Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad

Toledo, Delphos and Burlington Railroad

The Toledo, Delphos and Burlington Railroad extended from Toledo, via Delphos, Dayton, Chillicothe and Wellston to Dean. From Dean, it proceeded south to Ironton via the Iron Railroad (later part of the Detroit, Toledo and Ironton).

Wellston Division

In 1878, the Dayton and Southeastern (D&SE), later known as the CH&D Wellston Division, proposed a line southeast of Dayton towards Wellston.(3) The D&SE was completed in this regard in December.(1)

In Jackson County, the railroad followed Pigeon Creek from Vinton County to Byer, and arrived at Coalton from the northwest.(3) At Coalton, the railroad overlapped with the Springfield, Jackson and Pomeroy Railroad, which later became part of the DT&I.

The D&SE opened up the town to the coalfields north and northwest of the city, which spurred the development of additional coal mines in the region. The first mines along the route opened in the vicinity of Glen Neil, with spurs going to the east and west of the railroad.(3) At the northern edge of Coalton was one of the most famous mines in the region. Known as the Patterson Mine, it was owned by the Southern Ohio Coal and Iron Company — also known as the S.O.C.&I. mine, or “Sock-In-Eye.” John Patterson used the world’s first cash register at the Patterson mine’s company store, and led to the founding of the National Cash Register Co. in Dayton. In 1893, the Superior Coal Company purchased the mine and enlarged it, becoming the biggest underground mine in the county.(3)

The line was extended east to Wellston in 1880.(3) At Glen Roy, the Ohio Southern took a southern route into Wellston via Ironton Junction, and served several shaft mines.

In 1895, the Wellston & Jackson Belt Railway, later known as the Hocking Valley Railroad Jackson Branch, was constructed from McArthur Junction, near Dundas to Wellston and Jackson, paralleling the Ohio Southern.(3)

The first passenger train was run between Dayton and Wellston on December 28, 1893, running until February 1933.

South to Ironton

The Toledo, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railroad (TC&St.L) was completed in 1882 as a narrow gauge line from Ironton Junction south of Wellston to Bartles, and standard gauged in 1887 after going through receiverships and acquisitions beginning in 1884. The TC&St.L eventually became part of the CH&D in 1891. The line south of Ironton Junction included four tunnels:

• Tunnel #1 at Hoadley was brick lined.
• Tunnel #2 at Hoadley was 693 feet long with a rock interior and timber portals, and partially concrete lined in 1916.
• Tunnel #3 at Tar Kiln Run east of Dean, which has collapsed.
• Tunnel #4 at Royersville, which was operated by the Iron Railroad, later part of the Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad (DT&I). This tunnel is unlined.

In 1916, some tunnel improvements were completed south of Wellston at Tunnel #2. Just one year later, however, the CH&D became part of the B&O Toledo Division and the railroad south of Wellston, totaling 35 miles, was abandoned.(1)(4) There was a lack of originating traffic along the CH&D due to a lack of minable coal and other industries.

Branches

The CH&D Buckeye Branch left Wellston going southeast, following Little Racoon Creek for several miles and then split into two branches at Downard.(2) The southern fork went through the vicinity of the Buckeye Furnace, while the northern branch traveled along Rich Run. The line was dismantled from the former Stone Wall Jackson Mine to #17 on the Buckeye Branch on February 23, 1942.(1) The remainder of the Buckeye Branch from McNally Pittsburg to #17 was abandoned on February 2, 1969.

South of Berlin Crossroads, the CH&D ran a spur line from the Ironton Branch to the McKell Mine.(2) Years later, the B&O SW would almost parallel the McKell spur with tracks into the Broken Aro strip mine tipple. Another spur at Gee Town, several mines south of Berlin Crossroads, served two mines.