The most visible reminder of the railroads past in Monroeville, Ohio, is this passenger station, which served the New York Central and its predecessor railroads. It has since been restored, but the tracks are long gone.
In the past few years I’ve found myself in Monroeville, Ohio, while chasing trains on the Wheeling & Lake Erie.
At one time, Monroeville was served by three railroads plus an interurban railway.
The railroads of Monroville included the Toledo-Brewster line of the original Wheeling & Lake Erie. This line still exists with the modern W&LE owning it between Brewster and Bellevue.
Monroeville was also served by a Willard-Sandusky branch of the Baltimore & Ohio, the Norwalk Branch of the New York Central and the Cleveland-Toledo Lake Shore Electric.
The Norwalk Branch began life as the Toledo, Norwalk & Cleveland Railroad, which built between its namesake cities in the 1860s. It was later absorbed by the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern, which in turn became part of the NYC.
The Norwalk branch was the main route of the LS&MS until it built a cutoff via Sandusky along Lake Erie, which today is the Chicago Line of NS. The Norwalk branch diverged at Elyria and rejoined at Milbury.
Penn Central continued to offer freight service on the Norwalk branch through 1976. The line was not conveyed to Conrail and was subsequently abandoned. Passenger service on the line ended in 1949.
I don’t know when the B&O branch was abandoned, but it likely continued in operation through the 1970s and possibly into the 1980s. A portion of it still exists in Monroeville for the W&LE to serve a grain elevator.
The Lake Shore Electric last operated on May 15, 1938. Not long before then, the Eastern Ohio Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society — a forerunner of the Akron Railroad Club — ran a trip over the line.
During the 1960s, the ARRC chartered a B&O Rail Diesel Car and ran excursions between Akron and Sandusky to visit the Cedar Point amusement park.
I’ve long been fascinated by what railroads leave behind after they leave town. If you know where to look and what to look for, you can find reminders of what used to be.
Article and Photographs by Craig Sanders
The North Coast Inland Tail uses the former NYC Norwalk Branch. The view is from the bridge over the West Branch Huron River looking westward toward the NYC passenger station, which was built in 1863.
A train order board at the Monroeville station.
I don’t know if this train bulletin at the former NYC station is accurate.
The former freight NYC freight station still stands a short distance west of the passenger depot.
Looking westward on the Lake Shore Electric right of way with the passenger station on the left.
Looking northward toward the Lake Shore Electric (foreground) and NYC stations. The B&O tracks would have been to the right of both stations.
Looking southward on the former B&O right of way.
A relic from the days when these tracks operated as the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern.
A restored property boundary marker.
A bridge pier that once held the Lake Shore Electric bridge over the West Branch Huron River.
The concrete base of what was once the northbound home signal for the B&O crossing of the NYC.
This signal cover is along the W&LE and may be still used.
These railroad ties are on the former Lake Shore Electric right of way. The LSE was abandoned in the 1930s, they probably were used as a connecting track between the B&O and the NYC.
The B&O and W&LE used to cross here. At one time there was a passenger station here that was used by both railroads. Next to the depot was a hotel and freight station. On the other side of that pile of ballast is the only remnant of track once used by the B&O.
A short stretch of the former B&O remains in place for the W&LE to serve a grain elevator. But this segment of the B&O is used only as a tail track that ends at a pile of ballast north of where the B&O and W&LE used to cross on a diamond.
Tags: Abandoned interurban railways, Abandoned railroad facilities, abandoned railroad lines, Abandoned railroad stations, Abandoned railroads, abandoned railroads of Ohio, Akron Railroad Club, Baltimore & Ohio, Eastern Ohio Chapter of National Railway Historical Society, Lake Shore Electric Railway Museum, Monroeville Ohio, railroad archeology, W&LE in Monroeville, Wheeling & Lake Erie
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June 2, 2017 at 11:04 am |
The B&O Willard to Sandusky was abandoned in ’81 and torn up shortly afterwards.