Railroads

                           
1905              Railroad Depot Locations            1916

   Both maps above show the location of the Cincinnati depots. The first, 1905,  map shows the railroad depots much more clearly, and completely,  than the second, 1916 map, which gives a closer look at downtown Cincinnati. WARNING! the 1905 map is very large.

PENNSYLVANIA  and  L. & N.  STATION  (PAN  HANDLE)

   On March 11, 1836 the Little Miami Railroad was chartered and thus became the first railroad company to serve the city of Cincinnati. The line went from Cincinnati to Springfield, Ohio From there it connected with the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad, thus providing a route from the Ohio River to Lake Erie at Sandusky. The first train ran to Loveland in 1843, Xenia in 1844 and to Springfield in 1846. Within 20 years the system joined Cincinnati with Pittsburgh.
   The Cincinnati terminal was built just east of the Cincinnati city limits in Pendleton from 1843-46 (1st image). All trains had to back in to the terminal thru the westward facing doors. The passenger depot by 1848 measured 60' by 154' (2nd image). Expansion became necessary and in 1853-54 a new depot was built. Measuring 90' by 465' and 60' tall, trains again entered thru the east end only (3rd & 4th image). This depot survived until 1889 when it was destroyed by fire but the depot had already been reduced to the status of a freight station in 1881 by the erection of a new depot by a lessee of the Miami Company the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Saint Louis Railroad.

           
1843 - 1846                                    1848                                          1854                                          1854         

      By 1868 the number of passenger trains serving Cincinnati was 65 per day, adding all the mail and express, special trains, and those operated exclusively for employees the total reaches 75 to 89 arriving and departing per day. The rising traffic and general prosperity of most railroads spurred the directors of these lines to expand. The first to expand was the company that had taken over the Little Miami Railroad in 1868, the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Saint Louis Railroad, to which the Miami road and its affiliate, the Columbus and Xenia, were leased in 1869. Known as the Pan Handle Route after the corporate title of one of its constituents, the P. C. and St. L. was essentially a Pittsburgh to Cincinnati line. 
  The construction of the Newport Bridge (1868-72)  opened up Kentucky and points south for trade and forced the Pan Handle to erect a new depot. Construction began in 1880 one block west and one block north of the old depot on East Pearl and Butler Streets. This building, seen below would last for 52 years, until 1933 when all depots consolidated at Union Terminal.
   The Newport bridge of the Louisville, Cincinnati and Lexington Railroad was located and constructed in such a way as to connect directly with the Little Miami tracks. With the new depot being built the tracks were relocated along the southern side of the station.
   The first non-postcard image below show the old 1854 Little Miami Depot buildings after its conversion to a freight house in 1881 during the 1883 flood. The 2nd image shows the loading platforms looking west toward the depot. The elevated approach to the L & N Bridge can be clearly seen between the station and the freight house which had been the second Little Miami Railroad Station. At the far end of the stone wall is the switch to the Eggelston Street track which went to the Court Street Depot (see below). The next two real photo postcards are great images of the freight house as seen from the east end and the interior of the freight house.

Not postcards                                                                                    Postcards    
                   

   .The first non-postcard image below is a aerial view that clearly shows the freight house and station. The 2nd image is an 1880's lithograph of the depot and the last 1929 photograph looks eastward along Pearl St. The elevated L & N bridge approach goes to the right. (Pearl St. is now Pete Rose Way). The last image is the 1884 flood from Pearl Street.

Penn. Depot interior

   A rare non-postcard image of the interior of the depot that was taken during the 1913 flood.

   Railroads that used the Pennsylvania Station in 1920: Pennsylvania Railroad; Louisville & Nashville; Norfolk & Western.

BAYMILLER  STATION  (C. H. & D.)

   The second Cincinnati rail line was the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton (C. H.&D) which started service to Hamilton in 1846 and to Dayton by 1851. located on the northwest corner of 5th and Wood (now Baymiller) Sts. this site was to remain for almost a century (1933). The original building was 103' by 500' with both freight and passengers occupying the same space. By 1860 the growth of traffic resulted in intolerable confusion, errors, discomforts, and congestion at the depot that a new structure had to be built. The old depot was kept and used strictly as a freight depot after the new depot was built wholly separate right along side the old one. Completed in 1864 it had sidings for 800 freight cars and a roundhouse capable of holding 25 locomotives. Measuring 50' along 5th St. and extending 475' along Baymiller St. to 6th St. with the 2 1/2 story head house on the corner. There was also a large machine shop. The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad used this station for its local runs and thus the station became known as the B. & O. Baymiller Station.

