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Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad

Overview
Headquarters	Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Locale	Ohio, United States
Dates of operation	April 16, 1851 (1851-04-16)–August 1983 (1983-08)
Successor	Penn Central
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 10 in (1,473 mm)
Length	137.8 miles (221.8 km) (1851); 187.8 miles (302.2 km) (1862)

The Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad (C&P) 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 nine years of its existence. Its charter was revived and amended in 1845, and construction on the line began in November 1847. Trains first ran on a portion of the line from Cleveland to Hudson on March 2, 1851. Construction was completed and the line opened for regular business on March 4, 1852.

The C&P won legislative authorization for a "Tuscarawas Branch" in March 1850. This branch line, which ran from Bayard to New Philadelphia opened on December 1, 1854.

The C&P began work on the "Beaver Extension" to Rochester, Pennsylvania, in 1851. It was put under contract in early June 1853 but recession delayed construction. The 22.5-mile (36.2 km) long Beaver Extension opened on September 16, 1856.

February 1851 legislation permitted the C&P to build a branch line from Akron, Ohio, southwest. A somewhat independent subsidiary originally known as the Akron Branch built the line. It changed its name to the Cleveland, Zanesville, and Cincinnati Railroad in March 1853. The line between Akron and Millersburg, Ohio, opened on June 10, 1854.

The same legislation allowed the C&P to build a branch line from Yellow Creek south to any point opposite Wheeling, West Virginia. Efforts by the city of Wheeling to force Ohio and Virginia railroads to transship at Wheeling significantly delayed construction of the C&P's "Wheeling Extension". The railroad decided to connect with the Steubenville & Indiana Railroad at Steubenville, Ohio, and the Central Ohio Railroad at Bellaire, Ohio. Recession and the financial difficulties of the Central Ohio delayed construction of the route. The entire branch did not open until January 20, 1857.

Two short line branches were independently constructed for the Cleveland & Pittsburgh. The Carroll County Railroad, built by the citizens of Carrollton, Ohio, opened a 10-mile (16 km) long strap-iron railroad between Carrollton and Oneida on May 3, 1853. Another short branch line, the Hanoverton Branch, was constructed by the citizens of Hanoverton, Ohio. Extending 1.5 miles from Hanoverton to the C&P main line at Kensington, Ohio, it opened about June 1, 1852.

Founding

Citizen efforts on two railroads

In the fall of 1835, businessmen and civic boosters in the Mahoning Valley region of Ohio southeast of Cleveland began an effort to build a railroad through their region, which not only had raw materials it could sell (coal and iron ore) but had a burgeoning iron industry with finished goods seeking markets. The group believed the Mahoning Valley was the only feasible route from Cleveland, and that a connecting railroad could be built from Warren to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

On December 28, 1835, a group of prominent citizens in Canfield Township in Mahoning County, Ohio, held a meeting to seek the construction of a railroad from Cleveland, Ohio, to Pittsburgh, which would pass through their area. They believed that a route south of the Mahoning Valley was a better one. The meeting elected merchant Alson Kent as its secretary, and appointed merchant John R. Church and farmer Henry Canfield to be a two-person committee of correspondence, charging them with contacting important individuals in other counties to ascertain their interest in a railroad. After contact by the Canfield Township committee of correspondence, a similar meeting was held in Aurora in Portage County, Ohio, in early January. Organizers included Cleveland attorneys Samuel Starkweather and Charles Whittlesey and attorney and former state legislator John W. Willey. The Aurora meeting noted that only 80 miles (130 km) of track needed to be laid to reach the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, and that a connection with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) could be made at Pittsburgh. The Aurora delegates adopted a resolution asking the state of Pennsylvania to issue a charter for a railroad to connect Pittsburgh to the planned Ohio line.

Charter and survey

The efforts of both the Mahoning Valley and Canfield/Aurora groups proved successful quite quickly, and on March 14, 1836, the Ohio General Assembly granted a charter to the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad. The charter did not specify either terminus.

The Cleveland & Pittsburgh was organized by the middle of June 1836. It began selling stock and raised roughly $140,000 ($3,900,000 in 2023 dollars) by mid July. The stockholders met and elected John W. Willey president and attorney David Tod, who had accumulated much wealth in the iron and coal industries of the Mahoning Valley, to the board of directors. The company completed a preliminary survey of the route by the end of June. From Cleveland to Pittsburgh via this route was 130 miles (210 km), of which 80 miles (130 km) was within the state of Ohio. The route had a ruling gradient of 0.75. The cost of construction was estimated at $7,000 per mile ($200,000 in 2023 dollars).

No more work seems to have been done on the C&P until March 4, 1837, when the board ordered the expenditure of $5,100 ($100,000 in 2023 dollars) so that the survey could be completed. Less than half that amount was spent, apparently, because a full survey was made only to Warren by the fall of 1837. No other work was done when winter weather suspended activity in early December 1837, although the board wished to complete the survey to Pittsburgh in the spring.

The stockholders met in Pittsburgh on December 15, 1837, with representatives from Aurora, Beaver County, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Warren in attendance. Benjamin Bakewell of Pittsburgh was elected president. The shareholders discussed whether the railroad should seek trackage rights with the proposed Beaver & Conneaut Railroad or build its own line to Pittsburgh, and how much stock to issue. A new assessment in March 1838 of the cost of construction between Cleveland and Warren was $8,000 ($200,000 in 2023 dollars) per mile.

The Panic of 1837 began in May 1837, and did not end until 1844. National railroad construction fell by two-thirds from 1838 to 1843, and work on the C&P was suspended in 1838. Section 21 of the railroad's authorizing act required that construction on the line begin no later than three years after issuance of the charter. With no actual construction occurring, the charter went defunct in 1841.

Revival of the defunct charter

Until the late 1800s, states strictly controlled railroad development by requiring the issuance of charters by their legislatures, and they generally refused to give "foreign" (out-of-state) railroads permission to own or construct railroads within their borders.

In 1844, residents of Wellsville, an Ohio town on the Ohio River, began to advocate for a railroad in their area. According to historian Horace Mack, Columbiana County businessman James Farmer was the individual who first proposed the railroad's resurrection. Farmer owned a company in Salineville, Ohio, which produced salt from saline wells, and another which ran a passenger and freight steamboat on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers between Pittsburgh and New Orleans, Louisiana. He convinced Joseph Wells, founder of the town of Wellsville, to support the effort. Wells sponsored and chaired several public meetings on the issue. A committee consisting of local residents Albert G. Catlett, Henry Cope, Daniel T. Lawson, and James Stewart was appointed to visit Cleveland to determine interest in that city and seek financing for the potential railroad. The committee held a public meeting at the Old Court House on Cleveland's Public Square on December 30 which was addressed by Cleveland attorney Thomas Bolton as well as Catlett, Farmer, and Lawson.

Although Cleveland business owners were enthusiastic about the venture, little capital was raised. Big-money investors were extremely skeptical of the plan, as many railroad ventures had already failed. Farmer, Wells, and the other backers of the plan decided that they would raise money for the road from people along the route. In January 1845, a series of meetings were held in most of the towns along the proposed route.

As support for the proposed railroad built, the backers sought legislation to revive the road's state charter. The Ohio legislature adopted the revived charter on March 11, 1845, and it was signed into law by the governor on March 14. John W. Allen, John S. Blakely, Plimmon C. Bennett, Thomas Bolton, Birdsey Booth, Charles Bradburn, Albert G. Catlett, Joshua Dawson, John Dellenbach, James Farmer, William R. Henry, Irad Kelley, George McCook, William McCullough, Robert F. Paine, Cyrus Prentiss, Philo Scovill, Samuel Starkweather, James Stewart, Zadok Street, Sylvester Thompson, and Samuel Williamson were appointed commissioners by the state legislature and charged with organizing the railroad. The revived charter required that construction commence within five years and for construction to be completed within 12 years.

Construction

Organization of the company

The commissioners held their first meeting in Cleveland on April 25, 1845. William McCullough was elected chairman of the commission, and John W. Allen elected secretary. The commissioners voted to offer stock in the railroad for sale in Cleveland, Hudson, Ravenna, North Georgetown, Salem, New Lisbon, Salineville, Wellsville, Yellow Creek, and East Liverpool. Colonel S. Dodge was employed to make a survey of possible routes between Cleveland and Wellsville. Dodge organized a group of engineers under the supervision of chief engineer George Robinson. Their survey of the route was made from September 8 to October 17.

At a second meeting held in Ravenna on October 29, the commissioners met and elected individuals to the board of directors. The directors were James Aten, Thomas Bolton, Albert G. Catlett, Samuel Chessman, Henry Cope, Henry N. Day, James Farmer, Daniel T. Lawson, John S. McIntosh, Cyrus Prentiss, Joshua A. Riddle, John W. Robertson, Reuben Sheldon, Zadok Street, James Stewart, Alexander Wells, and John M. Woolsey. The board appointed Stewart president, Catlett secretary, and Prentiss treasurer.

Survey and costs of the proposed route

Col. Dodge's initial report was presented at the October 29 meeting. In Cleveland, he suggested that the road have a double-terminus. The freight depot would be on the city's waterfront near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River. The freight line would run for 3 miles (4.8 km) along Merwin Street (crossing the Cuyahoga River twice) to the mouth of Kingsbury Run. The passenger line began at the intersection of Pittsburgh and Kinsman Streets (now Broadway and Woodland Avenues), and join the freight line at the mouth of Kingsbury Run. The main line would follow Pittsburgh Street (now Broadway Avenue) out of the city.

Dodge proposed a route that ran from Cleveland through Newburgh and then along Mill Creek and the Cleveland & Wellsville Turnpike to Hudson and then Ravenna. It would turn south at Ravenna to run to the hamlet of Benton (now the town of Alliance), east to Salem, and then along Little Beaver Creek to East Liverpool and then Wellsville. The most difficult grading, the surveyors concluded would be around East Liverpool and Wellsville (where the line descended into the valley of the Ohio River); from East Liverpool to Beaver, Pennsylvania; and in Cleveland after the line split at Kingsbury Run. The grade along most of the route was under 0.3, but between East Liverpool and Beaver it was 1.5. The ruling grade was 0.9, although Dodge felt this could be lowered to 0.75. To reach south to the town of Yellow Creek would require the construction of a tunnel 154 yards (141 m) long. Tight curves were generally few, Dodge said.

