Ohio Electric Railway
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The Ohio Electric Railway was an
interurban The interurban (or radial railway in Canada) is a type of electric railway, with tram-like electric self-propelled railcars which run within and between cities or towns. The term "interurban" is usually used in North America, with other terms u ...
railroad formed in 1907 with the consolidation of 14 smaller interurban railways. It was
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
's largest interurban, connecting Toledo,
Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
,
Dayton Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...
, Columbus, and
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
. At its peak it operated of track. Never financially healthy, the company went bankrupt in 1921 and was dissolved into its constituent companies.


History

The Ohio Electric Railway was formed on May 16, 1907. The organizers of the new company were Randal Morgan, W. Kesley Schoepf, and Hugh J. McGowan. Beginning in September 1907 and continuing into 1908 the new company acquired or leased the fourteen other companies which would comprise its system: * Cincinnati, Dayton and Toledo Traction * Columbus and Lake Michigan Railroad * Columbus, Buckeye Lake and Newark Traction * Columbus, Grove City and South Western Railway * Columbus, London and Springfield Railway * Dayton and Muncie Traction * Dayton and Western Traction * Dayton, Springfield and Urbana Electric Railway * Fort Wayne, Van Wert and Lima Traction Company * Indiana Columbus and Eastern Traction * Lima and Toledo Traction * Lima Electric Railway and Light * Springfield and Western Railway * Urbana, Bellefontaine and Northern Railway The Ohio Electric proved to be financially unsound. It paid no dividends during its corporate existence and lost $1.5 million as a result of the
Great Dayton Flood The Great Dayton Flood of 1913, part of the Great Flood of 1913, resulted from flooding by the Great Miami River reaching Dayton, Ohio, and the surrounding area, causing the greatest natural disaster in Ohio history. In response, the Ohio Gener ...
in 1913. In 1918 it spun off its Cincinnati–Dayton line to the Cincinnati and Dayton Traction company. This trend continued in 1920 when spun off the Dayton and Western Traction in its entirety. The end came in 1921: the company went bankrupt and dissolved. Most of the constituent companies went bankrupt as well, but continued operating. Several companies would later come together to form the
Cincinnati and Lake Erie Railroad The Cincinnati and Lake Erie Railroad (C&LE) was a short-lived electric interurban railway that operated in 1930–1939 Depression-era Ohio and ran between the major cities of Cincinnati, Dayton, Springfield, Columbus, and Toledo. It had a ...
in 1930.


See also

*
Cincinnati and Lake Erie Railroad The Cincinnati and Lake Erie Railroad (C&LE) was a short-lived electric interurban railway that operated in 1930–1939 Depression-era Ohio and ran between the major cities of Cincinnati, Dayton, Springfield, Columbus, and Toledo. It had a ...
* Roche de Boeuf Interurban Bridge


Notes


References

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Further reading

* * {{Middleton-Interurban Defunct Ohio railroads Interurban railways in Ohio 1907 establishments in Ohio Railway companies established in 1907 Railway companies disestablished in 1921 American companies disestablished in 1921