Akron, OH Union Station // 🚉
Akron’s 3rd Union Station, like with many Ohio transport projects, was built in the years following WWII. An era of great prosperity economically for the US, but specially for the midwest being the centers of industry. Though this period was short retrospectly, it shaped the country with decisions politically, ecologically, and economically that are still felt to this very day. In my opinion, this station serves as the embodiment of the downturn the passenger railroad was about to have.
1950 was one of the last years you could say local streetcars were financially solvent ventures due to the expanding automobile market, as well as oil companies paying off government officials; but I digress.
By 1958, Penn RR stopped running their local line to Hudson via The ‘Akronite’ and regionally to Columbus, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. Even though the Erie RR split into their own station before the opening of the station; there was still plenty of options locally and regionally (besides the already great choice of stops on Erie RR’s Erie Limited, Atlantic Express, Pacific Express, or Midlander). How about Baltimore & Ohio RR’s sleeper Cleveland - Washington trains or the vast amount of interurban rail on the Akron, Canton, and Youngstown RR. A system with connection as far west as St. Louis and as far east as Baltimore. Among those the AC&Y had lines to Chicago, Wheeling, WV, Buffalo, NY, Detroit, MI, and interurban local lines to Delphos, OH.
It was soon after the opening of the station the downturn started as the Pennsylvania ended its last Cleveland-Columbus passenger train on December 14, 1951, and discontinued the Akron-Hudson shuttle trains on July 31, 1951. The shuttles had connected at Hudson with Cleveland-Pittsburgh line trains and for years has used self-propelled cars known as doodlebugs. One of those collided head-on with a freight train in Cuyahoga Falls on July 31, 1940, killing forty-three. The AC&Y purchased three motorcars in early 1920 for Akron-Mogadore passenger service, which began on January 4. There were 14 trips a day, but this service ended in 1922. That left a former Northern Ohio mixed train between Akron and Delphos as the last AC&Y passenger operation. The mixed train carried few passengers, but was kept alive by a mail contract that ended in October 1950. The mixed trains made their final runs on July 20, 1951.
To make a long story into one word; consolidation. Throughout the 60s and 70s merger upon merger took place in a shrinking US rail industry. For example, the merger of Pennsylvania and New York Central (creating Penn Central) in 1968 effectively shuttered service of the Akron-Columbus line. Less than 10 years later in 1976, Conrail gobbled up Penn Central and Erie RR abandoning local service from downtown onto Clinton towards Orrville and the opposite way towards Kent, as well as physically pulling up the local lines to Rittman, Barberton, and Kenmore.
Passenger rail would make its return to Akron on November 11, 1990, when the Broadway Limited was moved from the former Pennsylvania Railroad route between Chicago and Pittsburgh via Canton to the CSX (former B&O) line through Akron, Due to a $240 million shortfall in 1995. A contract with the city could not be met on who would fund the station.
Today, the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad provides scheduled and chartered excursion train service between Akron and Canton, and Akron and Independence, a Cleveland suburb. The route north of Akron passes through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Akron Routes (1956) //
Akronite Line:
Akron, OH (Union)
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Hudson, OH
Clevelander Line:
Hudson, OH
Ravenna, OH
Niles, OH
Youngstown, OH
New Castle, PA
Pittsburgh, PA
Johnstown, PA (Westbound Only)
Altoona, PA
Harrisburg, PA
Lancaster, PA
Paoli, PA
Philadelphia, PA (N. Philly Station)
Trenton, NJ
Newark, NJ
NYC (Penn Station)
