The Proposed Xenia-Lebanon Line

A new electric traction line from Lebanon to Xenia was on the agenda as a part of a rail system connecting the two cities. In the early part of 1909, an announcement was made that the new line might actually be constructed. The advantage of such a system would be to place Lebanon in the center of system which would prove beneficial to the city.
The announced decision was to merge the Swing Line to Hillsboro, the Kroger Line to Blanchester, the Cincinnati, Georgetown and Portsmouth line and the three lines of the Interurban Railway and Terminal Company, put them under a common management and give all of them a rapid entrance over the new road.
Reasoning behind this proposal would be better times from Lebanon and Cincinnati in an hour and a half, a saving of forty minutes from the present schedule. The changing of the Rapid Railway to a standard gauge would give an acceptable entrance to Cincinnati, which in turn would remove a huge obstacle to the building of the much requested route from Lebanon, through Waynesville and Spring Valley and to Xenia. This Xenia-Lebanon system would be the completion of a link in a system of electric roads from Bellefontaine, via Urbana, Springfield, Xenia and Lebanon to Cincinnati and also from Columbus to Cincinnati via Springfield and Xenia, which would be shorter than the steam roads and much shorter than the present traction connection through Dayton and Hamilton. One advantage cited was that an air line from Cleveland to Cincinnati passes within less than five miles of both Lebanon and Xenia. The running time from Springfield to Cincinnati would be but three and quarter hours which is much shorter than Pennsylvania Railroad or the Big Four. Pennsylvania Railroad calculated the distance from Xenia to Cincinnati to be ten miles shorter than. Also, Spring Valley and Waynesville and surrounding country would be given regular service over a route ten miles shorter. This proposed electric railroad never took place.
A very intense study was initiated, but the consequences were apparently weighed and thus the end of a dream for Lebanon was abandoned.

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This page created 7 September 2004 and last updated 28 September, 2008
© 2004 Arne H Trelvik  All rights reserved