History
In 1906, a group of promoters formed the Y&OR for the purpose of completing an electric railway link between Youngstown and the Ohio River. Initially they leased the tracks of the Pittsburgh, Lisbon and Western (PL&W) between Washingtonville and Salem and strung trolley wire over the seven mile stretch of tracks. Construction began from Washingtonville and by 1907 service had been extended south to Lisbon. By 1909, the entire route from Salem to East Liverpool.
Passenger operations were conducted using a group of five interurban coaches and three combines ordered from Niles Car and Manufacturing Company in 1907. Freight trains were initially hauled by steam locomotives but in 1913 the Y&OR ordered electric locomotives to replace them. These "steeplecabs" were responsible for hauling the significant number of coal trains which traversed the Y&OR.
The decline of the Y&OR began in 1921 when the Youngstown and Southern Railway ceased purchasing its electric power from the Y&OR's West Point power station. During the ensuing years of the 1920s the coal mines which provided much of the Y&OR's freight traffic began to play out and increasing use of automobiles eroded the line's passenger ridership. The company entered receivership in 1930 and all service was abandoned on March 9, 1931.
Read more about this topic: Youngstown And Ohio River Railroad
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