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Fostoria - A City Built on Rails


Toledo & Ohio Central - NYC Depot

Fostoria, named for Charles Foster, was formed in 1854 when the villages of Rome and Risdon officially united. It was also the year the Fremont and Indiana Railroad began laying track for its line that originated in Fremont and passed through Fostoria and Findlay on its way to Indiana.

In 1872 the Chesapeake and Ohio completed the section of track that ran through Fostoria. The C&O ran between Columbus and Toledo and was principally a coal hauler but by 1877 the C&O was running four passenger trains a day in both directions. On July 22 1873 the Baltimore & Ohio line reached Fostoria on its way to Chicago from the eastern seaboard and in the 1880's two more railroads came through Fostoria. The New York Chicago and St Louis better know as the Nickel Plate was routed through Fostoria in spite of fierce lobbying by Norwalk. The last railroad to come to town was the new York Central, originally known as the Atlantic & Lake Erie Road.

Baltimore & Ohio

In addition Fostoria was served by three inter -urban lines between 1898 and 1932: The Tiffin, Fostoria & Eastern Electric Railway, The Toledo, Fostoria & Findlay and The Fostoria & Fremont. These carried freight and mail as well as passengers . The TF&E and the TF&F also operated amusement parks near Bascom and Arcadia to induce ridership. Meadowbrook Park in Bascom was originally owned by the TF&E.

Today trains are still an indelible part of the Fostoria landscape with over a 120 trains a day passing through the town making it one of the premier railfanning locations.

Hocking Valley - Chesapeake & Ohio

 

Nickel Plate Line

 

Lake Erie & Western

 

 

FOSTORIA HISTORY

Following photos are courtesy of Paul Maykuth Approx 1975

 

 

Photo is when you are looking east, standing on Sandusky Street with the C&O tracks running north & south.  This depot is lnot there. The depot that is presently there is the freight depot, this, I believe is the passenger depot, which has been torn down.

 

 

The second photo is looking west, standing on Sandusky Street with the LE&W (Lake Erie & Western Tracks beside Sandusky Street.  Those tracks went to the north of our LE&W depot, 128 W. North Street with the tracks going to Fremont.

 

 

 

 

These above two photos are the E&W/NKP depot 128 W North Street. FRPS purchased the depot in March 2006 with funding from the Henry H Geary Jr Foundation. The platform is ours but the tracks have long been removed and St Wendelin Catholic Church owns the property

 

 

B & O at F Tower Sept 1975

 

 

B & O at F Tower Sept 1975

 

 

B & O Fostoria F Tower Sept 1975

 

 

Fostoria N & W at B & O Diamond Sept 1975

 

 

Fostoria N & W at B & O Crossing Sept 1975

 

 

Fostoria T&OC Station April 27 1975

 

The History of the Transcontinental Railroad

Originally posted on upack.com

Page created by Ms Deborah Ward's class.

 

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