The distance from Cleveland to Pittsburgh was 97 miles (156 km), and from Cleveland to Wellsville 76.75 miles (123.52 km). Dodge separated into Ohio portion of the line into three divisions. The "First Division" from Cleveland to Ravenna was 37 miles (60 km), the "Second Division" from Ravenna to Salem was 29.7 miles (47.8 km), and the "Third Division" from Salem to Wellsville was 29 miles (47 km).

Construction costs were estimated to be low, not more than $1.4 million.

Route changes

The route proposed by Dodge was changed by the board of directors on October 29, 1845. The railroad project was getting pushback from the organizers of the Sandy and Beaver Canal, which was under construction and due to open in October 1846. The canal ran from East Liverpool north along the Middle Fork of Little Beaver Creek to New Lisbon, cut west overland to Hanover, and then followed Sandy Creek west and south to join the Tuscarawas River at Bolivar. Rather than engage in an economic and political battle with backers of the canal, the C&P's board decided to change the route. At Alliance, the railroad now pushed south to Bayard, rather than west to Salem. The line then went east and southeast (largely avoiding Carroll County) to Summitville and then Salineville. The line reached the Ohio River at the town of Yellow Creek, then followed the river upstream to Wellsville and East Liverpool.

The town of Chagrin Falls wanted the railroad to pass through their town after leaving Hudson. Concerned citizens of the town paid to have civil engineer George E. White survey a route, which used Chagrin Blvd. and Kinsman Road as the route into Cleveland. White's route was 20.25 miles (32.59 km) long and had grades between 0.5 and 0.75. It would be equal in cost to the board's route into Cleveland, but the board declined to change its route.

Board member James Farmer tried to alter the route to include the town of Hanover as well. This would require having the main line pass due east after leaving Bayard, rather than angling southeast. To encourage the board to consider the change, Farmer encouraged the townspeople of Hanover to buy $10,000 in C&P stock. Few did so, arguing that the railroad would pass through Hanover anyway. No change was made.

Residents of Canton also refused to purchase stock in the C&P, assuming the railroad would pass through their town anyway. It did not; the main line was located 18 miles (29 km) east of the city.

At a third meeting held in Ravenna on November 29, 1845, the company was organized.

Fundraising

Cleveland and Wellsville supporters of the railroad did most of the work raising capital. It was a difficult endeavor; many railroad schemes had already failed, and investors were skeptical. James Farmer, Jacob N. McCullough, and Philip F. Geisse secured the right of way despite strong opposition to the "death wagons" which many felt would kill hundreds of people as they streaked along the tracks.

On March 14, 1846, Dodge submitted a new report about the route between Cleveland and Ravenna. The cost of construction was estimated at just over $1 million. The ruling grade was located between Martin's Mill on Yellow Creek and Wellsville, where the grade was 1.5. Curves in this area were all less than 1,000 feet (300 m). Tunnels were needed on Yellow Creek and the two summits the route passed over. The board apparently asked Dodge to report on the cost of routing through Salem, and the engineer said the railroad would save $45,000 by doing so. What was not clear in Dodge's report was how the railroad planned to get from East Liverpool to Pittsburgh.

By late August 1846, slightly more than 60 percent of the right of way had been purchased and stock sales in towns along the route were going quite well. The people of Wellsville alone purchased $50,000 worth of shares. The company began offering stock in large East Coast cities, and by the end of September stock was being sold in Pittsburgh as well. The stock was purchased in large amounts by Eastern investors, and by the end of May 1847 $130,000 had been raised.

Grading the lower road

James Farmer was elected president of the C&P on March 10, 1847. He proved to be the person most responsible for completing the railroad. When he assumed the presidency, the railroad was planning to have 25 to 30 miles (40 to 48 km) under contract for grading in the spring.

Portions of the route were apparently being reconsidered, even at this late date. Worried that the line might bypass them, the citizens of Ravenna held a meeting in late March 1847 where they unanimously adopted a resolution asking the C&P to pass through their town. Many members of the community also bought stock in the railroad. People in Columbiana County tried to shift the line closer to Salem by asking that it proceed southeast from Alliance along the Mahoning River before turning south to pass through Hanover. The residents of Massillon asked that the main line be moved to the west side of the Cuyahoga River to pass through their town. Even as late as October 1847, engineers employed by a group in Massillon were surveying routes between Canton and Salineville, and leading businessmen of Akron met with C&P directors to encourage the railroad to push through their city and nearby Cuyahoga Falls on its way to Cleveland.

On July 27, the railroad let nine contracts worth $75,000 for grading and bridging 20 miles of the third division. The remaining 11 miles of the third division were to begin grading and bridging in September. The railroad was also re-surveying the 42 miles (68 km) south of Hudson. By late September, the line had been graded north to Salineville (known as "Station 980"). Additional surveying had been carried out as far as Mahoning summit, with the board reaffirming Dodge's route from Mahoning summit to Cleveland. The cost of grading, bridging, and masonry work on the entire line was now more firmly estimated to be a total of $377,462. Railroad engineers believed another $896,986 was needed for rail, and $22,211 for rail for turnouts and sidetracks.

By this time, the board had clearly changed its mind about following the Cuyahoga River into Cleveland. An additional six miles were added to the first division when the board decided that an easier route into the city lay by turning north at Mill Creek and cutting through the Union–Miles Park neighborhood of Cleveland. Once past the Cleveland Rolling Mill (a steel mill), the line turned northeast to the lake shore.

Another 18 miles (29 km) of the road were fully graded by the first of November 1847, and railroad engineers were re-surveying the route between Atwater and Ravenna.

Grading the upper road

In February 1848, the C&P began work grading the 32 miles (51 km) between Alliance and Hudson. Due to the efforts of surveyors, minor route changes brought the cost of grading this length of track down to $80,000, considerably less than estimated. Railroad officials said that 50 miles (80 km) of road in the second and third divisions were almost complete.

The people of the city of Cleveland overwhelmingly voted to purchase $100,000 of railroad stock in April 1848. Once sold, this revenue would enable the C&P to complete the route into Cleveland. The severe 1847–1848 recession in the United States caused most railroad construction in the country to cease, and the Cleveland stock purchase was not completed until March 1849.

Under financial pressure to cut costs as well as raise money, the railroad took the opportunity to resurvey its route again in fall of 1848. Citizens of Franklin Township wanted the route changed to accommodate the city of Kent and not Ravenna. Residents of North Georgetown pressed to have the line moved east into the valley of the Mahoning River, and the people of Salem were still angry that their town was bypassed. The C&P hired Alexander C. Twining, an engineer who had extensive experience surveying railroads, to resurvey the route. He employed David J. Garrett as a consulting engineer. Twining confirmed that the route through Bayard was about the same as the route through Salem in terms of grade, curves, and distance, although the Bayard route was somewhat less costly.

The C&P had expended $120,000 on the third division and $70,000 on the second division, but by the end of 1848 still had not completed grading on the second division. It hoped to complete grading on the first division in the spring of 1849.

With completion of the Cleveland stock sale and improved national economic conditions, the C&P had $258,000 in cash on hand and no debt as of April 1, 1849. Just over 50 miles (80 km) of track were being laid, and the company was ready to grade the 24 miles (39 km) between Hudson and Cleveland. The company still needed to grade 11 miles (18 km) of the third division, and 23 miles (37 km) of the second division. It hoped that the people of Portage County would vote in October 1849 to take company stock, which would pay for grading 12 miles (19 km) of the unfinished second division.

By June 1849, the C&P was so confident it would complete the main line soon that it had surveyed 47 miles (76 km) of branch lines. The company had raised a total of $1.5 million through stock sales, with Eastern investors taking most of the latest stock offerings. The new influx of capital allowed the company to complete grading along the entire main line, and contracts for work on the second and third division were let in July. The line from Hudson to Cleveland, the company said, would be entirely under contract by November 1. This would permit laying of iron in January 1850.

Track laying

On September 4, 1849, the railroad signed a contract with J. & S. Chamberlain & Co. of Vermont to lay track from Cleveland to the town of Yellow Creek. The 65 miles (105 km) from Cleveland to Bayard would be completed first, and the remained a year later. Rail was procured in March 1850.

With the Ohio and Pennsylvania Railroad expected to reach Alliance some time in August 1851, the C&P was eager to complete the line to Alliance as swiftly as it could, and hoped to have track laid at least to Ravenna by November 1, 1850. The company purchased two older, second-hand locomotives for construction use at the end of August. With the company spending $36,383 a month, the construction locomotives were due to arrive the second week of September and begin work.

The hamlet of Liberty, Ohio (now the city of Alliance) was founded by the railroad on September 25, 1850. Liberty provided space for a depot and housing for workers.

The iron rail, purchased from the firm of Crowshay & Colbrookdale in the United Kingdom, arrived in late October 1850. The company hoped to have the line between Cleveland and Ravenna open by December 1, 1851, and the line to Bayard open by January 1, 1852. Labor scarcity delayed these plans. Laying of track between Cleveland and Ravenna did not begin until February 1851, and there were so few workers that grading, bridging, and masonry work on the second division would not be complete until September.

Meanwhile, the railroad was hard at work on building other infrastructure and acquiring equipment. Land for stations had been acquired along the main line, and depots were being constructed. In Cleveland, Bedford, Hudson, and Ravenna, the railroad was erecting train sheds, repair shops, freight depots, water tanks, and wood fuel storage areas. The company purchased two modern locomotives from the Taunton Locomotive Manufacturing Company and two from the Cuyahoga Steam Engine Company. Three first-class coaches were purchased from Eaton, Gilbert & Co. of Troy, New York. The C&P was manufacturing its own freight cars, however. These were made in the railroad's shops in Cleveland, with wheels provided by Knap & Co. of Pittsburgh.

First trains

The first commercial trains ran on the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad on March 2, 1851. Only the line between Cleveland and Hudson was ready, but the C&P celebrated the event by hosting executives of the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad on the first train. Another 40 miles (64 km) of track was two weeks later. Test cars ran to Ravenna on March 13, and the first commercial train to Ravenna on March 18. By the end of March, the amount of freight moved was paying the road's expenses. The railroad had carried more than 1,000 passengers, roughly 170 to 180 passengers daily, far outstripping expectations. Passenger traffic continued to boom: The line carried 194 passengers per day in its first 18 days, but was carrying 227 passengers a day after that.

