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Ohio Interurbans and Streetcar Railroads

The information included here covers a general history of Ohio interurbans and streetcar railroads once operated throughout the state. Interurban railroads were once a common form of transportation for many towns both large and small although they began to fall out of favor in the 1930s and 1940s for the common automobile as its technology and better highways became vastly improved and more reliable. While interurbans served a vital transportation purpose prior to reliable autos and highways from a historical perspective they are fascinating because of many small companies that popped up and also disappeared nearly overnight. During the peak of interurban operations in the country there were even several builders of motorcars including J. G. Brill & Company, St. Louis Car Company, Pullman-Standard, American Car Company, Standard Steel and the Jewett Car Company.

The information below includes short paragraph descriptions of most Ohio interurbans and streetcar railroads.

Akron Street Railroad: The Akron Street Railroad took over the operations of the Akron Street Railway & Herdic Company in 1888, which itself was incorporated in 1883. A year later the railroad was renamed the Akron Electric Street Railway and again in 1895 as the Akron Street Railway & Illuminating Company. In the 20th century the railroad was renamed numerous times; the Northern Ohio Traction Company (1899), Northern Ohio Traction & Light Company (1902), Northern Ohio Power & Light Company (1926) and finally the Akron Transportation Company (1930). This last company was the final one to operate streetcars in Akron as the service lasted until 1947 when it was discontinued in favor of buses (the company itself survived until 1969).

Scioto Valley Traction Company: The Scioto Valley Traction Company or SVT was the state's only third-rail operated interurban railroad using a 600-volt DC system. It began operations in 1904 primarily serving the Columbus area but also built extensions to Lancaster, Circleville and Chillicothe. Along with passenger services the SVT also provided some freight service, notably to a nearby power plant. After passenger operations were discontinued in 1930 freight service carried on under the Ohio Midland Light & Power Company name. Electric locomotives provided service until the 1950s when the line was dieselized and soon after operations were discontinued altogether. For more information about the SVT please click here.

Inter-City Rapid Transit Company: The Inter-City Rapid Transit Company served both Canton and Massillon. It began operations in 1930 as it had purchased its route from the Northern Ohio Traction & Light Company. The NOT&L operated several railroad lines and served Cleveland, Canton, Akron, Massillon, Uhrichsville, Wadsworth, East Greenville, Kent, Ravenna, Alliance and Warren. In 1926 the operation was renamed the Northern Ohio Power & Light Company and it had discontinued operations altogether by 1932. The Inter-City Rapid Transit Company remained in operation until 1940 when it too was abandoned.

Stark Electric Railroad: The Stark Electric Railroad served Salem, Alliance and Canton and began operations in 1904. Streetcar operations lasted until 1937 when they were abandoned in favor of buses.

Chillicothe Electric Railroad, Light & Power Company: The Chillicothe Electric Railroad, Light & Power Company was one of the first interurban railroads to operate in the city. It began operations in 1894 and lasted until 1904 when it became part of the Scioto Valley Traction. The route itself survived until 1930 when it was abandoned in favor of buses.

Cincinnati Street Railway: The Cincinnati Street Railway was the city's primary interurban railroad. The operation dated back to 1859 as a horse-powered service. It remained in operation as late as 1959 when streetcars were finally scrapped in favor of buses.

Cincinnati & Lake Erie Railroad: The Cincinnati & Lake Erie Railroad, most famous for operating its blazing fast "Red Devil" streetcars, was one of the largest interurban railroads to ever operate in the country. Its roots date back to the Cincinnati & Dayton Traction Company of 1925 which was a 44-mile interurban railroad operating in southwest Ohio. In January, 1930 this line was merged with the Indiana Columbus & Eastern and Lima-Toledo Railroad to form the Cincinnati & Lake Erie Railroad. The C&LE was able to turn around the misfortunes of its latter two acquisitions (the IC&E and LT) and with a sizable base of freight traffic on a railroad that stretched over 200 miles in three different states (Ohio, Indiana and Michigan) the system was one of the most profitable interurbans to ever operate. Regardless the Great Depression was no easier on the C&LE than other interurban railroads, not to mention the encroachment of highways and automobiles. By the late 1930s the C&LE was in serious financial trouble and by May of 1939 abandoned its remaining line between Hamilton and Dayton. For more reading on the C&LE please click here.

