Cleveland, Akron and Columbus Railroad

The Cleveland, Akron and Columbus Railroad (nicknamed the "Blue Grass Route of Ohio"^[3]) was a railroad company in the U.S. state of Ohio. It connected its namesake cities and served as a vital link for later parent Pennsylvania Railroad to connect Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio.^[4]

Cleveland, Akron and Columbus Railroad

Overview
Headquarters	Akron, Ohio
Locale	Ohio, United States
Dates of operation	1885 (1885)–
Predecessor	Cleveland, Mount Vernon and Delaware Railroad
Successor	Cleveland, Akron & Cincinnati Railway (1911, internal) Pennsylvania Company
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Length	196.95 mi (316.96 km)[1]
Route map v t e Legend Cleveland Hudson Cuyahoga Falls Akron New Portage Clinton Warwick Marshalville Orrville Apple Creek Fredericksburg Holmesville Millersburg Killbuck Black Creek Gann Danville Howard Gambler Mount Vernon Bangs Mount Liberty Centerburg Condit Sunbury Galena Westerville Columbus Sources: [2]

History

Share of the Cleveland, Akron and Columbus Railway Company, issued 31 January 1901

The company was formed through a reorganization of the Cleveland, Mount Vernon and Delaware Railroad^{[note 1]} on December 7, 1881, as the Cleveland, Akron and Columbus Railroad.^[6] It was rumored in 1881 that the line might become part of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad system, as officials of that company had made visits to the property at the time.^[6] The reorganization became effective on December 31, 1885, with the first trains running under the new name Cleveland, Akron and Columbus Railway on January 1, 1886.^[7][8]

During the late 1880s and most of the 1890s, the railroad was controlled by Dutch investment firm Maatschappij tot Beheer van het Adminstratisckanteer van Amerikaansche Spoorwegwaarden (Company for the Management of the Administrative Office of American Railways).^[9] In later years the railroad was also controlled by the Lake Erie and Western Railroad.

Rumors of control by the Pennsylvania Railroad floated in the mid-1890s,^[10] with control of the CA&C ultimately gained in 1899.^[7] The CA&C merged with the Cincinnati and Muskingum Valley Railroad in 1911.^[11] Passenger services on the line ended on December 14, 1950.^[4]

Notes

1. The CMV&D was chartered on March 17, 1851, as a subsidiary of the Cleveland and Pittsburg Railroad.^[5]