Work south of Ravenna proceeded swiftly once the line had partially opened. The grading between Ravenna and Wellsville was almost done at last. Just over 8 miles (13 km) of track had been laid south of Ravenna, and workers were putting down half a mile of track every day. Holmes County purchased $75,000 of company stock in June 1851 in the hope that the railroad would extend one of its branch lines to the county seat of Millersburg.

Track layers reached Alliance on September 1, 1851, and the first track was laid in Wellsville on September 19. Track workers moving southward were 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Hanover by September 25. A total of 75 miles (121 km) of track were open for business by November 6.

The Ohio & Pennsylvania Railroad reached Alliance on November 27, 1851. Except for a gap between Salem and East Palestine, Ohio, this meant the O&P's line to Pittsburgh was all but complete. The O&P expected to close the gap by the end of 1851, at which time the connection to the C&P would be made. On August 18, 1852, the C&P signed an agreement with the O&P to jointly operate trains on the O&P's line from Alliance to Pittsburgh.

Opening of the main line

The C&P's entire main line was completed on February 18, 1852, and test cars ran the line on February 23. A four-car celebration excursion train ran from Cleveland to Wellsville on March 4. Guests on the train included the Mayor of Cleveland, the entire Cleveland City Council, and executives of chief contractor J. & S. Chamberlain & Co. The Cleveland Light Artillery also rode on the train, and set off its cannon at every station.

The excursion trip was not without problems. C&P trains ran at an average speed of 25 miles per hour (40 km/h) on the line, which meant a regular train from Cleveland should reach Wellsville in about six hours. Due to problems with the locomotive of the excursion train, the celebratory opening trip took 11 hours.

The Pennsylvania segment

Competition from the Ohio and Pennsylvania Railroad

The Ohio and Pennsylvania Railroad (O&P) was chartered by the state of Ohio on February 24, 1832, and by the state of Pennsylvania on on Arpil 11, 1832. The two states defined the route in the same manner: Beginning at Pittsburg, the line should proceed to some point in Columbiana County, Ohio. From there, it proceeded westward to Canton, Massillon, Wooster, Mansfield, and Bucyrus. The western terminus was to be some place on the western border of Ohio.

No work was done on the O&P, and the charter went defunct. The change in the C&P's route in 1845 revived interest in the O&P. Zadok Street and Samuel Chessman resigned from the C&P board in anger and began work on reviving the Ohio & Pennsylvania. The company was revived in 1848 with a proposed line from Pittsburgh via Rochester, New Brighton, Salem, Canton, Wooster, Mansfield, and Bucyrus. Realizing that the O&P would be in direct competition with the C&P, the Ohio legislation permitted the C&P to sell any portion of its line to the O&P. If it did so, however, the C&P was not permitted to seek trackage rights on the O&P.

The C&P came to bitterly regret its decision to bypass Salem. The O&P route was shorter, had more gentle grades, and passed through the iron- and coal-rich Mahoning Valley. When the O&P connection with the C&P was made in 1852, shippers bypassed the second and third divisions of the C&P (which terminated in Wellsville) in favor of the O&P line to Pittsburgh.

The Ohio & Pennsylvania began surveying its route on July 11, 1848. About April 1849, railroad directors decided its line should pass through Alliance and connect with the C&P. The O&P broke ground at the Ohio-Pennsylvania border on July 4, 1849. The board set the western terminus at Crestline, Ohio, and the whole line was surveyed by early summer 1850.

The Ohio & Pennsylvania's line from Pittsburgh to Rochester opened in May 1851. Traffic to Enon Valley began on November 24, 1851, and three days later the portion of the line between Salem and Alliance opened. The road connecting Salem and Enon Valley finally opened, after much delay, on January 3, 1852. The final portion of the road, from Alliance to Crestline, was completed on April 11, 1853. The O&P connected at Crestline with the Ohio and Indiana Railroad, which conveyed traffic to Fort Wayne, Indiana, and with the Bellefontaine and Indiana Railroad, which went to Indianapolis.

Building the Beaver Extension in Pennsylvania

The legislative authority for the C&P to build a line into Pennsylvania permitted several options. The Ohio legislation authorized the railroad to construct a line to Pittsburgh or a line which would connect with any railroad that went to Pittsburgh. Initially, the Pennsylvania legislation only permitted the C&P to build a line to Rochester at the mouth of the Beaver River, at which point it was authorized to connect to the Ohio & Pennsylvania. Three weeks after this legislation was adopted, however, the Pennsylvania legislature amended it to allow the C&P to build an independent line all the way to Pittsburgh.

Initially, the C&P board of directors considered building an branch line from Ravenna through Warren and Youngstown to Enon Valley and then on to Pittsburgh. East Liverpool businessman William G. Smith successfully lobbied to have the main line run through his town, and citizens of Wellsville lobbied for the extension believing a connection with Pittsburgh would create an economic boom for their city. In January 1851, the board began taking the steps to extend the road to Rochester. The right of way through the town of Wellsville was secured in April 1852, and the route to Rochester surveyed. The route from Wellsville to Beaver was resurveyed and a more favorable route with lower gradients identified.

The railroad intended to put the "Beaver Extension" under contract in early June 1853. The company estimated that the 21-mile-long (34 km) extension would cost $550,000, but wanted to raise the majority of construction funds first. As before, it looked to the counties through which it passed for assistance. Beaver County, Pennsylvania, "subscribed" (gave) $100,000 in bonds to the railroad in June, and Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, subscribed another $150,000 in July.

With the subscriptions in hand, contracts for bridging, grading, and masonry for the Beaver Extension were let on August 9. By the end of the year, the company had spent $50,923 on the new line. Engineers reported the work was going better than expected, and the extension was now estimated to cost about $255,000.

The recession of 1853—1854 began in early October 1853 and lasted until the end of March 1854. Most railroads in the United States ceased construction in late 1853 and throughout 1854.

The recession particularly affected the C&P. On November 3, the firm of Henry Dwight, a private bank based in New York City, went bankrupt. Henry Dwight was the chief stockholder in the Bank of Massillon, which was based in Massillon, Ohio. At Dwight's urging, the Bank of Massillon loaned practically all its capital of $200,000 to the Cleveland & Pittsburgh and the Chicago & Mississippi railroads, but had guaranteed more than $350,000 in sight drafts. Without Henry Dwight's ability to help it meet demands, the Bank of Massillon failed on November 6.

Financial and other problems significantly delayed construction of the route to Rochester in 1854. The railroad was forced by the recession and collapse of its lenders to suspend work on the Beaver Extension. By the time the company was ready to begin construction again, the cost for completing the new track had risen to $382,850.

Contracts for the extension were let in mid July 1855, and by October the segments needing the most engineering were being worked on. The company intended to let contracts for the rest of the line in November 1855, with a goal of laying rail by June 1856.

Iron for the extension was purchased in March 1856. The C&P was also erecting a bridge over the Beaver River, but did not expect it to be completed until May 1. As soon as the line to East Liverpool was completed, trains began running from Wellsville. By April 1856, the company had expended $200,543, and expected to spend another $130,377. It anticipated the laying of track would begin in June. In June, the board of directors decided to push the Beaver extension—now often referred to in the press as the "Circumbendibus Route"—forward as fast as it could.

The 22.5 mi (36.2 km) long Beaver Extension opened on September 16, 1856. An excursion train ran from Wellsville to Beaver for the first time on October 1. At Rochester, the C&P connected with the O&P and ran trains to Pittsburgh.

Opening of the line to Pittsburgh devastated Wellsville. As long as the line terminated in Wellsville, the city did an immense business transshipping cargo onto ships for transport on the Ohio River. That business now vanished.

Trackage rights to Pittsburgh

In the fall of 1856, the C&P began efforts to secure land for a terminal in either Allegheny or Manchester, villages northwest of Pittsburgh on the Ohio River. It secured a right of way in Manchester on October 27, and shortly thereafter obtained 600 feet (180 m) of waterside frontage for a freight depot on Preble Avenue.

Allegheny Valley Railroad had a lease on land at Duquesne Point the board will dispose of the land if a right of way into the city cannot be opbtained President's Report Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 08 Feb 1856, Fri ·Page 1

Wheeling extension, or River Division

As early as 1841, the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad considered building a branch line south along the Ohio River.

The company surveyed a line from Yellow Creek south to Bridgeport, Ohio (opposite the major West Virginia manufacturing center of Wheeling) in November 1841. Engineer George Robinson supervised the crew that examined the route. They tentatively located a 28 mi (45 km) line with extremely wide curves and a ruling grade of 0.2. Bridges were needed over Yellow Creek, Cross Creek, and Shirt Creek, and blasting and rock cutting were needed at at Yellow Creek and "the BackBone" (a steep and narrow ridge at Wills Creek). Robinson estimated that a double-track railroad to Bridgeport would cost just under $465,000.

However, the railroad lacked the authority to build a line south of Yellow Creek.

1847: Other railroads try to reach the Ohio River

Other railroads began to reach toward the Ohio River in 1847.

The Central Ohio Railroad was chartered by the Ohio legislature in early February 1847. The Central Ohio was granted the authority to construct a road from Columbus eastward through Newark and Zanesville to any point on the Ohio River which the company's directors might choose. On July 13, the Central Ohio choose the Ohio city of Bridgeport, opposite Wheeling, as its eastern terminus. The choice was a logical one, as the states of Ohio and Virginia had just authorized the construction of a bridge over the Ohio River to connect Bridgeport and Wheeling. The Wheeling Suspension Bridge was considered a great inducement to ensure that the Central Ohio actually built its line.

On March 6, 1847, the legislature of the state of Virginia adopted an act allowing the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) to terminate at the Ohio River. The choice of location was hotly debated. The railroad wanted the shortest and least expensive route, which terminated 23 miles (37 km) south of Wheeling at Fish Creek. The city of Wheeling wanted the railroad to follow Wheeling Creek into the city of Wheeling itself. The railroad said this route was far too steep, so the state legislature gave the city the right to force the railroad to follow Grave Creek to Moundsville, which was 11 miles (18 km) south of Wheeling. The city was authorized to donate up to $1 million in city bonds to help the railroad construct its route, and had to pay an indemnity to the B&O if the Grave Creek route proved more costly.