Cincinnati, Milford & Blanchester Traction Company, "The Milford Line": The Cincinnati, Milford & Blanchester Traction Company was the 1917 reorganization of the Cincinnati, Milford & Loveland Traction Company, which began operations in 1903 connecting Madisonville to Milford on a 17-mile route. It remained in operation until 1942 when it was abandoned in favor of buses. For more information about this interurban please click here.

Interurban Railway & Terminal Company: The Interurban Railway & Terminal Company was the merger of the Cincinnati & Eastern Electric Railway, Suburban Traction Company and Rapid Railway in 1902. These interurbans connected Cincinnati with New Richmond, Bethel and Lebanon. The IR&T provided service until 1922 when it was discontinued in favor of buses.

Cleveland Transit System: The Cleveland Transit System dates back to the early 20th century and provided service between Windermere and Cleveland Hopkins Airport. In 1975 it became part of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority when it merged with the Shaker Heights Rapid Transit (for more information about this interurban please click here) and operations were subsidized and taken over by the city. Much of the railroad system continues to operate today serving the Cleveland area. For more information about the Cleveland Transit's history please click here.

Cleveland & Berea Railway: The Cleveland & Berea Railway dates back to the late 19th century and was a predecessor company of the Cleveland Southwestern & Columbus Railway.

Eastern Ohio Traction Company: The Eastern Ohio Traction Company, which would later be reorganized as the Cleveland & Eastern Traction Company, operated a 33-mile railroad between Cleveland and Chardon. It remained in operation until 1926 when services were abandoned in favor of buses.

Cleveland & Elyria Electric Railroad: The Cleveland & Elyria Electric Railroad was the first of several different named railroads to operate interurban service in the Elyria area. It was chartered in 1884 but by 1886 had been renamed the Cleveland, Berea & Elyria Railway. A year later it was again renamed, the Cleveland, Berea, Elyria & Oberlin Railway. The railroad would then go through four additional name changes: the Cleveland, Elyria & Western Railway (1900); Cleveland & Southwestern Traction Company (1903); Cleveland, Southwestern & Columbus Railway (1907); and finally the Cleveland, Southwestern Railway & Light Company (1924). Streetcar service on the route was discontinued in 1931.

Broadway & Newburgh Street Railroad: The Broadway & Newburgh Street Railroad began operations in late 1873 providing transportation services to steel mills located in Newburgh (a suburb of Cleveland). Beginning as a horse-powered operation the six-mile route switched to electric streetcars in 1890. In 1893 it merged with the East Cleveland and Brooklyn & South Side Street Railway to form Cleveland Electric Railway.

Cleveland, Painesville & Ashtabula Railroad: The Cleveland, Painesville & Ashtabula Railroad was a subsidiary interurban of the Cleveland, Painesville & Eastern Railroad. It operated a route connecting Painesville and Ashtabula, which began service in 1904 and was discontinued in 1926.

Cleveland, Southwestern & Columbus Railway: The Cleveland, Southwestern & Columbus Railway began operation in 1895 originally connecting Cleveland and Berea, and known as the Cleveland & Berea Street Railway. By 1907 the railroad was able to complete its line to Columbus covering 225 miles and was renamed accordingly, the Cleveland, Southwestern & Columbus Railway. It remained in service until 1931 when the interurban was replaced by buses.

Columbus Consolidated Street Railway: The Columbus Consolidated Street Railway began operations in 1891 and was the first of many companies to operate the property. In 1892 it was renamed the Columbus Street Railway and by 1899 had changed again to the Columbus Railway. In 1914 the system was renamed the Columbus Railway Power & Light Company and finally in 1937 it became known as the Columbus & Southern Ohio Electric Company. The C&SOE remained in service until 1948 when it was abandoned in favor of buses.

