The Valley Railway

“Life Along The Railway…A Gateway To The Larger World” features Bath Township as one of the communities served by the Valley Railway through its depots at Unionville (Everett), Hawkins (Ira) and Botzum.

Guide Book For the Tourist and Traveler Over the Valley Railway!

The Short Line Between Cleveland, Akron and Canton.  1880.
By John S. Reese
Facsimile Edition With an Introduction by
Sam Tamburro & Juliet Galonska
Kent State University Press  2002

In 1850 there were 500 miles of railroad tracks throughout Ohio.  By 1860 Ohio led the nation as the number of miles of track rose to 3,000. 

John Reese originally produced this book to spur interest and develop a passenger base for the Valley Railway.  Filled with abundant advertisements for local business…the book is an expression of the regional economy.  The railway represented a regional “metropolitan corridor” connecting three cities and several communities in Northeast Ohio.  Telegraph service and mail delivery at these local depots served as a gateway to the larger world.

The Valley Railway was completed in 1880 and achieved the goal of filling the void in local rail services to Cleveland, Akron and Canton.  Its prime objective was to carry passengers south from Cleveland to Akron and Canton, and return with coal.  By the late 1880's four trains ran daily between Cleveland and Valley Junction (in Tuscarawas County where the trains connected with the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad and the Cleveland & Marietta Railroad), with an additional train serving Akron and Cleveland.  Departures from the Everett Station in 1881 numbered 2,981; from Ira 1,731; and from Botzum 4,001.

By 1888 freight provided 75% of Valley Railway's income.  Of that total tonnage 44% was from coal, with less than 6% from agricultural products.  Competition with the Ohio & Erie Canal for the shipping of agricultural goods continued until the demise of the canal following the Flood of 1913.

In 1891 the Valley Railway maintained 75 miles of mainline track, 19 miles of branch track, 35 miles of side track, and 16 depots.  Everett Station, originally named Unionville, Ira Station, originally known as Hawkins, and Botzum Station were the three depots most used by Bath Township residents and businessmen.

Financial concerns plagued the Valley Railway and in 1892 the corporation fell into receivership.  In 1895 the Cleveland Terminal and Valley Railroad was formed under the controlling stockholders of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.  In an effort to tap into the “day trip” potential, 3 trains ran from Canton and Akron to Cleveland every Sunday.  By 1915 the B&O had complete control of the line.

As travel by private automobiles and freight hauling by trucks became the preferred mode of transportation, the decline of railroading was certain.  1962 marked the end of passenger travel on the former Valley Railway line.  By 1963 the Chesapeake and Ohio (C & O) Railroad had purchased the line.  In 1980 the CSX Transportation Corporation bought that line.  In 1986 the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area acquired 26 miles of railroad corridor.  A few years later the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad was established and special rail excursions were scheduled which continue today.