| Volume 39 Issue 3 | November 1999 |
| Volume 39 Issue 3 | November 1999 |
The question in last month's Call Board asking about tunnels in Ohio elicited several responses.
Gary Salzgaber provided the following:
Volume 39, Issue 2 of the Call Board asked about tunnels in Ohio. I know of 25 tunnels in Ohio, two of which are still in use. This information is from a 1907 RR map of Ohio and my own photos.
PRR - between Dennison and Mingo Junction 6 Tunnels (Gould Tunnel still Open
CA&C (PRR) - Tunnel Hill (south of Warsaw)
B&O - between Urichsville Junction and Bellaire 4 tunnels
B&O - Cambridge (open)
B&O - Barnsville (under downtown)
OR&W - (narrow gauge) between Duvall and Sarahsville, between Freeland and Spratt
C&MV - east of New Lexington
T&OC - between New Lexington and Hatfield 3 tunnels, between Carpenter and Dexter 3 tunnels
MC&C - (Marietta, Columbus and Cleveland) between Bishopsville and Marietta 2 tunnels
DT&I - between Royersville and Vesuvius
I probably have missed a few.
Gary Salzgaber
Norm Courtney provided the following:
Some Ohio rail tunnels:
Belmont County: The bikeway in St. Clairsville uses an abandoned rail grade and passes through a refurbished tunnel.
Perry County: On NS Dearborn Subdivision.
(1) MP 49.5 south of New Lexington-644' long.
(2) MP 55 near Moxahala-1275' lons with S curve and grade crest inside tunnel.
Meigs County: NS Dearborn Subdivision.
(1) MP 99.5 near Dyesville-Nicolas Tunnel-300' long.
(2) MP 100.8 south of Dyesville-Wilson Tunnel-300' long.
(3) MP 102 north of Dexter-Dunbar Tunnel-106' long.
Vinton County: On abandoned CSX grade in Zaleski State Forest. Moonville Tunnel-access limited-bridges are gone. (Old B&O mainline).
I'll send more as I find them.
Norm
Editor's Comments
Many people think that Ohio is flat. Most of the major transportation routes through the state are north of the glacier stop line. From my own travels around the state I am very familiar with the southeast and can attest to the very non-flat geography. The grades climbing out of the Ohio River valley required some of the largest steam locomotives the B&O stabled. The Erie line from Mansfield to Marion had a grade profile that rivaled a roller coaster for short choppy hills. The PRR line from Yellowcreek to Bayard still requires helpers on the coal drags run by NS. The coal branches around Nelsonville had some pretty hefty grades and sharp curves.
For the flatlanders, the agricultural portions of the state are still dotted with large grain elevators. The high speed lines across the northwest have miles of tangent track and lots of trains. If you like ports, try Toledo or Cleveland. Ohio had a large narrow gauge history and an even larger interurban network. You can find and example of almost any kind of railroading in Ohio.
© 1999 Division 3, MCR, NMRA