   The first image is of Baymiller Station looking north with Baymiller Street on the right of the depot. The 2nd non-postcard image is from the loading area with Baymiller Street on the left.

*                   
  C. H.& D.  Depot                        Parlor car-C. H. & D. R. R.
(Baymiller Station)                                                                   
West 5th St.                                                                 

   Railroads that used the Baymiller Station in 1920: Baltimore & Ohio; Cincinnati, Indianapolis & Western, and of course the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton.

OHIO  &  MISSISSIPPI  STATION

   In 1854 the third depot was opened in Cincinnati to open a track between Cincinnati and points west particularly Saint Louis. It was called the O. and M. or the Ohio & Mississippi Line. As can be seen in the two non-postcard images below the company was not financially well off. The line was constructed along Front Street at the intersection with Mill Street. For some five years the O. & M. Railroad had the trade to the west to themselves until the C. & I. came along.

COURT  STREET  STATION

   This homely little station was built by the narrow-gage Cincinnati Northern Railway in just three months in 1882, four years after the railroad had dug Cincinnati's only railroad tunnel that was dug to reach the head of the steeply descending Deer Creek Valley along Gilbert Avenue. The Court Street Station was located on East Court Street near Broadway. The road was reorganized as the Cincinnati, Lebanon and Northern in 1885 and converted to standard gage in 1894, two years before the Pennsylvania acquired a controlling interest. This miniature station endured for 40 years due mainly because of the numerous communities in the Cincinnati-Lebanon corridor. This station was the only railroad untouched be the floods of 1913 and 1937.
  The first two images are not postcards. The first is the depot with the loading platform seen extending out to the left and the 2nd image shows the platform from the end toward the station. That is the Times-Star Building in the background. Since that building was not opened until 1933 the weed filled nature of the depot is explained in that all trains were using the new Cincinnati Union Terminal when these photographs were taken.

   This very nice postcard shows what the depot looked like when it was in operation.

Norfolk & Western Station.
 Court St.

   Railroads used by the Court Street Station in 1920: Cincinnati, Lebanon & Northern (PRR); Norfolk & Western.

PLUM  STREET  DEPOT

   In 1861 the Cincinnati & Indiana Railroad received a charter to lay tracks to the state line. The company did a farsighted act by buying the properties of the abandoned Whitewater Canal. This property made track laying much quicker and with much less expense. In 1863 the C. & I. passed to the control of the Indianapolis and Cincinnati, whose directors began to plan for a new depot in Cincinnati immediately. The new company petitioned the city of Cincinnati to lease the Pearl Street Market House and the surrounding market space for station facilities. This area was originally the terminal basin for the Whitewater Canal. The railroad company's plan was to rebuild the market house as a passenger depot, and to construct a freight station and warehouse in the remaining space. The petition was granted by the council and the lease was drawn up before the end of 1863. The freight station was erected first along Pearl Street between John and Central in 1863-64. The passenger depot, facing Plum Street at Pearl was open in 1865.  It was called The Plum Street Depot and it was stated to be "one of the finest railroad depots in the country". Three full stories in height the east half of the main floor was for ticket offices, parlors, toilets, lavatories, and of course, a saloon. "The ladies' parlor adjoins on the north side, the carpet is a fine and beautiful Brussels, while the furniture is the best of walnut: mirrors, chandeliers, etc., add greatly to the elegance of the room.....The dining department is certainly the finest in the United States."  The Indianapolis & Cincinnati (C. & I.) operated five trains in each direction and the Marietta & Cincinnati three for a total of 16 in and out. This was one quarter of the city's passenger service at the time.
   The I. & C. was leased to the Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Lafayette Railroad in 1866, and this railroad was consolidated with still other companies that year to form the Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Saint Louis and Chicago Railroad (Big Four).
   With the construction of the Central Union Station in 1883 the Plum Street Depot was expanded into the new depot. Plum Street Depot ceased operations as a passenger depot and became the center of a vast complex of warehouses of the Big Four that were built over the following years. Partly destroyed by fire in July 1944, it was rebuilt and continued being used until 1961 when it was razed to clear the way for the Mill Creek Expressway.

