The Muskingum Electric Railroad was a private coal-carrying

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

owned by

American Electric Power American Electric Power (AEP), (railcar reporting mark: AEPX) is a major investor-owned electric utility in the United States, delivering electricity to more than five million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation's largest g ...

, and started operation in 1968. MERR shuttled coal in two trains from the mine to a powerplant at Relief, Ohio (across from Beverly, OH), a distance of 20 miles (32 km). The trains were driverless and powered by automated

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable en ...

E50C's. The road also owned two private cars, Dover Fort and Oak Lane. The line is now defunct as the captive coal mine has since run out of economically recoverable coal. The coal was harvested by the largest

dragline A dragline excavator is a piece of heavy equipment used in civil engineering and surface mining. Draglines fall into two broad categories: those that are based on standard, lifting cranes, and the heavy units which have to be built on-site. ...

ever to be built, "

Big Muskie Big Muskie was a coal mining Bucyrus-Erie dragline excavator owned by the Central Ohio Coal Company (formerly a division of American Electric Power), weighing and standing nearly 22 stories tall. It operated in the U.S. state of Ohio from 1 ...

". The railroad closed in January 2002. The line was the first automated railroad in the U.S.

References

External links

Elwood's Fallen Flags Page for MERRBig Muskie Dragline fan page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muskingum Electric Railroad Defunct Ohio railroads Electric railways in Ohio Railway companies established in 1968 Railway companies disestablished in 2002 1968 establishments in Ohio American Electric Power Mining railways in the United States Transportation in Washington County, Ohio Coal mining in the United States