One of the first spots I found while railfanning in Ohio, that has become one of my favorites is Glendale. This village has so much charm with its local shops and restaurants. It is refreshing to see a town without strip malls and chain stores.
The Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railway was trying to purchase the right way for its new railroad line. Springdale didn’t want trains traveling through its community. Just east of Springdale the railway was able to purchase a strip of land through a farm. This farmland soon became the Village of Glendale.
September 1851 the first trains would travel the 59-mile route from Cincinnati to Dayton, Ohio. The original Glendale train station would serve as the heart of the village even serving as a post office, village hall, and even as a jail. In 1880 station was replaced by a brick structure after the original wooden building was leveled by fire. At its peak, the station would have seen 14 passenger trains daily. After the mid-1920 passenger service became less frequent and stopped altogether in 1964. In 1997 the station would become the home of the Glendale Heritage Preservation Museum and gift shop.
Today this line is known as the CSX Cincinnati Terminal Subdivision. This northern route serves both CSX and Norfolk Southern freight trains. Norfolk Southern trains will be mostly seen using this line heading northbound out of Cincinnati. Southbound Norfolk Southern traffic to Cincinnati would take Norfolk Southern’s New Castle District.
This is a great location for railfanning with lots of public parking and park benches facing the right of way. The CSX northbound signals can be easily seen.
A great place for lunch or dinner in the village is Cock & Bull Public House. This Irish pub offers great food and I highly recommend the fish & chips. Enjoy some delicious food and watch the trains zoom past or dine al fresco on the top deck where you can feel your table vibrate with each passing train.
