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Brief History of the Peavine
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Posted to Facebook History of the Peavine Group Page October 26, 2018 by Roger Myers. Description from post
A brief synopsis of the history of the Peavine
In early 1876 Samuel Woodward had a vision and a dream. He felt that a railroad running between the ohio river and the Marietta and Cincinnati Railroads from Cincinnati to Portsmouth would bring about great profit and community pride. HIs goals where not just to build a company but to invest in the future of the region. As such he met with the community leaders and members in Batavia and togther they formed "The CIncinnati, Batavia and Williamsburgh Railroad Company" They had a begining assets of $200,000 in capital stock while also receiving many donations of land and money. Thus was the civic pride and desire to have a railroad at the time.
Construction was begun at Batavia Junction in May 1876 where the Little Miami Railroad ran. It began working its way eastward towards Batavia along the Little Miami river valley and several other creeks. Sticking to the valleys meant that it would require less power and more cars could be pulled. That same month the Clermont County court of common pleas ruled that the company had to change its name to the Cincinnati and Eastern Railroad Company.
The line arrived at Batavia on October 18th 1876 inaugurating service with much fanfare. Members of the community greeted the trains with bands, militia salutes and the board of the company where feted like conquering heroes of yore. March 1 1877 saw this repeated in Williamsburg, Mount Oreb a month later on April 19th, Sardinia on June 4th and the end of the line at Winchester in September of 1877. Each of these communities felt a gret sense of pride and joy at being part of the line. These communities where not the only ones the racks ran through but the largest. Smaller communites or stations along the main line where South Milford, Elstun, Cahoon, East Liberty, Hulick, Summit, Afton Eastwood, White Oak, Five Points, and Vanceburg.
This early railroad was a narrow guage of 36 inches between the rails. The road was gravel ballasted only in soft and muddy areas with compacted dirt in most areas. Locomotives where wood burning and hauled only 4 or 5 cars behind them at most. Cars where coupled with hook and chain whereby two hooks met and joined as in a child's trainset with two heavy chains similar to how you tow a boat today between the cars. Over the uneven and often bumpy rails having cars become uncoupled was a frequent occurance. Fortunately speeds where quite low averaging 10 to 12 mph, although the express could reach up to 16 miles per hour.
In the fall of 1877 the Cincinnati and Eastern began to work their way westward towards Cincinnati itself after acheiving their goal of Winchester in the east. They begun to build a line the 5 miles towards Miami Junction in the Duck Creek Valley but the Miami Valley Railroad had not completed their part of the construction so there was some delay. The Cincinnati and Eastern was unable to reach the area known as Idlewild near Norwood until 1878. While this was part of the Cincinnati and Eastern it was not traditionally considered part of the Peavine, nor was the branch Line that went to New Richmond. The Peavine being that part of the line from Batavia Junction (or Clare) to Vera Junction near Portsmouth. The Hillsboro branch or the old Columbus and Maysville line is generally considered part of the Peavine as it made a junction at Sardinia.
The Cincinnati and Eastern went into receivership in January of 1879 due to lack of return on the stock subscriptions as well as expense of acquiring and building so much line so rapidly. The receiver was a local lawyer and businessman Stephen Feihe from Batavia Ohio. He had his own private locomotive and coach that he travelled on the various lines with. Receivership still did not prevent them building their New Richmond branch and opening it by March 1 1880. The Ohio River Line as it was known ran from Batavia Junction near Newtown to New Richmond via Mount Carmel, Tobasco, Pleasant Hill, Ohio River, New Palestine, and Blairville. That line suffered a massive set back in 1885 with the collapse of a trestle and finally failed in 1887 with the track being removed by 1889.
As of 1880 the CIncinnati and Eastern had 4 locomotives, 3 of them modern coal burning and equipped with Westinghouse air brakes, average weight of 54,800 pounds. Two 16,000 pound Express and Baggage cars, 4 modern passenger coaches with cast iron coal burning stoves at each end and lit by lard oil lanterns seating about 30 people weighing 18,000 pounds on average. Freight though was as it still is today the primary moneymaker for the line. 60 freight cars where owned and carried 21,000 tons of freight in the year 1879. 66,000 passengers rode the line in that same time. 93 employees ensured that the railroad was well served and equipped. In many ways the railroad was ahead of its time by hiring women as station clerks and ticket agents. Fuel was consumed at 70 and half cords of woods and 1150 tons of coal a year on average.
