Toledo, Port Clinton and Lakeside Railway
Encyclopedia
The Toledo, Port Clinton and Lakeside Railway was an interurban
electrified
railway system serving northwestern Ohio
's Marblehead Peninsula.
It was incorporated in 1902, began operating in 1905 and only ceased operations in 1958, much later than most other interurbans. It originally linked Genoa
with the resort town of Port Clinton
, a distance of 23 miles, and was then extended to Marblehead
from Port Clinton, a further 12 miles. Originally, the railway's cars entered Toledo
over the Lake Shore Electric Railway's tracks from an interchange at Genoa, but in 1906 the TPC&L constructed its own line into Toledo, connecting with the city's streetcar system at Starr Avenue. The TPC&L ran over streetcar tracks to Toledo's business district. A further three-mile extension to the pier at Bay Point in 1911 gave a ferry connection to Sandusky
.
businessmen led by Theodore Schmitt, who became the firm's first president and invested a substantial proportion of his own money into the venture. Additional funds were acquired through the sale of $1.5 million in bonds
at 5% interest. The cost of constructing the line was reported as $1,542,586 in 1909, or $30,425 per mile, which was a high cost for an interurban; this reflected high quality construction especially of the bridges on the line. While the line had no problems producing an operating profit, the interest payments made for an overall loss at first.
The new ownership invested to improve the railway's freight business, in new cars, and in building new shops and headquarters in Oak Harbor
. The cars were repainted from the TPC&L's plain Pullman green to a livery of bright green and scarlet with gold lettering.
ate into the company's resort traffic. By 1924, ridership was half the 1915 level.
In that year, the company was sold again, to the Cities Service Corporation, mainly once more for its associated power generating business. The line operated as part of the Ohio Public Service Company, the name the cars would bear for a further 21 years. The new company painted the cars in high-visibility "traction orange". The extension to Bay Point was abandoned in 1926. Service levels were cut to only six departures from Toledo a day from a high of fourteen as the Great Depression
hit; only three of these travelled the whole line. Single-man operation was adopted to cut costs in 1932. Ridership continued to fall, until in 1938 only 48,900 passengers rode the line, down from 934,055 in the peak year of 1915.
The Toledo streetcar line decided in 1939 to abandon the Starr Avenue route through which the now OPS's cars entered the city. Rather than cut back service to the edge of town, the company decided that ridership levels were insufficient to continue passenger operation. The last run was on July 11, 1939.
Operation continued as a purely freight carrier. Less-than-carload (LCL) freight had ceased in 1935, but carload traffic interchanged with the railroads continued. The line interchanged with the Toledo Terminal Railroad
, the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway
, the New York Central Railroad
, and the Lakeside and Marblehead Railroad
, and did not parallel any of these lines. The majority of traffic was dolomite
from a quarry in the area, and coal
for a Toledo Edison power plant.
In 1944, the Ohio Public Service Company was forced to divest itself of its railway operations under the 1935 Public Utility Holding Company Act. Local scrap dealer L.P. Kulka purchased the line and began to operate it as the Toledo and Eastern Railroad. He sold it in 1951 to the Standard Slag Company, who in turn sold it in 1953 to Lloyd B. Lyon. The line was highly profitable in these years, but in 1957 the power company began to receive most of its coal by boat and the quarry began shipping via the New York Central. This was 95 percent of the company's traffic.
The company filed for abandonment on January 10, 1958, which was approved on March 13; operations ceased on July 16.
Niles-built passenger car #21 was the first piece of equipment obtained in 1948 by the fledgling Ohio Railway Museum
, and is a rare example of a wooden-bodied interurban car still in operating condition. Car #64, a Kuhlman lightweight, is also at that museum.
Interurban
An interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad; in short a hybrid between tram and train. Interurbans enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were...
electrified
Railway electrification system
A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...
railway system serving northwestern Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
's Marblehead Peninsula.
It was incorporated in 1902, began operating in 1905 and only ceased operations in 1958, much later than most other interurbans. It originally linked Genoa
Genoa, Ohio
Genoa is a village in Ottawa County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,230 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Genoa is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....
with the resort town of Port Clinton
Port Clinton, Ohio
Port Clinton is a city in and the county seat of Ottawa County, Ohio, United States. The population was 6,056 at the 2010 census. The city has been nicknamed the "Walleye Capital of the World."...
, a distance of 23 miles, and was then extended to Marblehead
Marblehead, Ohio
Marblehead is a village in Ottawa County, Ohio, United States. The population was 762 at the 2000 census.It sits at the tip of the Marblehead Peninsula, which divides Lake Erie proper from Sandusky Bay...
from Port Clinton, a further 12 miles. Originally, the railway's cars entered Toledo
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
over the Lake Shore Electric Railway's tracks from an interchange at Genoa, but in 1906 the TPC&L constructed its own line into Toledo, connecting with the city's streetcar system at Starr Avenue. The TPC&L ran over streetcar tracks to Toledo's business district. A further three-mile extension to the pier at Bay Point in 1911 gave a ferry connection to Sandusky
Sandusky, Ohio
Sandusky is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Erie County. It is located in northern Ohio and is situated on the shores of Lake Erie, almost exactly half-way between Toledo to the west and Cleveland to the east....
