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Cleveland, Columbus & Cincinnati Railroad - Triple-C - 08-19-2025
Welcome to my freelance project: Cleveland, Columbus & Cincinnati Railroad.
History buffs will know that this was once a real line. It never really got off the ground before it merged into what would eventually become the Big Four. My scenario asks "what if?" The backstory uses a real Cleveland businessman to bring this railroad to life. I used a real railroad map from 1946 to create the CC&C, with a few creative liberties. I work in marketing, so I also enjoy creating advertisements and graphics that will probably spring up here from time to time.
Cleveland, Columbus & Cincinnati Railroad
“The Triple C – Lake to River Route”
Early Roots (1845–1869)
The first Cleveland, Columbus & Cincinnati Railroad was chartered in 1845, with service beginning in 1851. The line quickly became a critical north–south connector in Ohio, linking the Lake Erie port of Cleveland with the capital at Columbus. However, in 1869 the original CC&C was absorbed into the newly formed Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & Indianapolis Railway (CCC&I), part of the “Big Four” system.
Over the next few decades, the identity of the CC&C faded into history as the Big Four became deeply tied to the New York Central system, focusing on east–west trunk traffic rather than north–south service inside Ohio.
The Vision (1898–1910)
In 1898, Samuel Livingston Mather, a prominent Cleveland industrialist and philanthropist, became increasingly frustrated with the lack of direct, dependable freight service between Ohio’s industrial belt, its capital, and the southern river ports. As the co-founder of Pickands Mather & Company, a shipping and mining company, he believed that a revitalized north–south line could dominate the movement of coal, steel, manufactured goods, and agricultural products.
In 1901, Mather quietly began purchasing small, underperforming lines from major systems:
Uses his connections and influence to acquire lines in Ohio coal country and links them to Cleveland's ore docks.
An NYC-controlled former CCC&I segment between Columbus and Springfield that had been downgraded to secondary status.
A struggling NKP line running from Massillon to Akron, with connections to Cleveland.
These acquisitions, completed by 1904, formed a rough skeletal network. Mather’s next move was bold: he petitioned the Ohio legislature for a revival of the Cleveland, Columbus & Cincinnati Railroad name under a new charter, arguing that the historic identity still carried weight among shippers and investors. The charter was granted in March 1905.
Building the New CC&C (1910–1920)
Between 1910 and 1915, the CC&C purchased more surplus and abandoned trackage from larger railroads, then filled in missing gaps with new construction:
A Canton–Cleveland high-speed freight cutoff, using heavy 130-lb rail for the anticipated steel and coal traffic.
Marietta and Wheeling extensions to connect the coal region with Ohio River barge traffic.
Purchased an unprofitable PRR line connecting Middletown and Cincinnati.
Mather personally oversaw the building of key bridges and yards, often touring work sites in his private business car. By 1917, with the U.S. entering World War I, CC&C’s coal lines were operating at capacity. The USRA placed the railroad under federal control, assigning troop and munitions trains to its north–south spine.
The Interwar Years (1920–1939)
Returned to private ownership in 1920, the CC&C weathered the 1921 recession through aggressive marketing to manufacturers in Cleveland and Cincinnati. It branded itself as “The Lake to River Route,” emphasizing its role as a direct, all-Ohio connector. During the coal boom of the 1920s, CC&C added modern hopper cars and invested in centralized traffic control (CTC) on its mainline.
The Great Depression hit hard. Industrial shipments declined and coal demand dropped sharply. Mather, now in his late seventies, resisted selling the road, famously saying, “This railroad is my life’s iron spine — bend it and it breaks.” He died of heart disease on October 18, 1931. The company passed to a board of directors and entered voluntary reorganization.
By the mid-1930s, the Depression had thinned freight ledgers, and many eastern trunk lines were devoting their best power and fastest schedules to bridge traffic linking Chicago and the East Coast. In the eyes of many Ohio businesses, the state had become merely a “pass-through” for out-of-state commerce.
The year 1938 changed everything. As coal demand rebounded—driven by steel production, utility expansion, and the first wave of defense orders — CC&C management launched its “Ohio First” pledge. The campaign promised that Ohio cargo would be treated as priority freight, with direct, high-speed service. The program was more than an advertising line. The Triple C invested in modern diesel engines, rebuilt interchange facilities, and streamlined operations.
Shippers responded — rubber from Akron, aircraft parts from Dayton, and machinery from Springfield began moving over CC&C rails in growing volume.
Wartime Surge and Postwar Peak (1940–1953)
World War II transformed the CC&C into one of Ohio’s most vital freight arteries. Coal tonnage tripled between 1941 and 1945, and troop trains frequently moved between Cincinnati and Cleveland without touching congested PRR or NYC mainlines. Wartime infrastructure investments left the railroad in excellent physical shape by 1946.
In the postwar years, CC&C began another aggressive marketing campaign, this time to the public, introducing streamlined passenger service while continuing to focus on its profitable coal and steel traffic. The railroad remained proudly independent, known among shippers and railfans for its clean locomotives and reputation for punctuality.
Though rumors of mergers with larger systems persisted, the CC&C entered the mid-1950s at its traffic peak, a rare example of a revived 19th-century name thriving in the modern diesel era.
Its passenger services link the state’s principal cities in comfort and speed. In an age when most lines stretch their ambitions to distant cities, the Cleveland, Columbus & Cincinnati continues to prove that there is still power, pride, and profit in keeping Ohio First.
RE: Cleveland, Columbus & Cincinnati Railroad - Triple-C - 08-19-2025
System Map
Coal region highlighted
RE: Cleveland, Columbus & Cincinnati Railroad - Charlie B - 08-19-2025
You have done your research.
When I started modeling I didn't have a specific direction but I just followed my feelings. I was trying to stay in the transition era too but so many new things came along I just decided to do what I wanted to do and I find satisfaction doing models for all railroads and types. I ran a short line railroad for 15 years and I got my fill of rules and regulations so the CMO and FRA folks on my layout are real lax.
I am looking forward to your thread and once again welcome aboard. Post lots of pictures
Charlie
RE: Cleveland, Columbus & Cincinnati Railroad - ngauger - 08-19-2025
(08-19-2025, 12:15 PM)Triple-C Wrote: System Map:
Attach the pics directly to the post (see bottom of post screen)
It works a lot better that way
RE: Cleveland, Columbus & Cincinnati Railroad - Triple-C - 08-19-2025
Placeholder
Not sure why I'm having so much trouble. Forum keeps adding random HTML to my posts, and now I can't attach an image. Guess I'll circle back once this is resolved.
RE: Cleveland, Columbus & Cincinnati Railroad - TMo - 08-19-2025
Triple C!,
Great idea and history! I remember my first attempts to post to the forum... Had a hell of a time with photos until a bunch of old hats turned me on to Microsoft Resize (free photo tool for reducing the size of photos). You may not realize it, but when you drag a photo into the "attachments" area under each New Reply that if the file is too large, a little red window shows up on the upper right of the frame briefly indicating that the photo was too large. For my old digital camera, I resize to about 30-35% using the Resize tool and they upload without a hitch. I'm excited to see your progress and welcome!
RE: Cleveland, Columbus & Cincinnati Railroad - tompm - 08-19-2025
Can't wait to see your progress. I love the background story.
The forum was acting weird a few hours ago. It kept telling me it could load and photos were not displaying.