Columbus, Delaware & Marion Railway: The Columbus, Delaware & Marion Railway began operations in March of 1903 after acquiring a number of small interurban railroads including the Columbus, Clintonville & Worthington Railway. By the time the CD&M began it had routes serving downtown Columbus, Worthington, Delaware, Prospect and Marion. Later it also reached Bucyrus through subsidiary Cleveland Southwestern & Columbus Railway. The CD&M relied heavily on the CSW&C for freight service and when it bankrupt in 1930 the parent soon followed. By 1933 the CD&M had abandoned all operations, replacing streetcars with buses. For more information about the CD&M please click here.

Columbus, New Albany & Johnstown Traction Company: The Columbus, New Albany & Johnstown Traction Company connected Columbus to Gahanna. In 1923 it was sold to the Columbus Railway Power & Light Company and by 1928 operations had been completely abandoned in favor of buses.

Ohio Electric Railway: The Ohio Electric Railway began operations in 1907 and would control numerous smaller companies until its 1921 bankruptcy at which point its subsidiaries once again became independent operations. These interurban railroads included the Cincinnati & Hamilton Electric Street Railway; Cincinnati & Miami Valley Traction Company; Miamisburg & Germantown Traction Company; Dayton, Springfield & Urbana Railway; Urbana, Bellefontaine & Northern Railway; Lima & Toledo Traction Company; Dayton & Western Traction Company; Dayton & Northern Traction Company; Dayton & Muncie Traction Company; Fort Wayne, Van Wert & Lima Traction Company; Columbus & Lake Michigan Railway; Columbus, Buckeye Lake & Newark Traction Company; Columbus, Newark & Zanesville Electric Railway; and the Columbus, Grove City & Southwestern Railway.

Columbus, Urbana & Western Railway: The Columbus, Urbana & Western Railway began operations in 1903 connecting Columbus with Fishinger’s Bridge on a 9-mile railroad system. It remained in service until 1925 when operations were abandoned.

Columbus Interurban Terminal: The Columbus Interurban Terminal was a freight and passenger station complex built by the Ohio Electric Railway to serve the city's exploding interurban railroad operations and give passengers a central hub from which to arrive and depart in the city. It was built in 1912 and remained in service until the early 1930s when it was converted to a supermarket and eventually torn down in the 1960s. For more information about this operation please click here.

Ohio & Southern Traction Company: The Ohio & Southern Traction Company was a privately owned interurban by a Dr. Samuel Hartman. It connected Columbus with a Hartman Stock Farm on a five-mile railroad that began operations in 1903. It remained in service until the late 1920s when operations were abandoned.

Dayton & Xenia Transit Company: The Dayton & Xenia Transit Company of 1901 was the renamed operation of the Dayton & Xenia Traction Company of 1899. The D&XT connected Dayton, Xenia, Belmont and Spring Valley and remained in operation until 1937 when streetcars were replaced by buses.

Dayton & Troy Electric Railway: The Dayton & Troy Electric Railway began operations in 1893 originally connecting Troy and Piqua. In 1901 it extended its reach by opening a new line between Troy and Dayton. The interurban remained in service until 1932 when it was discontinued.

Dayton, Covington & Piqua Traction Company: The Dayton, Covington & Piqua Traction Company began operations in 1903 serving its original main line connecting Dayton and Piqua. It was a rather unsuccessful venture remaining in operation only until 1926 when operations were abandoned.

Fostoria & Fremont Railway, "The Lima Route": The Fostoria & Fremont Railway began operations in 1911 connecting Fostoria and Fremont on its only line. It was sold to the Western Ohio Railway & Power Company in 1930 and by 1932 had abandoned all operations.

