Hamilton station (Ohio)

Hamilton (HMN) is a former railroad station on Amtrak's Cardinal route between Chicago and New York City. The station in Hamilton, Ohio, was served by the Cardinal from August 1980 until October 31, 2005, when it was discontinued as a stop.[3] Constructed by the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railroad (later acquired by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad), the building is still owned by CSX though currently unused. It sits at the junction of the Indianapolis Subdivision with the Toledo Subdivision both part of the CSX Louisville Division, and headed south of the station the line is known as the Cincinnati Terminal Subdivision, also due to a directional running agreement most CSX and Norfolk Southern freight trains will use the Cincinnati Terminal Subdivision headed north to New River Junction in New Miami, Ohio where Norfolk Southern trains diverge to the left on the New Castle District, and CSX trains diverge to the right on the Toledo Subdivision. Now headed south towards Cincinnati most CSX and Norfolk Southern trains will diverge at the Butler St. Interlocker just blocks before the station heading south on the New Castle District. The Pennsylvania Railroad, followed by the Penn Central, used another station on Maple Avenue until 1971.

Hamilton, OH
inter-city rail station
Hamilton station in March 1993
General information
Location432 South Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (US Rt. 127), Hamilton, Ohio 45011
United States
Coordinates39°23′39″N 84°33′33″W
Elevation183 m / 600 ft
Owned byCSX Transportation
Platformsside platform
Tracks3
Other information
StatusStanding
Station codeHMN
History
OpenedYear built unknown (Amtrak service) August 1980[1]
ClosedOctober 31, 2005[2] (Amtrak service)
Former passenger services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Connersville
toward Chicago
 Cardinal Cincinnati
toward New York
Richmond
until 1986
toward Chicago
 Cincinnati (River Road)
until 1991
toward New York
Preceding station Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Following station
Oxford
toward Springfield
 Springfield – Hamilton Terminus
South Hamilton Crossing Yard (Pit Yard)
toward Cincinnati
 Toledo Division New River Yard
toward Detroit

Passenger service

Historical service

The station was a stop for all the Baltimore and Ohio trains from Cincinnati to Detroit via Dayton and Toledo. In 1965, these included the Cincinnatian and the Night Express.[4] In the final years of B&O passenger train service between Cincinnati and Detroit, the Cincinnatian was the last of these trains bound directly north. Amtrak opted not to continue the service north of Hamilton to Dayton and Detroit.[5][6]

Recent years

The station was a stop for Amtrak's Cardinal from August 3, 1980, until October 31, 2005.[7] It was not a heavily patronized stop in later years, and only had a waiting room. Ticketing and baggage service were not available at this location. The Cardinal originally stopped at Hamilton regularly, but poor station conditions, low ridership, and inconvenient arrival/departure times caused Amtrak to convert it into a flag stop in November 2004 and discontinue the stop altogether a year later, although the train still passes by the station without stopping.[8][9]

City officials, as of February 2021, have called for Hamilton to be added as a stop in Cincinnati–Chicago passenger trains.[10]

Preservation

In 2020, the city of Hamilton was trying to develop a plan to prevent a planned demolition of the station by its owner CSX as part of a track modernization plan. The city is considering purchasing the building and moving it several blocks to Third Street and Sycamore Street. After restoration, they hope to utilize the building as a transportation hub, museum, restaurant, or a farmers' market.[11]

In early 2023, the station was successfully relocated from its original location to a new spot nearby. The city of Hamilton plans to restore the building for eventual development in the future.

New Hamilton station

By 2022, the city was studying the feasibility of building a new stop for the Cardinal northwest of the old station on the CSX tracks in Symmes Park.[12]

References
  1. "Amtrak Beginning New Service for Southwest Ohio Passengers". The News-Journal. Mansfield, Ohio. August 9, 1980. p. 13. Retrieved January 13, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. icon of an open green padlock
  2. Bernard, Lisa A. (October 31, 2005). "Amtrak Makes Last Stop To-". The Journal News. Hamilton, Ohio. pp. 1, 6. Retrieved January 13, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. icon of an open green padlock
  3. Schafer, Mike, Bob Johnston and Kevin McKinney. All Aboard Amtrak. Piscataway NJ: Railpace Co., 1991
  4. "Baltimore and Ohio, Table 11". Official Guide of the Railways. National Railway Publication Company. 98 (2). July 1965.
  5. Edmonson, Harold A. (1972). Journey to Amtrak. Kalmbach Publishing. pp. 102–104. ISBN 978-0890240236.
  6. "Passenger trains operating on the eve of Amtrak" (PDF). Trains. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-02-24.
  7. Warner, David C.; Goldberg, Bruce (2021). Fifty Years of Amtrak Trains: A Comprehensive Survey of Amtrak Routes: 1971–2021. Bucklin, Missouri: White River Productions. p. 104. ISBN 978-1-932804-70-6.
  8. Dumond, Chris (September 9, 2004). "Low ridership figures prompt Amtrak to cut back on service to Hamilton, Ohio". Journal-News. Archived from the original on April 7, 2016.
  9. "AMTRAK BLASTS HAMILTON STATION". The Cincinnati Post. February 21, 2005. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016.
  10. Rutledge, Mike (February 20, 2021). "Hamilton, Oxford may have good shots at Cincinnati-to-Chicago Amtrak stations". Journal-News.
  11. Ryle, Jake (Feb 27, 2020). "Hamilton city leaders push back against plans to demolish historic train station". wcpo.com.
  12. Rutledge, Mike (January 28, 2022). "Hamilton planning new Amtrak stations, including possibly near the relocated CSX depot". Journal-News. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.