Cincinnati Northern Railroad (1894–1938)

Cincinnati Northern Railroad

Company type	Railroad
Industry	Rail transport
Founded	1894
Defunct	1938-06-30
Fate	Merged into the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway (Big Four)
Headquarters	United States
Area served	Ohio, Michigan
Products	Rail transport

The Cincinnati Northern Railroad once managed an approximate route stretching from Franklin, Ohio, near Cincinnati, extending northward to Jackson, Michigan. In 1901, it was purchased by the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway (commonly known as the Big Four) and was eventually integrated into the New York Central Railroad. Today, the majority of the original track has been discontinued.

History

Efforts to establish a north–south railway corridor across western Ohio began during the 1850s but were interrupted by the economic downturn caused by the Panic of 1857. Construction activities resumed in the 1870s with multiple short-line railroads formed to link local communities. Among these early lines were the Van Wert, Paulding and Michigan Railway (chartered in 1874) and the Paulding and Cecil Railway (chartered in 1879). Concurrently, the Celina, Van Wert and State Line Extension of the Columbus and North–Western Railway (established in 1878) constructed a narrow gauge connection from Celina northward to Van Wert by 1880, integrating with the growing network of the Toledo, Delphos and Burlington Railroad.

Incorporated in 1881, the Cincinnati, Van Wert and Michigan Railroad (CVW&M) unified these various segments, converting narrow gauge tracks to standard gauge while extending lines northward from Van Wert. The CVW&M merged in 1886 with Michigan’s Jackson and Ohio Railroad, resulting in the formation of the Cincinnati, Jackson and Mackinaw Railroad (CJ&M), which expanded its reach from Addison, Michigan down to Carlisle, Ohio. Initially, CJ&M secured rights to operate into Cincinnati via the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad; however, by 1896 it had shifted access routes through connections with the Big Four and other neighboring railways.

In 1887, CJ&M acquired additional lines from the Michigan and Ohio Railroad but divested some holdings after facing foreclosure in 1897. Despite its growth ambitions, financial difficulties plagued CJ&M, leading to a reorganization in 1892 as the Cincinnati and Michigan Railroad. This entity merged with the Michigan and Mackinaw Railroad to become known as the Cincinnati, Jackson and Michigan Railway. Attempts by rival companies to acquire it encountered legal obstacles rooted in anti-monopoly regulations.

To strengthen its operational position, CJ&M established the Dayton and Cincinnati Terminal Railroad in 1894 with plans to construct a Cincinnati-Dayton route that included a tunnel beneath Cincinnati’s Walnut Hills. This terminal railroad took over an unfinished tunnel project through foreclosure in 1896. Subsequently renamed the Cincinnati Northern Railroad late in 1894, it acquired CJ&M’s assets at foreclosure in 1897. The Big Four purchased Cincinnati Northern in 1901 and sold off unused tunnel properties along with associated land holdings to the Pennsylvania Railroad-controlled Cincinnati, Lebanon and Northern Railway in 1902.

The formal merger of Cincinnati Northern into the Big Four occurred on June 30, 1938. Since that time, most of its original alignment has been abandoned. Remaining operational fragments are now managed by several short line operators including Germantown Rail Siding (covering Carlisle to Germantown), R.J. Corman Railroad/Western Ohio Lines (serving Greenville to Ansonia), Chicago, Ft. Wayne and Eastern Railroad (operating around Van Wert), Norfolk Southern Railway (between Jackson and Bryan), and Pioneer Railcorp (running through Cecil).

References

• The Cincinnati Northern Model Railroad Club, Inc. CNMRRC.org