It took five and a half months to implement the Virginia legislature's compromise. At the end of June 1847, the B&O accepted a deal proposed by a committee from Wheeling to make Fish Creek the Ohio River terminus. In exchange, the city would donate $500,000 worth of bonds to the road, donate land in the city for a depot, and and allow locomotives within the city limits. On August 25, 1847, B&O stockholders unanimously approved the agreement after a day-long bitter struggle.

A third competitor was the Steubenville and Indiana Railroad. Chartered by the state of Ohio on February 24, 1848, this railroad had its eastern terminus on the Ohio River at Steubenville, 22 miles (35 km) north of Wheeling and 6.5 miles (10.5 km) north of Wellsville. Critically, the Ohio legislature authorized the railroad to construct a bridge over the Ohio River at Steubenville if the state of Virginia agreed.

1849: Competition to reach the Ohio River stalls

The C&P initially decided on Bridgeport as the southern terminus of its River Division in 1849, and began to actively seek legislative approval for a branch line to the city.

By the spring of 1849, the Baltimore & Ohio had reached Grafton, Virignia, and was ready to start construction toward the Ohio River. When it notified the city of Wheeling of its intent to terminate at the Ohio River at Fish Creek, the city objected and began demanding that the B&O follow the Grave Creek route. Construction west of Grafton halted as the two sides argued.

1850: Competition resumes construction

The B&O was unable to resolve its dispute for more than a year. A committee in the Virginia House of Delegates heard testimony from the city and the railroad in February 1850. On May 1, the state legislature adopted a law setting up a three-member investigating board to determine which route best met both the city and railroad's needs. The investigating board did not meet until early July, when it held hearings in Wheeling at which both sides testified. Although the route required extensive bridging, cutting, embankment construction, and tunneling, the investigating board approved the Grave Creek route. Shortly after the decision was rendered, the Baltimore & Ohio purchased 10 acres (4.0 ha) of land about two miles south of Wheeling, where it began the construction of engine houses and workshops.

A fourth competitor for the C&P's Ohio River business emerged in March 1850. This was the Belpre and Cincinnati Railroad, which had been chartered on March 8, 1845. The enabling legislation initially placed the eastern terminus at Belpre, Ohio, opposite Parkersburg, Virginia. The railroad encountered difficulties raising money to construct the line, so on March 7, 1850, the Ohio state legislature passed legislation giving the Belpre & Cincinnati the right to terminate anywhere on the Ohio River. Included was the right to bridge the Ohio, if the state of Virginia consented.

By March 1850, the Central Ohio Railroad had changed its terminus from Bridgeport south to the village of Clarington, Ohio. From Zanesville, this route passed through Cambridge, Ohio, and then followed Sunfish Creek to the Ohio River. The road had apparently rejected routes along Captina Creek (terminating at Powhatan), McMahon's Creek (terminating at Bellaire), and Wheeling Creek (terminating at Bridgeport) as requiring too many cuts and embankments over steep hills and ridges. With the eastern terminus set, construction on the Central Ohio Railroad between Columbus and Zanesville began in June 1850.

The Central Ohio board of directors, however, changed its mind in July 1850. They wanted a shorter route between Zanesville and the Ohio River, and a resurvey of the line east of Zanesville began in August under the road's chief engineer.

C&P in 1851

Legislation permitting the C&P to incorporate a subsidiary, the "The Akron Branch of the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad Company", was signed into law on February 19, 1851. The same legislation authorized the C&P to extend its River Division south to any point opposite Wheeling, West Virginia, and from there west to some point on the Central Ohio Railroad. It was widely anticipated that the C&P would connect with the Steubenville and Indiana Railroad at Steubenville, Ohio, a road still in the planning stages (the line did not begin construction until late October 1851).

The railroad embarked on planning for this "Wheeling extension" (later known as the "River Division") in November 1851.

The Wheeling subscription delays the Central Ohio

The Central Ohio's decision to re-survey the route east of Zanesville was driven, in part, by where financing for construction would come from. Financing was a critical issue, as the Wheeling Creek route would cost an estimated $800,000 to build.

The city of Wheeling tried to influence the Central Ohio's river terminus by beating other subscribers to the punch. Residents of the city held a meeting on October 17, 1850, where they discussed issuing city bonds to give to the railroad as a donation. The timing of this donation, the amount to be donated ($300,000 was the amount settled on), and the terms on which the donation would be made were major points of debate.

Residents of Belmont County, Ohio, (opposite Wheeling) were also debating whether to make a bond donation to the Central Ohio. With the city of Wheeling moving forward much faster, disagreement broke out as to whether the county should do so at all. By January 1851, Guernsey County, Ohio had already voted to donate $100,000 in bonds to the railroad, and Muskingum County (Zanesville) was readying a vote on a $100,000 donation as well.

On January 27, 1851, residents of Wheeling voted 698 to 104 in favor of a $250,000 donation of bonds to the Central Ohio Railroad. Although the Central Ohio was floating the idea of a terminus at Bellaire (4 miles (6.4 km) south of Wheeling), Wheeling citizens refused to entertain any connection except Wheeling itself. If it accepted the subscription, the railroad had to agree to terminate its road at Bridgeport. The news was met with great disfavor in Belmont County, where residents felt that the Wheeling vote put a terminus at Bellaire, Shadyside, Moundsville and Powhatan out of the running. To assuage Belmont voters, the deeply influential Wheeling Gazette newspaper suggested in March 1851 that the city of Wheeling loan Belmont County $100,000 for its Central Ohio Railroad subscription. In return, every single farmer in Belmont County had to agree to sell the entire output of their farms to the city for one year after the road is completed.

Belmont voters were not appeased, and on April 7 turned down a proposal by 289 votes to issue $100,000 in county bonds and donate them to the railroad. Wheeling's preemptory action likely caused the proposal to fail.

Within weeks, it was clear that the Central Ohio was unwilling to meet Wheeling's conditions. The mood in Belmont county began to change, especially when The Baltimore Sun newspaper reported that, in late September, Ohio Governor Wilson Shannon, a member of the board of directors of the Central Ohio, believed the road now favored a route through central Belmont County that terminated at Grave Creek opposite Moundsville, Virginia. In a second vote, held on October 2, 1850, the $100,000 subscription passed with a 1,000-vote majority.

The problems caused by the Wheeling subscription caused a year's delay in construction of the Central Ohio. Railroad industry observers still believed, however, that the Central Ohio would cross the river at Bridgeport.

Other developments in 1851

Other railroads found their plans to reach the Ohio River temporarily stymied as well. In January 1851, the Steubenville & Indiana Railroad was denied permission by the state of Virginia to build a bridge over the Ohio River to Weirton. This left the railroad without any connection to another road, even as the Pittsburgh Gazette newspaper editorialized that "the only possible outlet" for the Steubenville & Indiana was Wheeling, and a railroad bridge at Steubenville had to be built at some time. The line began construction in late October 1851, with crews laboring along the entire length of the line all at one time.

In March 1851, the Belpre & Cincinnati won legislative approval to change its Ohio River terminus to Marietta. The corporate name now became the Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad. Construction on the line began in the spring of 1851, and the press believed that the line would probably build north along the Ohio River to Grave Creek (Moundsville).

Although the B&O had been forced to terminate at Wheeling, it was still uncertain where it would cross the Ohio River. Virginia newspapers believed Belpre and Marietta were as equally likely to get a railroad bridge as Wheeling/Bridgeport.

1852: The C&P is the lone railroad to terminate at the Ohio River

The C&P reached Wellsville on February 18, 1852, and regular trains began running a few days later. It began re-surveying the route south to Bridgeport in the summer and fall of 1852. By late fall, the railroad was securing financing for the route and purchashing the right of way. The 0.2 grade, 38-mile (61 km) route was estimated to cost $304,000.

On the Central Ohio Railroad, trains began running between Zanesville and Newark on January 19, 1852. The rest of the road was put under contract in the spring, and at that time the idea was still to terminate the line in Bridgeport. In July 1852, however, the Central Ohio announced that it had selected Bellaire (also known as Bel Air and Bellair) as its eastern terminus. The route along McMahon's Creek and terminus at Bellaire was chosen by Central Ohio Railroad President J.H. Sullivan. He felt this route avoided competition with other roads for freight, and avoided the expense of additional track to Wheeling. Angry citizens of Wheeling withheld their promised $250,000 subscription.

The Cincinnatti & Marietta was now also aiming for Wheeling, rather than Grave Creek (Moundsville). But industry observers noted that the C&M's route was 26 miles (42 km) longer than the Central Ohio's, and competition from steamboats would be fierce. This made it a tough sell to investors.

The Steubenville & Indiana, which had long hoped to lure the Pennsylvania Railroad into Virginia and make a connection with it, found itself without a partner when the Pennsylvania announced on April 26, 1852, that it was purchasing 8,000 shares in the Ohio & Pennsylvania Railroad at a cost of $400,000 to allow the O&P to finish its route and connect to the Pennsylvania.

1853: The Steubenville and Indiana reaches the river

The C&P purchased a 39-mile (63 km) right-of-way from Wellsville to Steubenville on February 1, 1853. Neither the state of Ohio nor Virginia was willing to give the railroad legislative permission to build in Virginia, the company decided to build its line to Wheeling on the Ohio side of the Ohio River. The company refused to begin construction until it had assembled funds, however. The cost of grading, bridging, and masonry for the line was estimated to be $400,000, of which $300,000 had been raised by the end of March. The total cost was thought to be $750,000.

The remaining funds appear to have been raised quite swiftly, as on April 8 the C&P advertised for contractor to begin grading the line from Yellow Creek to Bridgeport. These contracts, totaling $261,000, were awarded on May 11. Work on some segments began around June 4, and ground broken at Bridgeport on July 7. The entire route was under construction by September 6. The company purchased rail for the Wheeling Extension in the fall of 1853, and some of it was ready for delivery by December. By the end of the year, the railroad had expended $108,416 (one-fourth of total estimated cost) on grading and stabilizing the route.

The recession of 1853—1854 began in early October 1853, and the C&P, like most railroads in the U.S., ceased all construction-related activities until the end of 1854.

