Cincinnati and Lake Erie Railroad - Freight With Next Morning Delivery

Freight With Next Morning Delivery

President Conway knew that the real key to financial survival by the new C&LE was to dramatically improve freight business and revenues. Freight facilities were rebuilt and relocated, and better rolling stock was acquired. Freight trains also faced the same limitations as the line's passenger cars with operation on downtown streets, often a source of complaints by town councils. See photo, for an example of an interurban's tight turn at town corners. Freight and express business steadily improved as measured by documented tonnage increases each year. The line's freight agents and sales force worked hard to sell the C&LE to shippers and were able to take business away from the steam railroads by guaranteeing overnight delivery by 8am the next morning, something that the competing steam railroads could not do. This is impressive considering that the distance from Cincinnati to Toledo was around 200 miles and from Toledo to Cleveland another 115. The travel time plus terminal transfer time Cincinnati to Cleveland was accomplished from 5pm the prior evening to 8am the next morning. Deliveries were so fast and predictable that a General Motors refrigerator plant in Moraine City (near Dayton) shifted to the C&LE as its primary shipper and provided the C&LE with in-plant loading tracks. Both freight and passenger revenues jumped and the C&LE appeared to have a good future, but as the Depression deepened, revenues and profits began to fall.