CENTRAL  UNION  STATION

   By 1873 three passenger and as many freight depots lay scattered along Front, Pearl, Fifth, and Sixth Streets in the West End, with their multiplying tracks even back then threaten to become an impassable tangle. In 1873 the directors of all these railroads formed a committee to consider the construction of a single station to be used jointly by all. This committee came to the conclusion that it would be impracticable because it could not be located as to accommodate both the East and West roads. No further steps were taken for the next eight years.
    In 1881 the President of the Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Saint Louis and Chicago Railroad, Henry Lord, was authorized by the directors to acquire additional property in the West End, extending west from Central Avenue to Smith Street between Pearl and Third, for a new union station. Work began on the depot in 1881 and was opened April 9, 1883. The three story head house was on the corner of third and Central with the train shed wide enough for eight tracks and five platforms that covered 215' of the 565' total length. This length was eventually extended to 910' on number five platform.

Map of depot

   When this depot first opened in 1883 only two railroads used it, the proprietary company, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Saint Louis and Chicago Railroad (Big Four), and a single tenant, the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis. But very quickly two more tenants joined, namely, the Ohio and Mississippi and the Cincinnati, Washington and Baltimore , the successor to the Marietta and Cincinnati. Three more railroads joined the depot near the end of the 1880's. They were the Chesapeake and Ohio, Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific,  lessee of the Cincinnati Southern, and Kentucky Central. 

Early lithograph of depot

   The map above shows all the Big Four's routes and apparently every depot it used. The 2nd photograph shows the terminal during the 1883 flood. The last image is of the Big Four Office Building located on 3rd Street adjacent to the depot.

An early Big Four Ad.

   Railroads used by the Central Union Depot in 1920: Big Four/NYC; Baltimore & Ohio; CNO&TP/Southern; Louisville & Nashville; Chesapeake & Ohio; Cincinnati Northern (NYC).

Replica

Kraemer card-C & O Passenger Train

CINCINNATI  SOUTHERN  RAILROAD

   We now come to the only railroad in the country that is owned by a city. The city's need to open up a trade route from Cincinnati to the Southern States, because of the decline of the riverboat as a means of transporting goods and the railroads growing importance, prompted the city to ask Columbus in May of 1869 for permission to build a railroad line from the north bank of the Ohio River to Chattanooga, Tennessee, which was granted. . In June, in a special election, the question of constructing the railroad and issuing the bonds necessary to pay for it received a favorable vote of nearly 10 to one. The State of Tennessee granted a charter in January 1970, but the Kentucky Assembly did not act for more than two years before they authorized construction in February 1972. This was no doubt due to the influence of the competing L & N line pressuring the lawmakers. Construction began at Kings Mountain, in Lincoln County, Kentucky in December of 1873. The 332 mile length was completed in March of 1880.

Route of the Cincinnati Southern

   The Cincinnati Southern (CS) when completed cost a staggering $20,000,000 to build, or almost $60,000 per mile. By 19th century standards this was an unheard amount of money. The reason was the type of topography the railroad had to span. The stretch of line between Danville, Ky., and Oakdale, Tenn. contained 23 tunnels and has obtained lasting fame as the Rat Hole Division. This portion of the line was so crooked that a train that had over 120 cars would never be in a straight line. You add in 4 other tunnels in Kentucky from Wilmore, Kentucky to Danville, Ky. you have a total of 27 tunnels (bores) in a 150 mile stretch. In addition there are 105 bridges plus countless deep cuts and high hills. The line has since been improved to the point where there are only 13 bores remaining, 11 on the Rat Hole. All the bores had to be enlarged in 1928 due to larger engines and cars. The route is divided into 3 operating districts. From Cincinnati the First District extends 116 miles to Danville, Ky.; the Second District, the Rat Hole, spans 138 miles to Oakdale, Tenn.; and the Third District covers the final 78 miles to Citico Junction (Chattanooga).

Rat Hole section side view. (present day)

   The city knew it did not have the necessary expertise to compete with private carriers and within a year wisely leased the railroad to a privately financed corporation. They awarded the lease, in September 1881, to a New York financier Frederick Wolfe and the Erlanger family of Cincinnati. The Wolfe-Erlanger group then established the Corporation named the Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway Company or, more commonly known as the CNO&TP. The portion owned by Cincinnati is still known as the Cincinnati Southern Railway. These lines were all made possible because of the connections to New Orleans and Texas from Chattanooga. The railroad became known as the Queen and Crescent Route after the nicknames of the terminal cities of Cincinnati and New Orleans. 
   The initial lease was for twenty-five years and to be renewable at similar intervals thereafter. Rentals were $800,000 per year for five years, $900,000 for the 2nd five, and $1,000,000 for the last fifteen. The lessee also agreed to spend another $8,000,000 in improvements as directed by the trustees.
   One of the major challenges facing the railroad was the construction of a bridge spanning the Ohio. With a total length, including the approaches, of nearly half a mile and with the river crossing itself of 1,500 feet, the bridge when completed would contain the longest truss span (515') in the world at the time. The drawing below was not drawn correctly. The second and third images show the bridge from the Kentucky side showing the swing span that was on the southern end of the bridge. It pivoted horizontally when it was opened. This would allow river traffic to pass when the river level was too high. When the bridge was rebuilt in 1922 this span was no longer needed, although you can still see the pier that had supported it. To see some postcards of this bridge go to the Ohio River section.

