Business off the Beaten Path: The Best of Ohio Shortline Railroading

Ohio’s famed railroad hubs take the spotlight, but this book explores the state’s overlooked, scenic shortlines.

When the state of Ohio is brought up in conversation of railroad enthusiasts, the immediate connection made is that of Ohio’s railroad hotspots. Little towns across the state happen to be the spots where multiple busy mainlines converge, and names like Fostoria, Marion, and Deshler are revered for their high train counts. CSX and Norfolk Southern are the Class I railroad heavy hitters here, with their lines connecting the cities and states north and south, and east and west.

However, what often goes unmentioned is that crisscrossing the state and intersecting these buzzing railroad highways are smaller railroads, usually categorized as Class II or Class III and given the term “shortline.” In comparison to the train counts of the Class I mainlines, these shortlines usually host one or two trains a day on a given section of railroad. Often, getting photos of them requires a day’s effort or more, sometimes meaning a railfan must be around the railroad’s yard at dawn waiting! In Business off the Beaten Path, we explore many of these shortlines across the state and visit scenic bridges, tunnels, and other interesting spots not often seen, with some locomotives dating back to the 1950s still going strong.