Re: Unusual trackage - looks a bit like M&PP switch

The photo shows the former Cincinnati Hamilton and Dayton station on the West side of downtown Cincinnati. The standard gauge CH&D allowed the Atlantic and Great Western trackage rights from Dayton to Cincinnati. Since A&GW was 6 ft gauge, the trackage was dual guaged to allow interchange with the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad that had trackage from Western Cincinnati to East St. Louis that also was 6 ft gauge.

The 6 ft gauge was put on the outside of the standard gauge tracks. Also this allowed standard gauge CH&D locomotives and cars to interchange with 6ft gauge cars without a idler car like on the D&RGW. The CH&D eventually became the B&O and is now the Toledo Division of the CSX railroad from Cincinnati to Toledo. The A&GW became the Erie railroad and was standard gauged. The O&M was also standard gauged and became part of the B&O Southwestern, later B&O. It is now part of the CSX line to East St. Louis, IL.

The Erie Railroad never used locomotives over this route. If locomotives did operate it was a rarity. Cincinnati had standard gauge, 6 ft gauge, 5 ft gauge on the Southern Railroad in Northern Kentucky, 5 ft 2 1/2 in gauge traction and several 3 ft narrow gauge lines. One narrow gauge line the Cincinnati, Georgetown and Portsmouth had a brief period that had three gauges in use. That was 3ft being changed to standard and a 5 ft 2 1/2 in gauge traction line with triple gauge switches. Eventually the standard gauge lasted till the 1930's when the CG&P was abandoned.

Dale Brown
Northern Kentucky near the NS mainline to Chattanooga.