Just as the recession began, the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad reached a connection agreement in October 1853 with the Central Ohio Railroad. The C&P agreed to extend its southern terminus on the Wheeling Extension to Bellaire (also known as Kirkwood), opposite Benwood, Virginia. In exchange, the Central Ohio agreed to finance construction of the roughly 4 miles (6.4 km) of road between Bridgeport and Bellaire. News of the agreement was kept confidential until September 1854.

The Pennsylvania Railroad dealt another blow to the Steubenville & Indiana when it invested $750,000 in new stock issued by the Cincinnatti & Marietta the first week of February 1853. The capital injection was intended to help the C&M finish its line. Press reports indicated that the road was headed for Wheeling, but in mid September the railroad announced it was terminating at Marietta.

The Steubenville & Indiana Railroad opened on December 22, 1853, from Steubenville west to Unionport. On February 2, 1854, an extension from Unionport west to Cadiz Junction opened; the branch to Cadiz opened June 12. Further extensions west from Cadiz Junction opened June 22 to Masterville, July 12 to Bowerston, and April 11, 1855, the rest of the way to Newark. However, it did not yet connect to any other railroads in Newark.

1854: Work resumes on the Wheeling extension

Little work was done on the Wheeling extension in 1854. The Cleveland & Pittsburgh issued bonds to finance the construction of its line between Wellsville and Steubenville in late 1853, but the recession meant there were few buyers. The company suspended their sale rather than discount them too deeply. The railroad turned to issuing stock in early 1854, raising $50,000.

With the recession over in March 1854, business conditions improved. The Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad began work on the Wheeling extension in early November 1854, beginning with work on a bridge over Wheeling Creek at Bridgeport. To cover the remaining cost of the line between Yellow Creek and Steubenville, the C&P resolved to sell $150,000 in bonds. It tested the market and sold $50,000 in bonds swiftly. At a meeting held on November 21, stockholders approved the sale of another $150,000 in bonds.

As the C&P moved south to link with the Central Ohio Railroad, the Central Ohio began building east to meet it. On June 6, 1854, the Central Ohio began laying track from Bellaire west toward its crews working east from Zanesville. The railroad built a car shop in Bellaire, and began preparations for a transshipment depot to service river steamboats. The railroad ran short of funds, however. To help it complete the line, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad loaned the company $400,000 to act as security for loans to finish the line. The Central Ohio easily secured the loan financing, and completed its line swiftly. The first train passed over the track between Zanesville and Bellaire on October 28, and regular trains began running over the line on November 8. The road was formally opened on November 14.

1855 and 1856: The Cleveland and Pittsburgh works south to Steubenville

With the Central Ohio having reached the Ohio River, the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad resolved to push its line south to the agreed-upon connection at Bridgeport as fast as possible. Additional workers were hired to help accelerate construction. The contract for the superstructure of the bridge over Wheeling Creek at Bridgeport was awarded in August, and completion of the line was expected in April 1856. By the end of November, 70 percent of the bridging, grading, and masonry work was complete and all the rail for the line purchased.

By April 1856, the Cleveland & Pittsburgh had expended $300,331 on the Wheeling extension, and anticipated spending another $126,740. It believed the line to Bridgport would be ready for rail in June. The following month, the railroad estimated the cost of the remaining work at $257,000. All of this work was contracted for, and all the rail purchased.

1856: Near-bankruptcy of the Central Ohio

Despite completing its line to Bellaire and connecting with the B&O, the Central Ohio Railroad was havng extensive trouble operating its line. A B&O official who inspected the Central Ohio said it was poorly constructed and poorly run. Not a single passenger or freight depot had been built anywhere on the line during construction, and train crews and line workers were highly inexperienced. There were far too few locomotives, tenders, passengers cars, and freight cars (of all types), a severe problem that lasted into late 1857. According to one estimate in December 1855, the company needed to purchase at least $200,000 worth of locomotives and passenger and rail cars in order to meet demand. Most of the locomotives and cars the company purchased were not suited to the railroad's needs, and it spent $52,666 alone on rebuilding its locomotives. The company had constructed almost no sidings, which led to safety issues and extensive delays as trains tried to pass one another. Many people refused to ride the Central Ohio, and shippers tended to see it as a transporter of last resort. In August 1857, the Central Ohio board of directors publicly admitted to having opened an unfinished line.

The railroad was also deeply in debt, and struggling to pay its bills. Its total debt stood at $6.8 million in September 1857. The cost of construction was $6,818,733 by August 1857, nearly three times the $2,644,000 total cost estimated in 1851. Operational problems worsened the situation. Ice on the Ohio River in December 1854 meant that through freight could not cross the river to reach the B&O Railroad. The Central Ohio was forced to pay for warehouse space in Bellaire, and rebates on perishables. The financial situation was so poor that by January 1855, conductors, engineers, firemen, and other workers on the Central Ohio had not been paid for months, More than $50,000 in payroll remained unpaid in December. In mid February 1855, the railroad's superintendent, George W. Fulton, resigned. The Carroll Free Press newspaper said the Central Ohio was all but bankrupt. The collapse of a tunnel near Cambridge, Ohio, in July 1855 led to further difficulties, as the railroad was forced to portage passengers and freight around the blockage. In December 1855, the sheriff of Licking County actually stopped a Central Ohio train to serve liens on the cars.

In the midst of this widely known financial crisis, the Central Ohio attempted to fulfill the terms of its October 1853 agreement with the Cleveland & Pittsburgh. On August 5, 1855, the stockholders authorized the board of directors to sign contracts which would extend the road north along the Ohio River from Bellaire to Bridgeport. John H. Sullivan, the long-time president of the company, was ousted by stockholders in favor of Elias Fassett, whom they believed would more vigorously pursue the link with the C&P.

The Central Ohio advertised for contractors for the 3.5-mile (5.6 km) extension on March 5, 1856. With the road having few funds, it offered to pay contractors 60 percent of their fee in fourth mortgage bonds and 40 percent in railroad stock; or in revenues generated by freight and passengers on the completed extension; or in cash—although 20 percent of the cash would not be paid until the extension opened. Unsurprisingly, these terms were not acceptable to contractors.

In early May 1856, the Central Ohio Railroad informed the Cleveland & Pittsburgh that it was too "financially embarrassed" to undertake the extension.

1856 to 1857: C&P completes the line to Bellaire

At the behest of the C&P, the Central Ohio Railroad agreed to change its gauge from 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) to the 4 ft 10 in (1,473 mm) Ohio gauge used by the C&P.

The second week of June 1856, the Cleveland & Pittsburgh's stockholders met and resolved to build the 3.5-mile (5.6 km) extension to Bellaire on their own. The railroad pushed the work foward as fast as possible. Tracklaying began the third week of July. By early August, track-laying had nearly reached Steubenville and the railroad believed it might complete the track to Bellaire by October 1. In mid September, the C&P and Central Ohio signed an agreement in which the C&P agreed to provide a common depot in the Kirkwood area of Bridgeport (just south of Wheeling Creek).

The C&P's 17.5-mile (28.2 km) extension from Yellow Creek to Steubenville opened for business on October 13, 1856. At Steubenville, the River Division connected with the Steubenville & Indiana Railroad (later known as the Panhandle Route of the Pennsylvania Railroad).

By mid December 1856, the Cleveland & Pittsburgh had reached Patton's farm, just 0.5 miles (0.80 km) short of its destination. The company hoped to finish laying track by Christmas. It awarded contracts to build depots in Bridgeport and Bellaire about December 24.

The C&P connected with Central Ohio on January 20, 1857. The first passenger train passed south over the line from Wellsville to Bridgeport on January 26, while the first train from Bridgeport to Pittsburgh ran on January 29 Regular trains began running on February 2.

The C&P and Central Ohio did not actually have connecting track in Bridgeport, but transshipment of passengers and freight occurred there. In its first month of operation, the link to Steubenville and Bridgeport led to a 102 percent increase in revenue for the Cleveland & Pittsburgh.

Other branch lines

On February 16, 1849, the state of Ohio enacted legislation that permitted the C&P to construct branch lines in any county through which the railroad passed. By January 1851, the railroad's board of directors were actively investigating the construction of branch lines. The major impediment to construction was a lack of money, and the board felt that cash had to be raised along any potential branch line before construction on that line could begin.

Akron Branch

Although the C&P did not heed the 1847 request of Akron residents to route the main line through Akron, railroad executives realized this would be a highly profitable branch line. The recession of 1847-1848 hit Ohio hard. To more effectively raise the capital needed for the branch line, the C&P sought legislative permission to organize a legally distinct but subsidary company, The Akron Branch of the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad Company. To show legislators that there was demand for a branch line, the company raised $10,000 in capital from Hudson residents and another $20,000 from Cuyahoga Falls residents. (Akron residents pledged to raise $50,000, but donated few of the funds in the end.) The Ohio legislature established this company by law on February 11, 1851, and the governor signed it into law on February 19. The company was authorized to build a branch line beginning at Hudson, Ohio, and continuing through Cuyahoga Falls and Akron to some point on the Ohio and Pennsylvania Railroad between Massillon and Wooster. The "Akron Branch" was organized on March 17, 1851, and had its own president and board of directors.

As its first order of business, the board hired George Robinson as its chief engineer. Route surveys commenced on April 12, 1851. Several potential routes were surveyed by June 4, and the road from Hudson to Akron adopted by the board. This route largely followed the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal. At N. Union Street, about 0.25 miles (0.40 km) west of Old Forge, it turned south. The cost of building the line was estimated to be $1 million.

Work began on the Akron Branch with the letting of bridging, grading, and masonry contracts on June 20, 1851. The following day, Summit County voters approved a referendum which gave the county the right to purchased $100,000 in Akron Branch stock. The first 8 miles (13 km) of road, between Hudson and Cuyahoga Falls, opened on January 1, 1852. This triggered an economic boom in Hudson. Infrastructure included a engine house and turntable at Cuyahoga Falls and a car house, engine house, and turntable at Hudson. Costs of constructing the first section included $107,500 for grading and masonry, $87,220 for rail, $28,000 for stations, and $32,900 for locomotives.

The 6-mile (9.7 km) line between Cuyahoga Falls and Akron opened on July 1, 1853 for a total of 14 miles of active line.