.
Financing and Construction
The company was founded and initially financed by a group of successful Toledo, OhioToledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
businessmen led by Theodore Schmitt, who became the firm's first president and invested a substantial proportion of his own money into the venture. Additional funds were acquired through the sale of $1.5 million in bonds
Bond (finance)
In finance, a bond is a debt security, in which the authorized issuer owes the holders a debt and, depending on the terms of the bond, is obliged to pay interest to use and/or to repay the principal at a later date, termed maturity...
at 5% interest. The cost of constructing the line was reported as $1,542,586 in 1909, or $30,425 per mile, which was a high cost for an interurban; this reflected high quality construction especially of the bridges on the line. While the line had no problems producing an operating profit, the interest payments made for an overall loss at first.
Supplying Electricity
Power was provided by the railway's own power-house constructed at Port Clinton, which had a capacity well in excess of that needed for the line. Like many interurban companies, the TPC&L began providing electric power to the on-line communities; the sale of power had become almost a quarter of the company's income by 1912. It was that power business, rather than the railway, which made the company a desirable acquisition target, and in 1912 the company was purchased by W.S. Barstow of New York, who purchased the company and all outstanding bonds, the latter at a rate of 65 cents on the dollar. The new operating company under Barstow's ownership was the Northwestern Ohio Railway and Power Company, a subsidiary of his General Gas and Electric Company.The new ownership invested to improve the railway's freight business, in new cars, and in building new shops and headquarters in Oak Harbor
Oak Harbor, Ohio
Oak Harbor is a village in Ottawa County, Ohio, United States. Oak Harbor is 30 miles east of Toledo. The population was 2,841 at the 2000 census...
. The cars were repainted from the TPC&L's plain Pullman green to a livery of bright green and scarlet with gold lettering.
Traction Operation
Without the heavy debt load of the original company, the railway turned a regular if small profit in most years. Ridership reached a peak in 1915 and fell steadily thereafter; cost savings through four new lightweight cars and cheaper power kept the company profitable even as the automobileAutomobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
ate into the company's resort traffic. By 1924, ridership was half the 1915 level.
In that year, the company was sold again, to the Cities Service Corporation, mainly once more for its associated power generating business. The line operated as part of the Ohio Public Service Company, the name the cars would bear for a further 21 years. The new company painted the cars in high-visibility "traction orange". The extension to Bay Point was abandoned in 1926. Service levels were cut to only six departures from Toledo a day from a high of fourteen as the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
hit; only three of these travelled the whole line. Single-man operation was adopted to cut costs in 1932. Ridership continued to fall, until in 1938 only 48,900 passengers rode the line, down from 934,055 in the peak year of 1915.
The Toledo streetcar line decided in 1939 to abandon the Starr Avenue route through which the now OPS's cars entered the city. Rather than cut back service to the edge of town, the company decided that ridership levels were insufficient to continue passenger operation. The last run was on July 11, 1939.
Operation continued as a purely freight carrier. Less-than-carload (LCL) freight had ceased in 1935, but carload traffic interchanged with the railroads continued. The line interchanged with the Toledo Terminal Railroad
Toledo Terminal Railroad
Toledo Terminal Railroad was a railway company in the U.S. state of Ohio. Primarily a switching railroad, it made a complete loop around the city of Toledo, crossing the Maumee River twice....
, the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway
Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway (1916-1988)
The Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway was a Class I railroad mostly within the U.S. state of Ohio. It was leased to the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad in 1949, and merged into the Norfolk and Western Railway in 1988...
, the New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
, and the Lakeside and Marblehead Railroad
Lakeside and Marblehead Railroad
Incorporated on April 17, 1886, at Marblehead, Ohio, the Lakeside and Marblehead Railroad was a short standard gauge railroad that spanned about seven miles in length...
, and did not parallel any of these lines. The majority of traffic was dolomite
Dolomite
Dolomite is a carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate CaMg2. The term is also used to describe the sedimentary carbonate rock dolostone....
from a quarry in the area, and coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
for a Toledo Edison power plant.
Separating the Power and Traction Businesses
The company filed for abandonment on January 10, 1958, which was approved on March 13; operations ceased on July 16.
Niles-built passenger car #21 was the first piece of equipment obtained in 1948 by the fledgling Ohio Railway Museum
Ohio Railway Museum
The Ohio Railway Museum is a railway museum located in Worthington, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus.-History:Established in 1945 and incorporated August 22, 1950, it is the fourth oldest organization involved with the preservation of railroad equipment and railroad history in North America that...
, and is a rare example of a wooden-bodied interurban car still in operating condition. Car #64, a Kuhlman lightweight, is also at that museum.
External links
- Scholarly article about the Toledo Port Clinton and Lakeside, by Professor Douglas V. Shaw, University of Akron, Ohio