Lake Shore Electric Railway: The Lake Shore Electric Railway began operations in August of 1901 through the merger of the Lorain & Cleveland Railway; Sandusky & Interurban Railway; Toledo, Fremont & Norwalk Railway; and Sandusky, Milan & Norwalk Railway. It would later also add the Lorain Street Railway and Avon Beach & Southern Railway to its system. At its peak the LSE hugged the Lake Erie shoreline connecting Cleveland with Detroit via Norwalk, Fremont and Toledo. A strike in 1938 forced the carrier to suspend all operations.

Lancaster Electric Railway: The Lancaster Electric Railway began operations in 1895 serving the City of Lancaster. Three years later in 1898 it changed its name to the Lancaster Traction Company and again in 1906 as the Lancaster Traction & Power Company. It remained in service until 1937 when streetcar service was replaced by buses.

Lorain Street Railway: The Lorain Street Railway began operations in 1894 serving the City of Lorain. It was renamed the Lorain Street Railroad in 1906 and continued on under this banner until streetcar service was abandoned in 1937 in favor of buses.

Kanawha Traction & Electric Company: The Kanawha Traction & Electric Company served Parkersburg, West Virgina and Marietta, Ohio via a rail/highway bridge at Williamstown, West Virginia. It began operations as the Parkersburg, Marietta & Interurban Traction Company being renamed the Kanawha Traction & Electric in 1915. In 1923 this operation became part of the expansive Monongahela-West Penn Public Service Company, which had operations in western West Virginia around Parkersburg and north-central West Virginia around Fairmont. In 1943 the company sold off the Parkersburg-Marietta division with it being renamed the City Lines of West Virginia. The operation lasted only a few years after the war and was subsequently abandoned (today the rails remain in the historic brick streets in downton Marietta).

Ohio River Electric Railway & Power Company: The Ohio River Electric Railway & Power Company served Racine, Pomeroy and Gravel Hill beginning operations in 1900. It operated streetcar service on about a 15-mile railroad system until 1929 when operations were abandoned.

Sandusky, Norwalk & Mansfield Railway: The Sandusky, Norwalk & Mansfield Railway began operations in 1904 initially serving Norwalk and Plymouth. By 1907 it had extended a branch between Plymouth and Shelby. In 1921 operations were sold and subsequently discontinued.

East Liverpool & Wellsville Street Railway: The East Liverpool & Wellsville Street Railway began operations in 1892 serving the City of East Liverpool. In 1897 the railroad system was renamed the East Liverpool Railway and again in 1905 as the East Liverpool Traction & Light Company. This interurban operated for about ten years before changing hands again as the Steubenville, East Liverpool & Beaver Valley Traction Company, which it remained until 1939 when operations were discontinued in favor of buses.

Tiffin, Fostoria & Eastern Electric Railway: The Tiffin, Fostoria & Eastern Electric Railway was the 1898 reorganization of the Tiffin & Fostoria Electric Railway. It operated a main line between Tiffin and Fostoria before being sold to the Toledo, Fostoria & Findlay Railway in 1925, which operated the line for another five years before abandoning all services in 1930.

Toledo & Indiana Railroad: The Toledo & Indiana Railroad in 1911 on a system originally called the Toledo & Indiana Railway (and after 1910 as the Toledo & Indiana Traction Company). The line opened in 1905 connecting Toledo to Bryan, never reaching Indiana. It was abandoned in 1939 and after 1926 was under the direction of the Cities Service Company.

Monroe Traction Company: The Monroe Traction Company of 1901 was actually a Michigan interurban but would connect to Toledo in later years. In 1902 the system was renamed the Toledo & Monroe Railway and a year later was known as the Detroit, Monroe & Toledo Short Line Railway. It changed hands again as the Detroit United Railway in 1906 and remained under this direction until services were suspended in 1928.

Toledo & Western Railway: The Toledo & Western Railway was primarily a freight railroad but did provide interurban service. It began operations in 1901 connecting Toledo with Adrian, Michigan. Passenger services survive until 1933 and freight followed soon after in 1935.

