Overview
The Columbus, Delaware & Marion Railway, an electric interurban railroad, served central and northern Ohio from 1903 to 1933. It connected Columbus, Worthington, Delaware and Marion and also operated local streetcar service in Delaware and Marion, while an affiliated line to Bucyrus allowed passengers and freight to connect with other interurban routes serving northern Ohio.
The railway, founded in 1901, operated about 60 miles of its own track, with another 20 miles extending to Bucyrus. It also generated electricity and developed attractions such as Glenmary Park near Worthington to encourage leisure travel. After financial difficulties and bankruptcy, the company was reorganized in 1917 as the Columbus, Delaware and Marion Electric Company.
Declining traffic and the loss of connecting freight service contributed to another bankruptcy in 1933, and passenger rail operations ended in August 1933 and were replaced by buses. The Ohio Railway Museum in Worthington, Ohio, preserves about a mile of former CD&M right-of-way and a CD&M parlor car numbered 501.
Quick Facts
- Founded
- 1901
- Ended
- 1933