Cincinnati Street Connecting Railway

The Cincinnati Street Connecting Railway was a short 2.5 mile line along Cincinnati, Ohio’s riverfront, connecting the Indianapolis & Cincinnati and Little Miami.

History

The Cincinnati Street Connecting Railway (CSC Ry.) was a short 2.5 mile railroad between the Ohio River and downtown in Cincinnati, Ohio.(1) The line was constructed in 1864 connected the Little Miami Railroad to the east, with the Indianapolis & Cincinnati to the west. In 1877, the line was leased to the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railway Company (PC&St.L), part of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company (PRR).

At the railroad’s eastern terminus, there were three connections:(3)

• The L&N via the Newport & Cincinnati Ohio Bridge bridge.
• The Panhandle Station, where it connected with terminal trackage that once served as the center of the 1881 PRR passenger station on Pearl Street. It also connected with industrial trackage on Eggleston Avenue, to the Cincinnati, Lebanon & Northern’s Court Street station, and other industries.
• Eastward along the the Little Miami Railroad’s “Cincinnati” block towards Milford. This was later renamed “Oasis” in 1962.(3)

In 1933, the Cincinnati Union Terminal opened, and the PRR stopped interchanging Pullmans via the CSC Ry.(1) The line continued to be operated by the Penn Central, PRR’s successor, in 1968.

In 1976, with the beginning of Conrail, the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton (DT&I) gained trackage rights to access Southern Railway’s Gest Street yard. The City of Cincinnati began pushing for the abandonment of the CSC Ry. at this time,(1) due to redevelopment of the riverfront that included the Riverfront Stadium and Sawyer Point.(2)

In 1983, Norfolk Southern purchased the CSC Ry., although it remained in operation for only three more years.(1) The line was dismantled east of Broadway Street in 2000.(1)(2)

Gallery

Sources

1. Tipton, Rick. “The PRR in Cincinnati.” The Pennsylvania Railroad in Cincinnati. By Rick Tipton and Chuck Blardone. Altoona: Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society, 2004. 7-8.
2. Jakucyk, Jeffrey B. “Cincinnati Traction History.” 18 Jan. 2009 Article.
3. Tipton, Rick. “The PRR in Cincinnati.” The Pennsylvania Railroad in Cincinnati. By Rick Tipton and Chuck Blardone. Altoona: Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society, 2004. 55-56.