In 1880 the Cincinnai and Eastern assumed a 100 year lease on the Columbus and Maysville between Hillsboro and Ripley. The cost of this lease was fortunetly nothing as the board of the C&M where many of the members of the C&E board or otherwise business associates of said members, and they made an agreement with themselves.
The Peavine continued its eastward march in 1880 after the stockholders voted to sell more stocks and more money was raised through deals and public subscription. In the fall of 1882 it reached Peebles, May 1883 it reached Rarden and by fall Otway and Henley had been reached. By early 1884 McDermitt, and Rushtown where on the line. This left only 1 major obstacle in the form of the Scioto River.
A contract was let out and within a year grading and filling was completed on the 900 foot approach to a 1000 foot Howe truss multiple span bridge across the Scioto River permitting the line to reach Vera in the Fall of 1884. The first train arriving in Portsmouth at the 10th street station only a few weeks later with much fanfare and excitement. It was considered a great and momentous event linking the two cities together. The mayors of both cities, state and even federal representatives where there, railroad executives such as Samuel Woodward shook hands and there was an air of excitement and unbridled hope for the future of Southern Ohio.
In 1886 the Cincinnati and Eastern had its last gasp. Samuel Woodward had moved on to other projects and had left the railroad industry by this time. So the line was sold lock stock and rails to the Cincinnati Hamilton and Dayton Railroad. This company was only in possession of the Peavine for a few months before it was sold again to the newly formed Ohio & Northwestern Railroad. During this time the Peavine had been changed from narrow guage to standard guage then back to narrow guage.
In 1889 another 5 miles was added to the line. Since this was past Vera it is not considered officially part of the Peavine, even if it was part of the eventual plans of the Ohio and Northwestern to reach Gallipolis over their own tracks.
1891 was another year of reorganization. The line was reorganizaed into the Cincinnati Portsmouth and Virginia Railroad. The line was rebuilt into standard guage from end to end to integrate into the general rail network and expansion plans where tabled as trackage rights where seen as more effective. The CP&V ran trains from Court street in Cincinnati all the way to Sciotoville and beyond over trackage rights into coal country. The tracks had ran over the same alignment since they where first laid down in 1876, but in 1897 the length out of the East Fork of the Little Miami River valley at Batavia to Maywood was realigned. Reducing the grade from 2.5% to just under 1% which is still used to this day.
The Norfolk and Western added the Peavine to their growing web of trackage in 1901. This included the former C&M tracks linking HIllsboro to Ripley via Sardinia even though they had only been technically leased having become part of the various companies.
The Scioto River bridge had come to the end of its useable lifespan in the year 1913 having been made of wood. The N&W had the ability and desire to invest in the latest technology so they contracted with the American Bridge Company of Pittsburgh PA to build a new and modern steel bridge across the river with a span of 1000 including 900 foot approachs graded 4 feet higher than the previous bridge. This bridge was overbuilt by 15% so that it would last for an extended period. Multiple floods and almost 100 years of use showed the soundness of that investment.
Another span was replaced in 1941 over Dry Run Creek by the Virginia Bridge Company. A few years later in 1947 the route was realigned between Plum Run and Jaybird due to a stone quarry opening at Plum Run. Passenger trains ran over the Peavine until 1971 when N&W ceased service. 1982 saw the N&W merge with the Southern Railroad to form the Norfolk and Southern Railroad which is still in existence today.
By the year 2004 much of the Peavine was showing its age. Much of the traffic was gone as customers and the thrill of rail had both faded. The last vestiges of the Hillsboro branch was a length of Y at Sardinia that ended at Route 32 as the entire rest of the line had been removed in 1999. The bridge over 32 on the Hillsboro Branch lasting a few years longer to 2012 when it too was removed. As for the mainline it was railbanked east of Jaybird in 2004 and has had no work done on it since then. It is overgrown and a major slip has occured. Supposedly the bridge over the Scioto river is unsafe. And in 2018 they cut the line off at Vera. So the Peavine no longer makes a complete connection. IN many ways it has come full circle. Ironically there is even a short line rail road operating on the western end of the mainline calling itself the Cincinnati and Eastern.
It is doubtful the Peavine will ever regain its former glory. To be honest within the next 50 years it may be a bicycle trail or a ghost on the landscape as so many other lines have become. Too much has changed and too much lost for its resurgence. Sadly the Peavine has withered and is in its autumn
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Location:
Peavine
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Date: 11/2/2018
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Source:
Roger Myers Collection
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Photo ID: 1863
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Photo Link:
Click Here To See Original
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Categories:
Peavine Documents |
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