Much of Ohio is still digging out right now from a couple of major snowstorms that hit last week. In fact, the snow totals for February have broken the previous records over much of the state. That being said, harsh winters in Ohio are not exactly new. I dug out some photos from Narrow Gauge in
Ohio showing how the CL&N struggled during the winter of 1917-1918.
The blizzard of 1918 struck on January 10th and covered Ohio in 10 to 15 inches of snow. Temperatures dropped to 15 degrees below zero and drifts were 10 to 15 feet high in some places. Things were tough for the railroads all around the state but it was important to keep coal, the predominate home heating fuel, moving to communities.
The area north of Lebanon around Lytle is generally flat territory and the snow formed deep drifts across the tracks. Rail traffic was at a standstill and some of the families in Lytle began to run short of coal and food. The PRR, having acquired the DL&C in 1915, first tried to plow the line with a single locomotive. This worked until the engine got stuck in a snow-filled cut a bit north of town. Two more engines were brought in from the Little Miami district to form the triple-header seen above. A wooden plow was also attached the front. Together the three engines were able to make it through the cut and restore passenger service for the first time in eleven days.
Some of these photos are from private collections and printed in Narrow Gauge in Ohio. I apologise for the scanned quality. The others are currently in the Silverton Railroad Station collection. I haven’t had a chance to visit when they’re open so I don’t know if anything is on display.