The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Lake Branch was a 64-mile railroad connecting Painesville (Fairport Harbor) to Warren, Ohio. It connected the Great Lakes to the industrial heart of Ohio.
The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Lake Branch was a 64-mile railroad connecting Painesville (Fairport Harbor) to Warren, Ohio. It connected the Great Lakes to the industrial heart of Ohio.
History
Early Development
The railroad originated in 1870 as the Painesville & Youngstown Railroad after purchasing the partially completed Painesville & Hudson Railroad. 3 The new line extended between Farmington and Fairport Harbor. By January 1873, trains were operating between Painesville and Chardon. 1 Later that year, the company was reorganized as the Painesville, Youngstown & Pittsburgh Railroad. 3
The route was extended to Niles in 1874 and later to Youngstown, eventually reaching a total length of 61.8 miles. 1 It was the first narrow-gauge railroad in Ohio constructed for common-carrier service. Financial difficulties led to foreclosure in 1877, and in 1879, the property was sold to three businessmen who reorganized it as the Painesville & Youngstown Railway.
In 1886, the line was converted to standard gauge and leased to the Pittsburgh & Western Railroad. 1 In 1890, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) acquired control of the route, after which it became known as the Lake Branch.
Operations
The Lake Branch developed into an important industrial artery linking the coalfields of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia with Lake Erie shipping at Fairport Harbor and the steel mills farther south. 1 Coal shipments to Fairport Harbor began in the mid-1870s, and by 1877, approximately 200 tons per day were being loaded by hand into vessels. Iron ore shipments to Youngstown commenced in June 1879, establishing a steady north–south exchange of raw materials.
To increase efficiency, the Bartlett elevator machine was installed at Fairport Harbor in 1892 and was replaced in 1906 by the McMyler coal dumper. 1 Traffic intensified during World War I, when as many as 30 trains per day reportedly operated over the Lake Branch. Coal dumping peaked in 1928, when 1,855,000 tons were handled. Iron ore shipments from the Fairport Harbor dock ended in 1943 after the facility became obsolete. The McMyler dumper remained in operation until December 4, 1964, though it was limited to 50-ton cars and was considered outdated. Coal traffic continued to Painesville, where shipments were interchanged with the New York Central for further distribution.
Fairport Harbor emerged as a significant industrial center during this period. 1 The B&O owned grain elevators at the harbor and, in 1891, constructed the Fairport Warehouse and Elevator, with a capacity of one million bushels; it was later sold to Staley. In 1912, Diamond Alkali established a chemical plant to supply soda ash to the Pittsburgh glass industry. Other enterprises included commercial fishing operations, the Fairport Machine Shop, a brick works, and the Cleveland Leather Company.
Operational activity extended inland to DeForest and Warren. 1 At its peak, the railroad maintained 17 crew assignments based at DeForest, nine of which provided switching service for Republic Steel in Warren. The line also served Luntz Iron & Steel, Copperweld Steel, and automobile stamping plants in Detroit through interchange at Toledo. DeForest functioned as the base for eight district runs, and during the 1960s and 1970s, the B&O employed approximately 125 workers in Warren.
Passenger Service
By 1892, the line supported two daily passenger trains in each direction, along with two mixed trains. 1 Regular passenger service ended in 1931. However, special excursion trains—known as the “Maple Specials”—operated between Pittsburgh and Chardon during the Maple Festival until 1956.
Decline and Abandonment
With the collapse of the steel industry in Youngstown and the broader decline of heavy manufacturing in the region, traffic on the Lake Branch steadily diminished.
In November 1974, the B&O proposed abandoning and dismantling 29.7 miles of the Lake Branch between North Warren and Chardon. 2 The remaining 14.9 miles were not included in the proposal; however, that segment would have lost its directional connection with the B&O system.
At the time, train operations over the branch consisted of daily service originating from New Castle, Pennsylvania, and Paintsville, Ohio. 2 To maintain service to remaining customers, the B&O proposed acquiring trackage rights over either the Norfolk & Western Railway between Cleveland and Painesville or the Penn Central Railroad line between Cleveland and Painesville or Warren, Ashtabula, and Painesville.
Traffic on the portion slated for abandonment was limited. In 1973, the line generated only 137 carloads, consisting primarily of farm and food products, stone, clay, and glass products, and other non-metallic minerals. 2 Manufacturing activity was concentrated largely at Middlefield, with most overall traffic generated in the Painesville area.
The line was abandoned in 1982. 1
Rail to Trail
Following the abandonment of the Lake Branch, the Ohio Division of Parks expressed interest in acquiring the corridor for trail development. 2 In 1986, the Geauga County Park District acquired the line within the county. 6
The conversion of the abandoned railroad corridor into a recreational trail proceeded in phases. In 2001, a 4.4-mile segment extending from Painesville south to the Geauga County line opened at a cost of $2.9 million as part of the Lake Metroparks Greenway Corridor. 6 8 The project was funded through a federal ISTEA highway grant administered by the Ohio Department of Transportation, with Lake Metroparks providing engineering and planning services. In 2002–2003, the trail was extended an additional 4.2 miles south to Chardon at a cost of $1.2 million, which opened as the Maple Highlands Trail. 8 A further extension running east and south to Headwaters Park opened in 2007. 6
A significant improvement included the construction of a new bridge over the East Branch of the Cuyahoga River. 4 In September 2013, a covered bridge assembled off-site was lifted into place with a 500-ton crane and set onto the original concrete abutments once it was more than 70 percent complete. The structure was built by Geauga County Park District crews and received the 2013 Governor’s Award for Parks and Recreation.
On April 21, 2018, a 6.4-mile segment of the Maple Highlands Trail opened between Headwaters Park and the Swine Creek Reservation. 7 The project included 3.5 miles of trail owned by the Village of Middlefield.
Within Chardon, efforts to close a gap in the Maple Highlands Trail advanced in two stages. Phase I, extending from Fifth Avenue to Water Street, opened in 2015. 5 Phase II, continuing from Fifth Avenue to South Street, was dedicated on September 16, 2021.
A short portion of the former line in Warren became the Western Reserve Greenway Trail.
Gallery
Sources
- Fleischer, Richard K. “Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Lake Branch and the Painesville & Youngstown Railway.” Trumbull County Historical Society, 2025.
- Interstate Commerce Commission. Environmental Threshold Assessment Survey: Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company Abandonment, Portion Lake Branch, North Warren to Chardon, in Trumbull and Geauga Counties, Ohio. 21 Apr. 1976.
- “The Fairport Branch.” Abandoned Rails.
- “Maple Highlands Trail.” Portland Bolt, Sept 2013.
- Morrison, Marah. “Maple Highlands Trail final phase in Chardon reaches a happy ending.” News-Herald, 17 Sept. 2021.
- Downing, Bob. “Sweet excursions.” Akron Beacon Journal, 2 May 2010, pp. E6-E7.
- Rusek, Joan. “Ceremony to open new stretch of multi-use Maple Highlands Trail.” Chagrin Solon Sun, 19 Apr. 2018, p. A9.
- Scott, Michael. “Soil under bike path being built in Lake County will be tested.” Plain Dealer, 8 Apr. 2001, p. 2B.
Be First to Comment