Akron, Bedford and Cleveland Railroad

Last updated
Akron, Bedford and Cleveland Railroad train, 1909 Akron, Bedford and Cleveland Railroad train, 1909 (cropped).jpg
Akron, Bedford and Cleveland Railroad train, 1909

The Akron, Bedford and Cleveland Railroad (also known as the Alphabet Railroad) began service between Akron and Cleveland, Ohio, on November 9, 1895. [1] At the time, it was the longest electrified rail line in the world. For 50 cents riders could travel from Akron to Cleveland's Public Square in about 2½ hours. [2] The line ran from Akron through the towns of Stow, Cuyahoga Falls, Hudson, Brandywine, Macedonia, Northfield, Bedford, Warrensville Heights, and Shaker Heights before dropping passengers at Cleveland Union Depot. Around 1900 the ABC Railroad merged with several other area railroads to form the Northern Ohio Traction and Light Company (NOT&LCo), which operated the line until 1932.

Contents

Remaining traces

1899 view of Akron, Bedford and Cleveland Railroad shops at Cuyahoga Falls 1899 view of Akron, Bedford and Cleveland Railroad shops at Cuyahoga Falls (cropped).jpg
1899 view of Akron, Bedford and Cleveland Railroad shops at Cuyahoga Falls

While the railroad has been gone for almost 80 years and has been widely forgotten, there is still plenty of evidence of its former existence. At the intersection of Route 82 and Route 8 in Macedonia Ohio, a brick building stands at the corner. This was once the Macedonia depot that served the area. This station was constructed in 1905 by the Northern Ohio Traction and Light Company which later became Ohio Edison and is known today as FirstEnergy. It was put into service in 1912 after the completion of the double track through Macedonia. FirstEnergy still owns the building. The double tracks ran alongside the building almost exactly where the southbound lanes of Route 8 sit today. The original single-track line ran through Northfield center from Fells Corner (intersection of Olde 8 and Route 82) to Chittenden's Corner (intersection of Olde 8 and 303) and its use was discontinued in 1916. You can drive this portion of the former line by traveling down Olde Eight road. The northern portion of the line can be traced by following Broadway Avenue from Bedford into Cleveland. [3] Most of the former line is buried beneath Route 8, Northfield Road, Hudson Drive, or Broadway Road. As mentioned above, a large part of the original line ran through the town of Northfield Center. In 1916 the railroad stopped usage of the old route 8 rail line completely. The tracks were removed and old Route 8 became the road we all know today. At the intersection of Olde Eight Road and 303 there you will find the remains of the bridge abutments that allowed the ABC RR to pass over the Lake Erie & Pittsburg Railway / New York Central Line that ran through Sagamore Hills at the time. Other portions of the right of way have been turned into bike and hike trails or are used as access roads for utility companies. [4]

[5] [6]

Heritage

The line laid out the foundation of future transportation and helped to define the area as it is today. The line's path is clearly visible in satellite photos, and is marked by paved roads, modern rail lines, historic buildings, overgrown paths, and old stone abutments. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tower City Center</span> Mixed-use facility in Cleveland, Ohio

Tower City Center is a large mixed-use facility in Downtown Cleveland, Ohio, on its Public Square. The facility is composed of a number of interconnected office buildings, including Terminal Tower, the Skylight Park mixed-use shopping center, Jack Cleveland Casino, Renaissance Cleveland Hotel, Chase Financial Plaza, and Tower City station, the main hub of Cleveland's four RTA Rapid Transit lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nickel Plate Road</span> Defunct railway in the mid-central United States (1881–1964)

The New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, abbreviated NYC&St.L, was a railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. Commonly referred to as the "Nickel Plate Road", the railroad served parts of the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. Its primary connections occurred in Buffalo, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Indianapolis, St. Louis, and Toledo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohio State Route 8</span> State highway in Ohio, US

State Route 8 is a road in the U.S. state of Ohio. SR 8 stretches from the eastern junction of Interstate 76 (I-76) and I-77 in Akron to Public Square in Cleveland. It is one of nine routes to enter downtown Cleveland at Public Square. The route's first few miles are as a limited-access freeway from I-76 and I-77, heading north. The freeway section of the highway has 16 interchanges, and is cosigned with SR 59 for a short distance from Perkins Street in Akron to Front Street in Cuyahoga Falls. The freeway portion ends at I-271 in Macedonia.

The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, established in 1833, and sometimes referred to as the Lake Shore, was a major part of the New York Central Railroad's Water Level Route from Buffalo, New York, to Chicago, Illinois, primarily along the south shore of Lake Erie and across northern Indiana. The line's trackage remains a major rail transportation corridor used by Amtrak passenger trains and several freight lines; in 1998, its ownership was split at Cleveland, Ohio, between CSX Transportation to the east and Norfolk Southern Railway in the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway</span>

The Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway was an 87-mile (140 km) long American shortline railroad connecting Minneapolis and Northfield, Minnesota. It was incorporated in 1918 to take over the trackage of the former Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester and Dubuque Electric Traction Company, also known as the Dan Patch Lines. On June 2, 1982, it was acquired by the Soo Line Railroad, which operated it as a separate railroad until merging it on January 1, 1986, along with the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad.

The Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway is a Class II regional railroad that provides freight service, mainly in the areas of Northern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. It took its name from the former Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway, most of which it bought from the Norfolk and Western Railway in 1990.

The Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway was a major part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system, extending the PRR west from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, via Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Chicago, Illinois. It included the current Norfolk Southern-owned Fort Wayne Line east of Crestline, Ohio, to Pittsburgh, and the Fort Wayne Secondary, owned by CSX, from Crestline west to Tolleston in Gary, Indiana. CSX leased its entire portion in 2004 to the Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad (CFE). The remaining portion of the line from Tolleston into Chicago is now part of the Norfolk Southern's Chicago District, with a small portion of the original PFW&C trackage abandoned in favor of the parallel lines of former competitors which are now part of the modern NS system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania Company</span>

The Pennsylvania Company, later known publicly as the Pennsylvania Lines was a major holding company. It included the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway, the PRR's main route to Chicago. It also owned but did not operate the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, another line to Chicago. It merged back into the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1918.

The Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad (CC&C) was a railroad that ran from Cleveland to Columbus in the U.S. state of Ohio in the United States. Chartered in 1836, it was moribund for the first 10 years of its existence. Its charter was revived and amended in 1845, and construction on the line began in November 1847. Construction was completed and the line opened for regular business in February 1851. The CC&C absorbed a small bankrupt railroad in 1861, and in May 1868 merged with the Bellefontaine Railway to form the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleveland railroad history</span>

Cleveland has been and continues to be deeply rooted in railroad history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Castle Subdivision</span>

The New Castle Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in the U.S. states of Pennsylvania and Ohio. The line runs from New Castle, Pennsylvania west through Youngstown and Akron to Greenwich, Ohio along a former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad line. Its east end is near Mahoningtown, at the west end of the New Castle Terminal Subdivision. Its west end is at the Willard Terminal Subdivision, just east of the Greenwich Subdivision junction at Greenwich. It junctions with the Newton Falls Subdivision at Newton Falls, Ohio, and the CL&W Subdivision at Sterling, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lehigh Valley Transit Company</span>

The Lehigh Valley Transit Company (LVT) was a regional transport company that was headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The company began operations in 1901, as an urban trolley and interurban rail transport company. It operated successfully into the 1930s, but struggled financially during the Great Depression, and was saved from abandonment by a dramatic ridership increase during and following World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warren station (Erie Railroad)</span> Former station for the Erie Railroad

Warren was a former station for the Erie Railroad on its main line and on the Mahoning Division's first subdivision between Cleveland and Pymatuning station. Along the main line, the next station west towards Dearborn Station was Leavittsburg, while east towards Pavonia Terminal was Niles. The station was located 585.7 miles (942.6 km) from Pavonia Terminal and 412.8 miles (664.3 km) from Dearborn Station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleveland, Painesville and Ashtabula Railroad (1848–1869)</span> 19th-century American railroad

The Cleveland, Painesville and Ashtabula Railroad (CP&A), also known informally as the Cleveland and Erie Railroad, the Cleveland and Buffalo Railroad, and the Lake Shore Railroad, was a railway which ran from Cleveland, Ohio, to the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. Founded in 1848, the line opened in 1852. The railroad completed the rail link between Buffalo, New York, and Chicago, Illinois.

The Cleveland Commercial Railroad (CCR) is a shortline railroad which operates in Cuyahoga County in Ohio in the United States. Founded as a freight-only railroad in 2004, it leases and has trackage rights on lines owned by the Norfolk Southern and the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway. It also operates an industrial switching railroad at the Port of Cleveland.

The Valley Railway was a shortline railroad which operated between the city of Cleveland and small town of Zoarville in the state of Ohio in the United States. The railroad was founded in 1871, but the first segment of track did not open until 1880 and the line was not completed until 1884. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) obtained a controlling interest in the Valley Railway in 1890. The railroad went bankrupt in 1895, at which time it was reorganized as The Cleveland Terminal and Valley Railroad Company (CT&V). The B&O took over operation of the CT&V in 1909, and the company was merged with the B&O in 1915.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleveland and Mahoning Valley Railroad</span> Shortline railroad in Ohio, U.S.

The Cleveland and Mahoning Valley Railroad (C&MV) was a shortline railroad operating in the state of Ohio in the United States. Originally known as the Cleveland and Mahoning Railroad (C&M), it was chartered in 1848. Construction of the line began in 1853 and was completed in 1857. After an 1872 merger with two small railroads, the corporate name was changed to "Cleveland and Mahoning Valley Railroad". The railroad leased itself to the Atlantic and Great Western Railway in 1863. The C&MV suffered financial instability, and in 1880 its stock was sold to a company based in London in the United Kingdom. A series of leases and ownership changes left the C&MV in the hands of the Erie Railroad in 1896. The CM&V's corporate identity ended in 1942 after the Erie Railroad completed purchasing the railroad's outstanding stock from the British investors.

The Cleveland, Akron and Columbus Railroad was a railroad company in the U.S. state of Ohio. It connected its namesake cities and served as a vital link for later parent Pennsylvania Railroad to connect Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio.

References

  1. ↑ http://omp.ohiolink.edu/OMP/NewDetails?oid=955184&scrapid=566&format=yourscrap&sort=title&searchstatus=0&count=1&hits=1%5B%5D
  2. ↑ "Biking & Hiking Trails in Summit County | Summit Metro Parks".
  3. ↑ "Cleveland, Ohio - December 1934 Map showing railroads and facilities in Cleveland, Ohio".
  4. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2010-04-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ↑ "The Historical Society of Olde Northfield". Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
  6. ↑ "Lake Erie & Pittsburg Railway".
  7. ↑ "Website Disabled". Archived from the original on 2014-04-03. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.