Union City Railroad History

Union City Railroad History. . , In the Spring of 1849, not a single railroad had yet run through western Ohio and into Indiana. Several east central Indiana businessmen met in the woods where Union City now stands for the purpose of deciding where the states first rail line would run. Several speeches were made proposing Indianapolis, Connersville, Fort Wayne, and Bellfontaine, Ohio. A vote was taken and Indianapolis to Bellfontaine was chosen by a two-thirds margin. Thus, the "Bee-Line" railroad was born and the grand system of railroads for the great northwest was underway!, Having succeeded in establishing the Bellfontaine Railroad on a route to this spot on the state line, Jeremiah and Oliver H. Smith conceived the idea to build a town here on the Indiana-Ohio border. The growth of the town became more certain by the fact that the railroad from Bellfontaine to Indianapolis was being built by two different companies and in those days goods had to be "transshipped" to the termination of each road. The land on which Union City stands was purchased by Jeremiah Smith from Augustus Loveland, whose small cabin and log stable were built in the only clearing on the land., Within a few short months, five railroads were to meet in Union City. On Christmas Day, December 25, 1852, Dayton and Union track-layers extended the iron one foot across the line into Indiana. A few days later, the Bee-Line from Indianapolis reached the State line from the west, and the two tracks were so joined that on January 24, 1853, the first through passenger train went from Dayton via Union to Indianapolis. The east part of the Bee Line coming from Bellfontaine reached Union City in the summer of 1853., By 1882, Union City had become one of the nation's leading rail hubs. On daily basis 16 passenger trains and 22 freight trains arrived and departed Union City. The Bee Line railroad, later known as the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis was the region's pioneer line. This railroad was proposed in 1847 and completed in 1853. The Dayton and Union railroad was said to be the most profitable in the nation, with a 42 percent net profit., The Pan Handle railroad (Pittsburgh, Chicago and St. Louis) was put into operation in 1856 and later became the Pennsylvania Railway.