The Western Ohio Railway

The Western Ohio Railway

And the Minster and Loramie Railway Company, the Fostoria and Fremont Railway

Written by: Scott D. Trostel
Softbound: 91 pages

Non-Members: $33.00 + $5.00 Postage and handling
Members: $23.00 + $5.00 Postage and handling

As the 20th century opened, so did the rapid rise of interest in the systems of mass transit.  It was a sign of progress right along the side the invention and use of electric generation.  The Western Ohio Railway was part of a grand plan to connect Cleveland, Toledo and Cincinnati by a line of interurban railways.  It was virtually unheard of, but two visionaries from Cleveland embarked on the project.

The Western Ohio Railway was to connect the Dayton and Troy Electric Railway at Piqua with the Toledo, Urbana and Interurban Railway at Findlay via the important industrial town of Lima.

By 1901 proposals were put forth for the detailed route of the railway.  It meant the end of rural isolation and the introduction of electric into the smaller rural villages along with the rural dweller.  It was a group of determined businessmen who finally brought reality to the proposed electric railway when they began constructing the Western Ohio Railway, to connect the city of Piqua with the city of Findlay.