't that good.

The segment from Jackson to Cement City was removed in 1981. Likewise, the old spur into Brooklyn, Michigan went at the same time, which was originally part of the old Ypsilanti Branch. According to a friend of mine that lived in Waldron in the 1970s, the section south of Cement City was removed in 1977-1978.

I really wish the CN could have received a better fate, as it's one of the most interesting local lines that I am not familiar with. I have seen photos of freight trains coming up from Ohio through Hudson and Cement City in the 1950s and 1960s, being pulled by A-B-B-A Baldwin Shark configurations. However, I am not familiar with what classes steam locomotives ran over this line. I wonder if it played host to the larger NYC Mohawks?

Lew wrote:Brown, Jim. A History of the Cincinnati Northern Railroad. Sparta, WI: The Little Falls Railroad & Doll Museum, 2003.

I believe Mr. Brown was an operator for a time on the CN and his father was a trainman at Van Wert. This book is rather scarce. I understand he was hoping to bring out a newer, should I say, better version. Updated, some of the reproduced pictures aren't that good.

Does anyone know where I could buy a copy of this book?

One of the remaining portions of the CN runs right behind my house and I've always been fascinated with it. Growing up, I always loved seeing the occasional switch job come from Dupps Company in Germantown to drop off a car or two to be picked up by CSX.

I live in Carlisle and I've seen many of the CN landmarks around the area. Their is a depot that was shared by The Big Four / CN in Franklin. There are also CN depots still standing in Germantown, Farmersville and West Alexandria. I haven't seen much past West Alexandria, so I don't know about any stations past there.

But I would love to find a copy of this book so I can read up in detail about the line that has always fascinated me. Any info would be much appreciated!

http://www.raildoll.org/home.htm

Go to the above website and drop Dr. Jim Brown a line. Be sure and put Cincinnati Northern in the subject line.

When my best friend was around 7-8 years old, he use to walk down to the C.N.-Wabash diamond in Alvordton Ohio, in the Northern part of Willians county. He would go up in the tower and talk to the switchman-signalman who took care of the tower for the C.N., he only lived less than a quarter mile from it. I can remember trains going on that line through West Unity Ohio years ago.

I just happened to think, there is a small portion of it that is still used today. It runs south out of Cecil Ohio, from the Maumee and Western line, to the Paulding Cement plant, which is around a two mile segment, all original ties and rails from when it was still the CN, it is used to supply tanker cars for the operations at the plant.