Ohio Valley Railroads

There is no more of an Ohio railroad than the Hocking Valley. As both the largest intrastate rail line and one of the larger independent roads, the story of the Hocking Valley’s journey from minor railroad to C&O mainline is really a microcosm of the entire railroad industry in the state.

The Hocking Valley was a coal hauling railroad through and through. Extending from the mines in southeastern Ohio to the Toledo Docks, the Hocking Valley provided an outlet not only for its own coal but that of other intersecting rail lines. Eventually becoming part of CSX, the Hocking Valley’s Toledo line still serves as an important part of the CSX system.

History

The Hocking Valley Railway began life on February 24, 1899 at the foreclosure auction is its predecessor, the Columbus, Hocking Valley, and Toledo. It was formally charted on March 1st with Nicholas Monsarrat as president.

Shortly after reorganization, the Hocking Valley acquired ownership in the Toledo & Ohio Central as well as the Kanawha and Michigan Railway. In 1902, the Zanesville and Western was added to the burgeoning system. For a while operations were integrated between the three roads, but in 1909 the Hocking Valley’s control of the T&OC and the Z&W was ruled illegal by Ohio courts. They were soon separated from the Hocking Valley and acquired by the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern. The Kanawha and Michigan remained jointly owned by the LS&MS and C&O until another court ruling in 1914 forced the C&O to sell their share as well.

The Hocking Valley spent most of its history under the control of outside railroads. In 1903, a syndicate composed of the PRR, B&O, C&O, Erie, and Lake shore and Michigan Southern acquired majority ownership. By 1906 the C&O slowly began to increase its ownership stake, and on March 10, 1910 the C&O acquired majority ownership.

Under C&O ownership significant improvements were made to the Hocking Valley’s lines. Parsons Yard, located in South Columbus, was built in 1913. Still used by CSX today, the complex initially featured a pair of yards each with ten tracks. Other improvements included steel bridges to replace a number of older structures, and a new dock built solely for the Hocking at East Toledo.

One of the biggest change to the Hocking Valley came with the incorporation of the C&O Northern on May 22, 1914. Engineered to the highest C&O standards of the time, the new railroad ran from Kentucky to an interchange with the N&W in Waverly, OH. A 63 mile extension of the line directly to Columbus was built as the Chesapeake and Hocking Railway in 1927. Together, these railroads provided a connection between the C&O and its Hocking Valley holdings, bypassed low profit interchange with other railroads in Cincinnati, and created a direct outlet for C&O coal on Lake Erie.

Traffic on the Hocking Valley centered completely around coal. In 1922 coal accounted for 77% of total freight tonnage. 73% of this came from other railways (including the C&O’s other lines).¹ Passenger revenue reached its highest point in 1910, and then began a long slow decline.

In Autumn 1929, shareholders from both the C&O and the Hocking Valley approved a formal merger, and the Hocking Valley was officially merged out of existence in August. In 1932 the C&O closed the Logan and Mound Street Shops, relocating facilities to Parsons Yard and Russell, Kentucky.

Over time coal traffic on the Hocking Valley decreased as the mines ran out, and most of the southeastern branches were abandoned or sold by the 1980′s. W. J. Harahan, president of the C&O, once quipped that he would sell the Hocking Valley south of Columbus for a dollar to anyone who would assume its debt. The last passenger trains ran to Athens and Pomeroy on December 31, 1949. On September 1, 1987 the remainder of the Athens Subdivision was sold to the Indiana and Ohio (I&O Logan Sub).

The Toledo side of the Hocking Valley fared much better, becoming part of the C&O and now CSX’s Columbus Subdivision. It is currently a heavily used mainline route.

Route

Hocking Division

The original purpose of the Mineral Railroad Company, was to provide a coal hauling route more reliable than the Hocking Canal. After a name change to the Columbus and Hocking Valley Railroad, construction began in 1867. The end result was the River Division of the Hocking Valley, a line running from Columbus to Athens via Lancaster, Logan, and Nelsonville. Major yards and shops were at Mound Street (Columbus), Parsons (South Columbus), Lancaster, Logan, and Nelsonville. The line lied in a river valley, and as such features numerous curves, the largest of which was six degrees. Grades were mild with a maximum grade of 0.8%.

For many years the river division was the heart and soul of the Hocking Valley. However, as the mines ran out and its importance to the C&O declined, parts of it were abandoned. Today the I&O operates the line between Valley (diamond with the N&W near Parsons Yard) and Logan. The Hocking Valley Scenic Railway operates the segment between Logan and Nelsonville, and the remainder to Athens was abandoned in segments between 1972 and 1978 (and is now being developed into a bike trail).

Toledo Division

The Toledo Division was built as the Columbus and Toledo Railroad in 1872, a line created for the sole purpose of transporting Hocking Valley coal to the docks on Lake Erie. Columbus, Deleware, Marion, Upper Sandusky, Fostoria, and Toledo make up the principle cities on the route. It was an exceptionally well engineered railroad, with no grade over 0.5% and no curve over four and a half degrees. Today CSX operates most of the Toledo Division as part of their Columbus Subdivision.

River Division (Pomeroy Subdivision)

The River Division of the Hocking Valley owed its construction to three principle roads. Both the Gallipolis, McArthur and Columbus Railroad and the Columbus and Gallipolis Railway tired to built a line between the Ohio River and the Hocking Valley, but it was the Ohio and West Virginia Railway which achieved this goal in 1880. Leaving the Hocking Division at Logan, the River Division ran south to Jackson, Gallipolis, and Pomeroy on the Ohio River. This portion of the Hocking Valley featured the only two tunnels on the system, the Eagle and Campbells tunnels. The curving, almost mountain-like roadbed also contained the sharpest curve on the system, a 17-degree bend located a milepost 134.4. The grade at the highest part of the route was 1.4%. With statistics like this, it’s easy to see while the majority of the Subdivision was abandoned in 1982.

Wellston & Jackson Belt

This line was originally conceived and founded as an independent road in 1895. However, shortly afterward Hocking Valley predecessor Columbus, Hocking Valley, and Toledo began to finance most of the construction and assumed control. The W&JB was unique compared to most rail lines of the period. It functioned as a passenger interurban with steam trains providing freight service. Because of this design, the power lines were located to the left of the trolley car instead of the traditional location overhead.

Interurban service ended late 1914 and freight continued until 1931. Today a small portion is operated by the Great Miami & Scioto Railway around Jackson. Some of the B&O that parallel the line is still in use, but the rest is either rail trail or abandoned.

Branchlines

• Straitsville Branch 1871-1933
• Monday Creek Branch 1880-1971
• Snow Fork Branch 1882-1950
• Coalgate Branch -1937
• Brush Fork Branch 1878-1940
• Sand Run Branch 1880-1937
• Lost Run Branch 1880-1971
• Sugar Creek Branch (Athens, Amesville, and Chauncey Railway) 1909-1939

Presidents

• Nicholas Monsarrat (1899-1910)
• George Stevens (1910-1918)
• Frank Trumbell (1918-1920)
• George Stevents (1920)
• William J. Harahan (1920-1929)
• John J. Bernet (1930)

Map

View Hocking Valley Railway in a larger map

Photos

References

1. Miller, Edward H. “The Hocking Valley Railway Athens, OH: Ohio UP, 2007. Print.
2. Miller, Edward H. ““The Hocking Valley Railway”. Columbus Railroads. Accessed 20 Jan 2011. Web.