On March 17, 1853, the Akron Branch legally changed its name to the Cleveland, Zanesville, and Cincinnati Railroad.

The third segment of the line which the railroad constructed was from the point where the Ohio & Pennsylvania Railroad crossed the Akron Branch on the northeast outskirts of Akron southwest to the town of Millersburg. The section between Orrville and Millersburg had been surveyed in August 1851. Construction contracts for the 37.25-mile (59.95 km) Akron-to-Orrville section were awarded on June 18, 1853, and contracts for the 23.5-mile (37.8 km) Orrville-to-Millersburg section two months later on August 15.

With the recession of 1853—1854 hindering railroad financing, it was not until mid to late February 1854 that the branch completed next the seven miles, to Clinton, Ohio. The Summit County Beacon newspaper believed that the rest of the line to Millersburg would follow days later. The railroad, however, lacked the funds to finish it until the city of Cleveland loaned $100,000 to Akron Branch in late May 1854 to help it complete the line to Millersburg.

The entire line between Akron and Millersburg opened on June 10, 1854, giving the branch at total of 60 miles (97 km) of track. At Orrville, the Akron Branch connected with the Ohio and Pennsylvania Railroad.

The board anticipated extending the line further to Coshocton, or even Zanesville, if enough stock was sold. The value of pushing south past Millersburg was that the Akron Branch could connect with the Steubenville & Indiana Railroad and planned railroads leading to Columbus and Cincinnati. Surveys of this line were conducted in November 1852, but no construction was ever attempted south of Millersburg.

Tuscarawas Branch

The C&P board of directors began seeking legislative authority to build a branch line from Bayard to Newcomerstown (about 14 miles east of Coshocton) in 1849. At Newcomerstown, the branch was intended to connect with the Steubenville and Indiana Railroad. The Ohio legislature granted this authority in an act adopted March 9, 1850. This became the Tuscarawas Branch of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad.

Bayard on the C&P's main line was chosen as the branch's northern terminus and link with the Cleveland & Pittsburgh. As with its other lines, the C&P refused to begin building until it had raised most of the money for construction from counties, towns, and villages along the route. Once the majority of funds were raised, the route was surveyed and chose. Enough money was in hand by December 1852 for the company to award construction contracts. At this time, the route was expected to travel from Bayard southwest through Minerva, Oneida, Malvern, Waynesburg, Magnolia, Mineral City, Zoarville, Canal Dover, and New Philadelphia to Urichsville. A connection with the Steubenville & Indiana was anticipated at Urichsville. The total cost of the 543.25-mile (874.28 km) line was expected to be $1.317 million dollars.

By January 1853, the entire Tuscarawas Branch was under contract. Construction on the portion between Bayard and Oneida had proceded so rapidly that it was ready for superstructure. The first 6 miles (9.7 km) of the Tuscarawas Branch, from Bayard to Oneida, opened on May 25, 1853. It reached Waynesburg on January 6, 1854. Work on the entire line was expected to be completed in the late spring of 1854, but the failure of several localities to make good on their pledges both slowed work on the line and caused the line to be truncated at New Philadelphia.

The Tuscarawas Branch finally opened for traffic between Bayard and New Philadelphia on December 1, 1854. The cost of the 32.75-mile (52.71 km) branch was about $649,000. Phillip F. Geisse, a foundry owner in New Philadelphia, opened opened the Fulton Foundry & Machine Works. He manufactured locomotives, car axles, car wheels, and all the rolling stock of the Tuscarawas Branch.

Carrollton Branch

The Carroll County Railroad operated as a branch of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh between 1853 and 1855. The short line was undertaken by the citizens of the town of Carrollton, Ohio, who raised the money to build the line among themselves. The 10-mile (16 km) long strap-iron rail track was built between Carrollton and Oneida. The branch line was finished on May 3, 1853. The C&P's Tuscarawas Branch reached Oneida three days later,

Hanoverton Branch

Another short line, the Hanoverton Branch, was constructed from Hanoverton, Ohio, to the C&P main line at Kensington, Ohio. Funds for the branch were in hand by late January 1852. The {convert|1.5|mi|km|adj=on}} long branch was completed about June 1, 1852.

History of the road

The first major accident on the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad happened shortly after the line between Cleveland and Hudson opened. On May 11, 1851, local man Horace Brooks placed a railroad tie upright on the portion of the main line between the villages of Bedford and Newburgh. A "crab" locomotive pulling a train ran into the tie, and the train derailed. The locomotive engineer, Joseph M. Westland, was killed and a passenger severely injured. Law enforcement and railroad authorities noted that this was not the first time a tie had been placed on the rails near this location. Brooks was found guilty of second-degree murder.

The first five years

As initially completed, the Cleveland & Pittsburgh had lengthy sidings almost everywhere they were needed. A few critical train stations were erected, but many more were needed. It also had a few warehouses, but not nearly enough to handle the demand for freight.

Although the first train ran from Cleveland to Wellsville on March 4, 1852, regular trains did not commence until a few days later, and it was not until April 1 that the road was in efficient operation. Only a single train ran on the line each day, each way. Almost none of the main line had bewen ballasted in the rush to complete the line, and throughout 1852 two locomotives were employed to haul work crews and ballast along the line. The oldest part of line, between Cleveland and Ravenna, was significantly improved in the first four months of 1852. By July 1, ballasting had progressed enough to permit two trains each day, each way. Ballasting was nearly finished by the end of 1852; additional grading and masonry work was needed in the few areas which remained unballasted, and that work was expected to be finished by May 1, 1853.

In its first year of operation, the company spent heavily to build a station and warehouses in Wellsville. It purchased additional land in Cleveland, where it built a larger station, warehouses, freight depots, and a pier into Lake Erie. By the end of 1852, the C&P had $1.371 million in bonded debt and $303,306 in loans.

C&P and CCC want to build their stations and roundhouses smack against one another between Stockley's Pier and the harbor. Railroad Collision - Plain Dealer - August 30, 1849 - page 2 C&P passenger depot on the Case Farm, a mile from downtown, on St. Clair Road Freight Depto at foot of Water St. Pittsburgh Railroad Depot - Plain Dealer - November 9, 1849 - page 2 CP&A will connect with C&P at its Outer Station, two miles from downtonw Report of the PReliminary Surveys of the Cleveland, Painseville and Ashtabula Railroad Company, by Frederick Harbach, Chief Engineer The Buffalo Commercial (Buffalo, New York)16 Apr 1850, TuePage 2

C&P expanding outer depot in Cleveland, to house locos Outer Depot - Plain Dealer - October 6, 1852 - page 3

360 ft long 125 ft wide N side occupied by C&P, south side by CP&A outer depot is 200 by 60 ft New Depot - Plain Dealer - November 19, 1852 - page 3

When the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad (CCC) was building its line, it constructed a brick depot in Cleveland on Front Street at the foot of Water Street. This depot opened on May 29, 1851. Although it was initially used only by the CCC, the depot had been constructed as a cooperative effort by the CCC, CP&A, and Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad (C&P).

In January 1853, the CP&A began building a new passenger station adjacent to the C&P's Outer Station. A wooden freight depot was erected next to this new passenger station, and extensive sidings constructed to provide access to both buildings as well as to permit the idling of trains. The two-story brick passenger depot was completed in mid-March 1853.

Prior to the construction of the first Union Depot in 1853, the railroads serving the city each maintained its own small depot. The first union depot, built at a cost of $75,000, consisted of a group of wooden sheds centrally located at the foot of the hill where Bank (W. 6th) and Water (W. 9th) streets met the lakeshore. After it burned in 1864,

The railroad began 1853 with 103 freight cars, two baggage cars, 15 locomotives, 15 sixty-seat first class passenger cars, two sixty-seat second-class passenger cars, and 128 stock cars, platform cars, and gravel cars. The road had a significant shortage of freight cars and almost no coal cars, which forced it to reject a great deal of business. The company had discovered that is Car and Machine Shop in Cleveland could build various cars faster and at lower cost than if the company had purchased them.

latter part of 1852, company swtiched from wood to coal fuel

income in 1853: 432682 expenses 165494 cite news|title=Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad|work=The Summit County Beacon|date=February 1, 1854|page=3

nearly all ballasted between cleveland and wellsvilel now

train approached Wellsville along the hill, the terminal being at the foot of 7th Street 1854, tracks into wellsville were changed to the river front,

Erie RR war means freight is going to pittsburgh via the C&P Public Opinion on the Erie Affair Buffalo Courier 17 Jan 1854, Tue · Page 2

county of Allegeny PA has subscribed 150k to C&P Another Pittsburgh Railraod Pittsburgh Daily Post 20 Apr 1854, Thu · Page 2

recession of 1853-1854 saw very high interest rates and a significant decrease in rail construction

New board Prestiss retired C.W. Rockwell, pres John Durand, gen superintendent chief engineer, I. Linton Cleveland & Pittsburgh Rail Road The Summit County Beacon (Akron, Ohio)21 Feb 1855, WedPage 2

Main line cost to Dec 1, 1854: $3,662,443 assets: 5,202,932 income to Dec 1 1854: 579,600 1st bonds: 800,000 2nd bonds: 556000 income bonds: 579600 net earnings 1853: 255868

other branches est. to finish: 1078000 june 1855

some person set fire to a C&P bridge near Wellsville engine and four coal cars plunged into creek engineer, conductor, and fireman injuried; no deaths A railroad Bridge Buffalo Morning Express and Illustrated Buffalo Express (Buffalo, New York)05 Sep 1855, WedPage 2

tornadoes tor the C&P passenger train off the tracks between Salem and Damascus By Telegraph The Buffalo Commercial (Buffalo, New York)14 Apr 1856, MonPage 3 tornado followed main line from 10 miles south of alliance to 2 miles north of it. freight cars idling in Alliance ripped from tracks C&P Express hit an oak on the track, disabling engine but not derailing cars coal train ran the express back to Alliance Destructive Tornado - 15 Houses Blown Down Loss of Life The States and Union (Ashland, Ohio)16 Apr 1856, WedPage 2

eight killed, 10 or 15 injured on December 8

Terrible Railroad Accident at Alliance! The Pittsburgh Post 09 Dec 1856, Tue ·Page 3 C&P train leaving Alliance late ran into a Pittsburgh, Ft Wyane, and Chicago RR express train T-boned Horrible Railroad Murder At Alliance Anti-Slavery Bugle (Lisbon, Ohio)13 Dec 1856, SatPage 2 held engineer John Cherry guilty Verdict of the Coroner's Jury The Summit County Beacon (Akron, Ohio)17 Dec 1856, WedPage 3

