The Interurban Line - Linda Higgins

Once upon a time, a trolley line ran through Port Clinton, Ohio. In 1901, Port Clinton and Lakeside Railroad founded an interurban line to run from Toledo through Port Clinton to Marblehead and back.

The first “waiting station” was on courthouse property at Madison and Fourth. There was some minor controversy as to where the original depot was—the southwest or northwest corner of the property—but as of 1913, it was located where the Hablitzel home was built later. A freight house, with a spur attached, sat there also. Northwestern Ohio Railroad and Power Company bought the line in 1913.

The Ohio Public Service Company bought it in 1924 and the line extended from Lakeside and Marblehead to Bay Point, near Johnson’s Island. There it connected to a boat from Sandusky. Its top speed was 80 mph, but the average was 55 mph. The line had its own electric power plant in Port Clinton, making it a viable alternative to the steam engine for this area.

The car line was known as the OPS, the streetcar and the interurban. According to one news article of the time: “. . . the famous resorts of Johnson’s Island and Cedar Point will be touched. The difficulties to overcome in order to do this are not considered great by those competent to judge of these matters and if successfully accomplished would make the line the best paying road in the country as it must necessarily prove the favorite route to these resorts.”

1915 saw the highest number of passengers using the service: 900,000. With the advent of the automobile, passenger business declined rapidly and by the end of 1932, the OPS interurban was one of only five lines remaining in Ohio. By 1938 the OPS was the largest line still operating in Ohio. Having run longer than most American interurbans, OPS passenger service ended in July of 1939. OPS freight service continued, aiding in the war effort by hauling coal, flux stone, lime, dolomite, scrap iron, etc.

In 1946, two of the Mary Janes (work cars purchased in the 30s) were still in use. One of the two had been built by OPS employees in 1924 from a large steam shovel. One operated until 1958, and then was scrapped. The Security and Exchange Commission ordered the line sold to the Toledo and Eastern Railroad in January of 1947, stating that one company should not operate both power and railroad enterprises. There has been a question as to whether the service would have survived longer had wartime gas rationing made it a good alternative to driving during and after World War II.

The trestle for the interurban was located on the east end of Port Clinton. In the service’s heyday, passengers would board at Madison or Fulton for Sunday afternoon rides. Everyone could enjoy the view while passing over the trestle, traveling through Gypsum and Danbury to Bay Point. Children dared one another to race across the trestle and beat the Mary Jane, causing storied narrow escapes. The trestle was dismantled and discarded in 1947. By another newswriter: “Another phase of American history has passed. The day of the jet plane and atomic bomb is here. Who knows—perhaps some of the steel from the ancient trestle can be reclaimed and used to manufacture something for the Age of Tomorrow!”

As of 1979 two cars were left: No. 61 was sold for use as a cabin at Routes 2 and 163, west of Port Clinton, and No. 60 became a garage on property owned by Al Frauhiger. It's possible that three restored passenger cars are in Worthington, Canton, and Massillon railroad museums. Where does the time go?