I have a series of caches in Kentucky that highlight remaining features of abandoned railroads. In some cases, it is obvious where they ran, but in other cases it is almost impossible to tell. I am going to continue my numbering sequence, but if you want to find the first 60 or so, you’ll have to drive a little.
The Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad was completed between Chillicothe and Cincinnati in 1853-54. By 1857, it had been completed all of the way to Marietta. In 1871, a bridge over the Ohio River was completed and Chillicothe had a continuous connection to Washington D.C. and the eastern seaboard. The railroad always struggled financially and was sold on the steps of the courthouse in 1882. The new company was named the Cincinnati, Washington, and Baltimore and was incorporated in 1883. This was sold at foreclosure to the Baltimore and Ohio Southwestern Railroad Company in 1889 and this was consolidated into the Baltimore and Ohio Southwestern RailWAY Company in 1893. Even though it was commonly known as just the B&O, Baltimore and Ohio Southwestern remained the official name until it was dissolved as a corporation in 1987 by CSX. The line was abandoned between Greenfield and Cincinnati in 1988.
Chillicothe was an important stop on the B&O and had a large presence in town until the 1960's. It was a crew change point until the very end of operations. Engine servicing was performed here and the car shops were here until the 1960's. A small yard is still kept off Douglas Avenue and 2 engines are usually idling nearby to swith the remaining industries in town.
This cache is along the beautiful rail-trail that was built along the old roadbed. Container is small plastic container with room for trade items, BYOP.