James Farmer prevented RR from going into bankruptcy during Carsh of 1857 1858 James Farmer named president and superintendent of RR James Farmer retired in 1859 James Farmer was chief agitator for construction of the Valley Railway

first repair plant built in Wellsville in 1857

Jacob Hovey, master mechanic of the C&P, tried to improve on the firebox design of John Thompson's longer firebox to reduce spark emissions Hovey used a horizontal screen running the length of the firebox rear third of the firebox had a deflector plate proved a failure A history of the American locomotive : its development, 1830-1880 Author: John H White Publisher: New York : Dover Publications, 1979, ©1968. 9780486238180 123 124 https://books.google.com/books?id=1A4iiGAz628C&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

1863 Bell J. Snowden Locomotive Spark Arresters Journal of the Franklin Institute January 1880 11 https://books.google.com/books?id=aE80AQAAMAAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&dq=%22Jacob%20Hovey%22%20mechanic&pg=PA11#v=onepage&q=%22Jacob%20Hovey%22%20mechanic&f=false

1867, the roundehous and larger shop buildings removed from Wellsville to Cleveland New shops in Wellsville opened in 1867 to great acclaim

later name changed to Cleveland, Zanesvill and Cincinnati Railroad Co. Sold under bankruptcy on 2 Nov 1864 and conveyed 1 July 1865 to Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, ane Chicago Railway Co. sold 4 Nov 1869 to Pittsburgh, Mt Vernon, Columbus and London Railroad Co name changed to Cleveland, Mt. Vernon and Delaware Railroad Penn Leg act of 11 April 1862 gave the road 10 more years to finish its line from Rochester to Pittsburgh Cleveland to Rochester: 123 miles Yellow Creek to Bellaire: 43.25 miles 15 Dec 1862, signed contract with P, Ft.W, and C RY for division of gross earnings and for joint use of the latter track from Rochester to Pittsburg monthly rental of $786,795 and payments of interest, sinking fund, lease of P,Ft.W, and C RY, and $10,000 per annum topreseve corporate structure stock incresed by $3,411,554 to $11,250,854 to accommodate bonds and mortgages; stock not actually sold

25 Jan 1860 sold to Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad went into receivership 14 June 1860 emerged from receivership 1 April 1863 went into receivership Jan 1869 emerged from receivership Feb 1869 sold to Pennsylvania RR 1 July 1869 sold to The Pennsylvania Company 1 April 1871 dissolved corporate identity on 1 Dec 1871

April 11, 1862 - extended the time for completing the road from Rochester to Pittsburgh by 10 years

In 1871, the C&P was leased to the Pennsylvania Railroad for a 99 year lease, thus, giving the PRR access to Cleveland. During the Pennsylvania Railroad years, the line mainly hosted coal and mineral trains from the Ohio River Valley area that were bound for Cleveland.

lesed to pennsy on 25 oct 1871 (effective 1 dec 1871) for 999 years lease assigned to PA Co. on 14 April 1873, eff 1 Dec 1871 pays rent equal to interest on outstanding bonds, 7 percent on outstanding stock of 1871, 4 percent on outstanding betterment stock, 10 percent on 1836t stock, all taxes, and $10K per year for organizationl maintenance

flood of 1884 covered the line from east liverpool to wellsville

Shortly after 1890, the division superintendent relocated to cleveland, and in 1905 all division officers relocated to cleveland

as of dec 31 1903 owned 201.74 miles of track main line 123.8 mi Ohio River Division - Yellow creek to bellaire, Oh 43.44 mi New Philadelphia Branch - Bayard to new Philadelphia OH 31.1 mi Coal Mines Branch - Salineville to Coal Mines 3.4 mi Trackage rights on Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne and Chicago Railroad -- rochester to Pittsburg, Pa 25.64 mi second track 44.81 mi sidings 236.27 mi gauge 4 ft 8.5 in leased to Pennsylvania RR on 1 Dec 1871 for 999 years lease transferred to Pennsylvania Co. on 14 April 1878 lease terms: 7% of capital stock, interest on bonds, sinking fund, and $10,000 for organization expenses lessee shall make all necessary additions and improvements and be compensated with stock or securities Pensy had made $10 million in improvements, but received only $6 m in bonds, leaving $4 m unpaid

stock increased to $22 m on 19 May 1904 to reimburse Pennsy and to pay for future improvements: completion of double track over the entire line, elevation of tracks in Clevelad, additional tracks elsewhere, engines, cars, improved yards

s of 31 Dec 1903: 124 locomotives, 48 passenber cars; 25 baggage/mail/express cars, 5,120 freight cars, 202 service cars

85 miles of double track in Columbiana County by 1904

when a second track was added in 1906, the route through Hanover was used

$11.226,300 shares originally

In 1968, the Pennsylvania Railroad merged with long time rival New York Central Railroad, to form Penn Central Transportation Company. The merger essentially failed, which resulted in the Penn Central declaring bankruptcy by 1970. Conrail was created in 1976 to pick up the pieces of several railroads that had fallen into bankruptcy including the Penn Central. By 1981, Conrail was turning into a profitable operation, due in part to the Staggers Rail Act of 1980. Around this time, Conrail began upgrading the former C&P line between Alliance and Cleveland to a double track mainline, as the line was soon to host several trains. Conrail began to remove all of the Chicago-bound train traffic that had previously used the Fort Wayne Line, and rerouted that traffic to the Chicago Line, using the Cleveland Line as the connector line. Upgrading of the line was eventually completed, and Conrail began routing a majority of Chicago bound traffic out of Pittsburgh to the line, to connect with the former New York Central mainline in Cleveland. Ownership of the line was passed on to Norfolk Southern after the Conrail split between CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern in 1999.

act of Ohio Legis 14 March 1836 act of PA Legis 8 April 1850 acquired Salineville Railroad on 30 Nov 1898 as of 1929: 205.33 mi of road cleveland to hanover: 75 mil in 1851 hanover to wellsville: 25 mi in 1852 Bayard to Oneida, oh: 6 mi in 1853 Oneida to New Philadelphia, OH: 26 mil in 1854 Wellsville OH to Rochester PA: 22 mi in 1856 Yellow Creek to Bellaire: 44 mi in 1856 New Philadelphia to Roswell, OH: branches to Canal Dover and mines of Goshen Coal Co: 1897, 1902, and 1903 7 mi 1 Oct 1913 acquired the Toledo, Columbus, and Ohio River a branch line of .61 mil leading for Zoarville to Valley Junction, OH also acquired from Salineville RR 3 mi of road from Salineville to the Osborne coal Mines (classified as side tracks) by 1929 stock was $60,898,551

original capital stock was $1.5 m issued 838,483 in stock for construction purposes bonds from City of Wheeling, City of Cleveland, Allegheny County, Beaver County, and a small amount to individuals and other companies

original construction: $7358116 plus 1495260 (donated by individuals and construction companies) and 966352 (bonds)

cost of land 6262080

Coal industry and the railroad

RR opened up the coal trade to cleveland, boosting cleveland economy

expect chief money-maker to be coal cite news|title=Rail Road Movement|work=The Plain Dealer|date=October 23, 1847|page=2

income from coal alone this year will be 500000 to 600000

Bankruptcy of 1860

Sixth Annual Report of the President and Directors to the Stockholders of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Rail Road Company Cleveland: Press of Harris & Fairbanks, 1854 https://books.google.com/books?id=ylA4AAAAIAAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q&f=false

20 more miles of ballasting completed cattle guards in place cuts widened, embankments improved bridge over Cuyahoga and two over Yellow Creek covered pier on Lake completed station completed in Cleveland co-built by Cleveland and Erie Compny 5

grain warehouse in cleveland finished 5-6

car houses, tool houses, tank houses, etc. built along the road Tuscarawas extension, six miles to Oneida, opened on may 25 Tuscarawas ext. connects to Carrollton branch, which is 10 miles in length Carrollton Branch built by Carroll County Rail Road Company Tuscarawas Branch will eventually extend to New Philadelphia. read is ready for track; rail laid to Waynesburgh (12 mi).

construction of Wheeling Ext: grading and masonry contract let, $108,416 (one fourth the total cost)

Beaver Ext: contracts for grading, masonry, and bridging let at $50,923 (one fifth the total cost) extreme problems with banking has caused much reduction in labor force on all three extensions 6

Wuth only $42,797 to spend on Tuscarawas Ext, this will be financed from banks subscriptions will pay for the grading and masonry on the other two extensions 7

$432,682 in income $165,404 in expenditures still too few cars 8

Tuscarawas Ext is 31.1 miles long from Bayard Station to New Philadelphia Beaver Ext is 22.25 miles from Wellsville to Rochester Wheeling Ext is 41 mils from Bridgeport to Wellsville 13

Wheeling Ext connects with the Cincinnati and Marietta Road and Ohio Central Rail Road 13-14

At Steubenville, Wheeling Ext connects with Steubenville and Indiana Road 14

At the summit between the Sandy and Huff's Run, there is a 1,000 foot tunnel 15-16

At Canal Dover, siding is graded abutments and piers for the birdges of the Tuscarawas and Canal are complete 16

bridge at Short Creek, Croston's Run, both on wheeling line bridge at Yellow Creek and Beaver River are nearly done 17

Bridgeport to new station at Wellsville: 41 mi Wellsville to Rochester Station: 22.25 mi Rochester Stateion to Pittsburgh: 24.75 mi 18

45.5 mil ballasted 34.25 half-ballasted 21 not ballasted 26

birdge over Cuyahoga is south of Earlsville viaduct north of Bruch Run replaced with permanent masonry structure two bridges at Ylellow Creeks are south of Hammondsville new station built in Cleveland ih cooperation with Lake Shore Rail Road Engine house new built in Cleveland for 10 locos, and one at Wellsville for six locos; both have turntables grain warehouse in Cleveland ready for 250,000 bushels, ready in Feb. 1855 27

