Warren County
Local History by Dallas Bogan |
Contributor: |
Dallas Bogan on 7 September 2004 |
Source: |
original article by Dallas Bogan |
Return to Index to see a list of other articles by Dallas Bogan |
A new electric traction line from Lebanon to Xenia was on the agenda as a
part of a rail system connecting the two cities. In the early part of 1909,
an announcement was made that the new line might actually be constructed. The
advantage of such a system would be to place Lebanon in the center of system
which would prove beneficial to the city.
The announced decision was to merge the Swing Line to Hillsboro, the Kroger
Line to Blanchester, the Cincinnati, Georgetown and Portsmouth line and the
three lines of the Interurban Railway and Terminal Company, put them under a
common management and give all of them a rapid entrance over the new road.
Reasoning behind this proposal would be better times from Lebanon and Cincinnati
in an hour and a half, a saving of forty minutes from the present schedule.
The changing of the Rapid Railway to a standard gauge would give an acceptable
entrance to Cincinnati, which in turn would remove a huge obstacle to the building
of the much requested route from Lebanon, through Waynesville and Spring Valley
and to Xenia. This Xenia-Lebanon system would be the completion of a link in
a system of electric roads from Bellefontaine, via Urbana, Springfield, Xenia
and Lebanon to Cincinnati and also from Columbus to Cincinnati via Springfield
and Xenia, which would be shorter than the steam roads and much shorter than
the present traction connection through Dayton and Hamilton. One advantage cited
was that an air line from Cleveland to Cincinnati passes within less than five
miles of both Lebanon and Xenia. The running time from Springfield to Cincinnati
would be but three and quarter hours which is much shorter than Pennsylvania
Railroad or the Big Four. Pennsylvania Railroad calculated the distance from
Xenia to Cincinnati to be ten miles shorter than. Also, Spring Valley and Waynesville
and surrounding country would be given regular service over a route ten miles
shorter. This proposed electric railroad never took place.
A very intense study was initiated, but the consequences were apparently weighed
and thus the end of a dream for Lebanon was abandoned.
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This page created 7 September 2004 and last updated
28 September, 2008
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