   Until the Central Union Station was built in 1883 the CNO&TP depot was located in Ludlow, Kentucky. In the late 1880s they moved into Central Union. I had to use some of my Northern Kentucky cards for this section because not only was the depot there but the main railroad yard was also located there.

               
Ludlow Depot                                        Southern Railroad Yards                                Trestle seen from the Lagoon Park in Ludlow

Locomotive #8
CNO&TP

Freight Depot of the CNO&TP

   The non-postcard image above is the CNO&TP freight depot. Vine Street is on the right and Front Street is on the left (see 2nd map above).
   In the first 13 years of the lease agreement (1881-94) the total rental paid to the city was $11,370,000. The total rental for the 25 years was $23,500,000. The lease was renegotiated in 1902, four years before its expiration date. The new lease was for 60 years at $1,050,000 per annum, for the first 20 years, $1,100,00 for the 2nd 20 years, and $1,200,000 per year for the 3rd 20 years. The third part was raised in 1950 to $1,350,000 plus a varying percentage of the net income. By the end of 1974 the rentals paid to the city had reached a total of $156,000,000. I do not have the figures from then till now.

THE  EIGHTH  STREET  DEPOT

   In 1904 the Chicago, Cincinnati and Louisville Railroad completed a line between Cincinnati and Chicago along the shortest route between the two cities. The only way it could enter Cincinnati was over Cheviot Hill at an elevation 360 feet above its tracks in the Mill Creek Valley. This would entail steep grades in addition to expensive bridge and trestle work. The high cost of building the road plus a poor traffic left it unable to meet interest charges, and even in some years its operating expenses, and was only saved from total collapse when it was sold at foreclosure to the C. & O. in July of 1910. The depot for this railroad was a combined freight and passenger station on McLean Avenue near Eighth Street in 1903-04. This depot was the furthest from the city's core then any other station. After the C. & O. acquired the C. C. & L. property the passenger trains were transferred to the Fourth Street Station.

C. C.. L. Depot -1904 

THE  C. & O. /  FOURTH  STREET  DEPOT

   The C. & O. established service into the city in January, 1889, following the opening of the C. &. O. Bridge in 1888. Anticipating a larger volume of traffic that in fact  never materialized, plans were made to build freight and passenger station in the block bounded by Third and Fourth Streets immediately north of the Union Depot train shed. The freight station was built as planned, but the passenger facility proved to be something of a joke. In 1891 the road bought a dwelling on Fourth Street near Smith that had been built in 1869. The rail road laid down track on both sides of the house, converting the parlor into a waiting room, the dining room into a ticket office, the kitchen into a toilet and lavatory, and the upstairs bedrooms into offices. Thus the Fourth Street Station was born. The station was used by the Kentucky Central (which later merged with the L. & N.) in addition to the C. & O.. Up to 10 trains a day used the depot.

   These 1929 images of the C. & O. Depot show how the converted row house was located at the correct elevation for access to the C. & O. Bridge. The first image also show the approach tracks to the Central Union Depot that went under the steel bridge the train is going over. The 2nd non-postcard image shows the depot from the rear.

   Railroads that used the Fourth Street Station in 1920: Chesapeake & Ohio; Louisville & Nashville.

   It was nearly 30 years before Union Terminal came along and unified all the railroads into one facility. Despite the dissatisfaction with the confusing tangle of depots and tracks thru out the city it was still quite efficient in transferring freight and passengers into and out of Cincinnati. In 1890 276 trains entered and left each day, in 1910 243 trains came and went each day. These totals must be increased by 10 percent for those trains not shown in the public time tables, namely, mail and express trains, work trains, extra trains for those busy times. In 1920 289 trains passed thru, and it fell to 224 daily in 1928.

Cincinnati Railroads

   The image above lists every railroad that used Cincinnati depots over the years.

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