Last fall I came across the Little Miami Railroad when visiting Yellow Springs, Ohio. When visiting the town the Yellow Springs Chamber-Commerce caught my attention. This 1998 building is a reproduction of the original Little Miami Depot.
The Little Miami Railroad isn’t so little running 84 miles from Cincinnati to Springfield, Ohio. Prior to building this railroad line the waterways served as the best way to transport goods. These rails would see nearly two dozen trains carry both passenger and freight trains.
The Little Miami Railroad like many of the other railroads merged with others throughout the years. Penn Central was struggling to keep the railroad afloat with most of the rail traffic using the form New York Central Railroad that connect the three big cities Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland, Ohio. With the demise of Little Miami, the state of Ohio DOT purchased the 78-mile route converting it into the Little Miami Scenic Trail. Currently, this is the fourth-longest paved rail trail in the United States going through five southwest counties in Ohio.
As the weather gets warmer I hope to bike this historical railroad line and see what railroad-related remnants are left.