Little work done due to economic crisis 9 more miles ballasted

six new locos, five first-class cars, 16 house/freight/platform cars, 15 hand cars Tuscarawas Ext finished to Waynesburg (12 mi) in January 1854; to Dover, (29 mi) on 7 Sept, and New Philadelphia (32 mi) on 1 Dec

Beaver and WHeeling combined make up the River Division

1. 28,000 spent on a crossing of the Ohio and Cincinnati and th Marietta RR at Kirkwood

net income $255,868

crossing occurs at Indian Wheeling Creek }

22 x 100 ft station house at New Phil, with engine house for 3 locos

majority of travel between Cleveland and Alliance only

added 5 60-seat first class passneers cars, six eight-wheel platform cars, 10 house freight cars, nine hand cars, and six hand repair cars 6 new engines added

renovated old engine house at Cleveland to help machine shop at cleveland too small

constructed four miles of road between Bellaire and Wheeling to connect with Central Ohio RR, after Central OH reneged on agreement to do so

grading, bridging, track laying between Rochester and Bellaire completed, stations almost so; balasting progressing

20 acres of land in Cleveland

ordered 18 new locos, 450 freight cars, 14 passenger cars, 4 baggage cars, 500 ft of wharf on Cuyahoga River, 350 of wharf on Lake Erie, purchased 600 ft on Ohio River at Manchester opposite Pittsburgh

At Pittsburgh, C&P connects with the Pennsylvania Central, Pittsburgh & COnnellsville, and Alleghany Valley Railroad At Wheeling and Bellaire, connects with Baltimore & OHio, Central Ohio At Cleveland, connects with Lake Shore, Cleveland & TOledo, Cleveland Columbus & Cincinnati, Cleveland and Mahoing,

at Allaince, connects with Pittsburg Ft Wayne and Chicago at Hudson connects with Cleveland Zanesbill and Cincinnati

Beaver Ext opened on Oct 16 1856 Wheeling Ext to Steuben ville at the same time entire River division from Rochester to Bellaire is operating

four locos are coal-burning

purhcase one six-wheel switcher, 75 eight-wheel gondola coal cars, 100 freight cars, 4 baggage/mail cars

two coal-burning locos from Ros Winans, four from M.W. Baldwin will purhcase six passenger engines, 10 large coal-burning locos, two 6-wheel switchers, 14 passenger cars, 50 freight cars, 250 gondola cars

Twelfth Annual Report of the President and Directors to the Stockholders of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Rail Road Company New Haven: Thomas J. Stafford, 1860 https://books.google.com/books?id=ylA4AAAAIAAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q&f=false

failed to pay interest on mortgage should be able to pay it in 1860 the first mortgage of $800K comes due Feb 1. company intends to issue coupons fo r10 years, then retire principal 6-7

Thirteenth Annual Report of the President and Directors to the Stockholders of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad Company New Haven: Thomas J. Stafford, 1861 https://books.google.com/books?id=ylA4AAAAIAAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q&f=false

1st mort 800k 2nd mort 1.189k 3rd mort 1.189k River Line bonds 1.016k Income bonds 112,500 Dividend bonds 421,368 5

June 13, 1860, went into receivership JN McCulloughis receiver 6

failure of the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Company in Augut 1857, RR was found to be entangled financially RR assumed 270k of River Line Bonds, and was paid $55,000 6-7

rent to P, Ft W, and C is 76,333 now 95k 7

in April, the Ohio River flood destroyed track and bridges for two weeks in october, an arsonist destroyed the engine house at Manchester, and seriously damaged eight engines 8

new machine shop at cleveland directors want to build a road from Rochester to Pittsburgh for $1.3m unable to pay interest on bonds for 3.5 yeaers unable to pay mortgage interest of about $100k 9

great extravagant expenditures in the past, and loss on sale of securities in 1856 and1857 directors porposed a $1.2 m new mortage to pay off River Line bonds, income bonds, dividend bonds, bills payable 10

1st mort holders: some have extended their bonds, others are waiting 10-11

4.5 years accured interest by Jan 1 1862 14

Fourteenth Annual Report of the President and Directors to the Stockholders of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad Company New Haven: Thomas J. Stafford, 1862 https://books.google.com/books?id=ylA4AAAAIAAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q&f=false

RR had used the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Company to market and sell its bonds RR had not paid its Ohio Life account in years to settle the account, RR fave Ohio Life $270k worth of River Line bonds Ohio Life agreed to forgive $75k in debts 6

US District Court for the Nothern District of Ohio approved refinancing of debt plan creditors have generally participated in the plan 7

of the $3.050m in debt, $2.22m has been refinanced 8

Main Line receipts: 511573 River Division reeipts: 551,014 Tuscarawas receipts: 13,301 direcors now consider the tuscarawas division is a complete writ-eoff, worthless 14

At the time, the railroad only made it to Millersburg, Ohio. It became part of the Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne and Chicago Railway, itself becoming part of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in 1869. However, the PRR sold the line to the Pittsburgh, Mount Vernon, Columbus and London Railroad, which completed the line to Columbus. Afterwards, it was renamed the Cleveland, Mount Vernon and Delaware Railroad. The railroad went bankrupt in 1881, and became the Cleveland, Akron and Columbus Railway. It finally reached Zanesville by 1888. The company came back under control of the PRR in 1899.

foreclosure in 1861 sold to George W. Cass and John J. Marvin, who in turn sold it to the Pittsbugh, Fort Way and Chicao Railry. leased in perpetuity to the Psnnsy on June 27, 1869 Pennsy sold the lease to the Pittsburgh, mount vernn, Columbus, and London RR, which completed line to Columbus and operaeted it as the Cleveland, Mount vernon and Delaware RR

Fifteenth Annual Report of the President and Directors to the Stockholders of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad Company New Haven: Thomas J. Stafford, 1863 https://books.google.com/books?id=ylA4AAAAIAAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q&f=false

River Line bonds: 90k Dividend Bonds: 75,077 Income bonds: 15,500 Bills Payable: 94,329 6

River Line Bonds fall due in 1887 Dividend Bonds fall due betwen 1866 and 1870, ost of them in 1870 Income Bonds and Bills Payable and accrued interest due now company has $140,000 in Refinanc Bonds, $26,369 in "personal accounts", and receiver has $300,000 (cash, bills receivable, etc.) 7

proposed agreement: gross earnings to be divided 73.5 percent to Pitt Ft Wayne & CHi, and 26.5 percen tp C&P 10

each road makes its own expenses of operation and repairs both road under one superintendent 25 year term 11

rebuild bridges across Big and Little Beaver rivers, destroyed in 1861 rebuilding bridge at Tinker's Cree at bedford new depot at Wellsville 15

four new enines "Slater" sold to US govt "Hanover" blown up 16

Sixteenth Annual Report of the President and Directors to the Stockholders of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad Company New Haven: Thomas J. Stafford, 1864 https://books.google.com/books?id=ylA4AAAAIAAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q&f=false

unsecured indebtedness down from $305k to $50k 5-6

1st mort bonds paid off 6

In June 1863, receiver was discharged by the court and stockholders resumed control 7

since April 1, road has bee operated jointly with pFtW&Chi 11

5 new locos, 217 gondola cars 15

About the line

one of the earliest railraods built west of the alleganies C&P engines among the first in the nation to use coal rather than wood

stations at Macdeonia, Hudson, Alliance, Bayard

1st div actual miles: 31.38 The ruling grade between Wellsville and Mahoning summit was 0.94, and the tightest curve was 1,200 feet (370 m). 2nd div actual miles: 29.58 Ruling grade between Mahoning summit and Ravenna is 0.94, and steepest curve is 1,500 feet (460 m). 3rd div actual miles: 37.3 Ruling grade between Ravenna and Cleveland is 0.75, and steepest curve is 1,500 feet (460 m).

C&P is 120 miles between Cleveland and Pittsburgh, of which 50 miles is common track with the Cleveland & Wellsville RR The Ohio Railroad Guide: Illustrated And Descriptive. Prt I By john c. weight, crafts j. wright, luther r bruen cincinnati: Cincinnat Gazette Co. Printers 1852 127 https://books.google.com/books?id=6j47HGc0LBoC&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

C&P crossed euclid avenue just west of E 55th, the Conrail overpoass today

crossed Central Ave at e 68th

crossed woodland at e 79th

travels northwest to southeast through Franklin Township in Columbiana County two stations, at Summitville and Newport

passes through southwest corner of Kensington Township in Columbiana county Kensington is the only station

station is Homeworth in Knox Township in columbiana County

Cliff Mine is located halfway berween East Liverpool and Wellesville founded in 1842 by George McCullough possible most extensive clay works in theUS on the line of the C&P

line passes southeast to northwest thorugh Washington Township in Columbiana County Salineville is station 2 mile long Salineville Railroad joins it at Salineveill, extends to the border with Carroll County this short line is used for coal short line built 1854

C*&P greatly enhanced production of coal in Columbiana County

followes river's course in Yellow Creek Townhsip in Columbiana County Wellesville station

car shops at mouth of Yellow Creek

car shops at mouth of Yellow Creek branch line from Wellesville to Wheeling, WV

Car shops erected in 1856

Homeworth, founded in 1851, owes its existence to the C&P

Summitville and Millport, both laid out in 1853, are stations in Franklin Township in Columbiana County

not enough freight cars to handle the business net income after expenses: #223,306 total miles run in 1952: 112,730 total passengers: 103,398 cite news|title=Cleveland Pittsburgh Railroad|work=The Summit County Beacon|date=February 2, 1853|page=3

express CLE for Wells, 10 AM commuter train leaves CLE 4:45 PM Night express leaves CLE at 8:15 PM, stops onl hUdson and ravenna commuter train leaves Allian for CLE at 8:30 AM, commuter train leaves Alliance for CLE at 12:55 PM express leaves Wellsfor CLE at 9:10 PM Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad - New Arrangement The Portage Sentinel (Ravenna, Ohio)18 May 1853, WedPage 2

References

Notes

Citations

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DEFAULTSORT:Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad [[Category:Companies affiliated with the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway [[Category:Defunct Ohio railroads [[Category:Predecessors of the New York Central Railroad [[Category:Railway companies established in 1836 [[Category:Railway companies disestablished in 1868 [[Category:4 ft 10 in gauge railways in the United States [[Category:1836 establishments in Ohio [[Category:Rail transportation in Cleveland