Muskingum Electric Railroad

The Muskingum Electric Railroad was a private coal-carrying railroad owned by American Electric Power, and operated from 1968[1] to 2002.

The line was the first automated railroad in the U.S.[2]

Operations

The MERR shuttled coal from Central Ohio Coal Company's Muskingum mine, (near Cumberland, Ohio) to the Muskingum River Power Plant at Relief, Ohio, a distance of 20 miles (32 km).

The trains did not leave the property, and were used solely for shuttling coal. Initially, the Muskingum Electric Railroad maintained a connection with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, allowing for coal to be transported elsewhere, however this saw limited use. The MERR was connected via the former Pennsylvania Railroad Marietta branch, which terminated in Cumberland. In later years, after the branch line saw a discontinuation in regular freight service, it was only occasionally used for equipment deliveries.

Rolling Stock

The trains were driverless, and powered by two automated General Electric E50C locomotives, numbered 100 and 200 respectively. Visually, the E50C's looked identical to the GE E44, with a notable difference being the former's lack of a second pantograph. The automation feature was inconsistent, and later operations were often fully human-controlled.

The railroad had one station, briefly carrying the name Brookfield, for the nearby Brookfield Township, but was later renamed Prentice. It was located just south of Cumberland, on OH-83. It was also adjacent to a small spur that connected to the railroad's own access track, connecting the electrified trackage to the Marietta branch. The station was not used for revenue passenger service, but instead made up a "visitor center" for the railroad and mine, which was built to resemble a railroad depot.[3] The spur was used as a display for executive cars and locomotives; bearing Muskingum Electric Railroad and Ohio Power Co. lettering respectively. The building and executive cars were used as office space.

The railroad owned two private Pullman cars, Dover Fort and Oak Lane, alongside two former Ohio Power Company locomotives, (No. 2 and No. 3) but weren't operated and put on static display.

AEP would eventually donate the consist in 1982 to the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway, in Nelsonville, Ohio. The Dover Fort and both locomotives still reside at the railroad, with Ohio Power Company No. 3 being fully restored to operation in 2015. Ohio Power Company No. 2, a fireless locomotive, is awaiting restoration. The station building was later moved to the nearby Ark Springs Baptist Church, where it still resides.

Decline

In later years of the railroad, the coal tipple was moved much farther down the line, a result of the diminishing coal supply. This shortened the journey significantly, requiring only one train to shuttle coal. E50C 100 was retired as a result, and the rest of the line would go unused.

The line as a whole is now defunct, as the captive coal mine has since run out of economically recoverable coal. The coal was notably extracted by the largest dragline ever built, "Big Muskie", and was operated by the Central Ohio Coal Company.

The railroad closed in January 2002, and by 2004 was scrapped entirely. The land was reclaimed shortly after, becoming The Wilds. Both of the E50C locomotives were scrapped, in addition to the hoppers.

References

  1. ^ Middleton, William D. (March 2002). When the Steam Railroads Electrified (2nd ed.). Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-33979-9.
  2. ^ Corns, John B. (March 1979). "Ohio's Robot Railroad". Trains. 39 (5): 22-28.
  3. ^ Corns, John B. (March 1979). "Ohio's Robot Railroad". Trains. 39 (5): 22-28.
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