Toledo, Port Clinton & Lakeside Railway: The Toledo, Port Clinton & Lakeside Railway began operations in 1906 connecting Toledo with Marblehead. It provide passenger service until 1939 when streetcars were promptly replaced by buses.

Toledo, Bowling Green & Southern Traction Company: The Toledo, Bowling Green & Southern Traction Company began operations in 1902 connecting Toledo with Findlay. It operated until 1930 when operations were discontinued.

Toledo, Fostoria & Findlay Railway: The Toledo, Fostoria & Findlay Railway began operations in 1901 originally connecting Toledo with Findlay. Later, the TF&F extended operations between Toledo and Fostoria via Pemberville. The TF&F was discontinued in 1930 but its main line between Fostoria and Findlay remained in service until 1932 under the Western Ohio Railway & Power Company.

Mahoning Valley Railway: The Mahoning Valley Railway began operations around the turn of the 20th century on a railroad system originally built by the Mineral Ridge & Niles Electric Street Railway of 1894 serving the Youngstown area. It was renamed the Mahoning & Shenango Railway & Light Company in 1906 and again in 1920 as the West End Traction Company. Passenger operations survived until 1927 when they were abandoned in favor of buses.

Youngstown & Ohio River Railroad: The Youngstown & River Railroad began operations in 1909 connecting East Liverpool with Salem. The Y&OR provided both freight and passenger service with connections to both the Youngstown & Southern Railway and Pittsburgh, Lisbon & Western Railroad. It remained in service until 1931 when operations were abandoned.

Youngstown & Southern Railroad: The Youngstown & Southern Railroad began operations in 1904 originally connecting Youngstown and Columbiana on a railroad that stretched 16 miles. A few years later in 1907 it extended its reach via a three-mile branch to Leetonia where it connected with the Youngstown & Ohio River. In 1916 the passenger and freight line was reorganized as the Youngstown & Suburban Railway only to be returned to its original name in 1944. Passenger service ended in 1948 and the remaining freight operations were converted to diesel locomotives as electric service was scrapped.

Zanesville Street Railway: The Zanesville Street Railway was the first of many interurban railroads to serve the city. It began operations in 1891 but by 1896 was known as the Zanesville Railway & Electric Company. It was renamed four more times (Zanesville Electric Railway, 1899; Zanesville Railway Light & Power Company, 1902; Columbus Newark & Zanesville Electric Railway, 1904; Southern Ohio Public Service Company, 1925) before streetcar operations were abandoned in 1929 in favor of buses.

Other notable Ohio interurbans:

Cleveland West Side Street Railway

Community Traction (Served the Toledo area.)

Conneaut & Erie Traction Company

Consolidated Company, The (Served the area of Cambridge.)

Cuyahoga Falls Rapid Transit Company

Dayton, Springfield & Xenia Southern Railroad

Hocking Valley & Sunday Creek Traction Company (Served the Athens area.)

Mahoning & Shenango Valley Traction Company

Mansfield Electric Railway (Served the City of Mansfield.)

Mt. Vernon Railway & Light Company

Ohio Central Traction Company

Ohio River & Columbus Railway

Richland Public Service Company

Springfield Railway

Springfield Suburban Railroad

Steubenville Traction & Light Company

Steubenville, Wierton & Wellsburg Traction Company

Toledo & Eastern Railroad

Toledo & Maumee Valley Railway

Toledo Railway & Light Company

Youngstown & Sharon Street Railway

For a small gallery of photographs highlighting Ohio interurbans and streetcar railroads please click here.

For more reading on Ohio interurbans consider picking up a copy of the book The Electric Interurban Railways in America by authors George Hilton and John Due. Many consider their book to be the quintessential resource guide to the interurban and streetcar movement that was once so common in our country during the first half of the 20th century. At nearly 500 pages the book is stuffed full of information on trolley operations and covers virtually every topic on the subject. If you have any interest in trolleys and interurban railroads and/or would like to learn more about their history I would strongly consider Mr. Hilton and Mr. Due's book first before purchasing any other.

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