Eastern Railroad Discussion > Kettering Industrial Track Update (Dayton OH)

The update is nothing is happening, at least not for a while. The Kettering Industrial Track is the former Cincinnati Lebanon and Northern, or at least the Clement Yard on the east side of Dayton Ohio part of it. Both I-75 and US 35 East are receiving major rebuilds through Dayton and as part of it this bridge over the Kettering Industrial Track is getting a repaint. The B & O Wellston Sub also ran under this bridge until 1982 or so where the bike trail is. The Kettering Industrial Track still runs to what used to be the Delco plant in Kettering but is now known as Tenneco, the only customer left on the line that I know of. Last information I have is that the branch is kept in tact to haul out a carload of scrap about once a month but the rails usually never look to have been ran on. The track did run south of the Delco plant until around 1988 to DESC and a couple other places. It even ran farther south to Centerville and Lytle until around 1982. Even during late Conrail days there was at least a train a week to Delco and other places West of this picture on what was the former Pennsylvania Railroad Columbus to Indianapolis mainline but it reflects the demise of the automobile industry and industry in general around the Dayton area.

So, if anyone was wondering what was happening with that branch on the east side of Dayton, for right now nothing. At least you can see some trolleybuses cross here on the weekdays.

Jim

Edit: Had a misspelling and thought I should include what this looks like in the Southward direction. As you can see on the added picture both the B & O (on the left) and the Conrail PC PRR paralleled each other through East Dayton several miles to a point known as Lebanon Junction.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/14 15:32 by tq-07fan.

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Thanks for the update . . . 'lot of family in Dayton/Kettering and I made a lot of trips there from the early-70s until recently. I saw that move to Delco quite a few times during the CR era, but only a couple times in the NS era. Separately, Chessie used to roll pretty good across Woodman Drive headed toward Xenia back in the '70s.

I didn't realize they were shipping scrap now, thought it was still the occasional inbound tank car. Thanks for the update. I believe NS derailed just north of the Tenneco plant last year.

mhiser Wrote:
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> I didn't realize they were shipping scrap now,
> thought it was still the occasional inbound tank
> car. Thanks for the update. I believe NS derailed
> just north of the Tenneco plant last year.

The scrap moves may have stopped as I was told about those several years ago. I hope they still continue to receive rail service but the rails never look to be ran on. Several years ago my friend who drives an RTA bus in Dayton sent me a picture of ballast tampers on the line along Woodman.

Interlocker Wrote:
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> Thanks for the update . . . 'lot of family in
> Dayton/Kettering and I made a lot of trips there
> from the early-70s until recently. I saw that move
> to Delco quite a few times during the CR era, but
> only a couple times in the NS era. Separately,
> Chessie used to roll pretty good across Woodman
> Drive headed toward Xenia back in the '70s.

The first house I lived in after I was born was just east of Woodman Ave with the Wellston Sub running through the backyard. I think it affected my life, a little. The Lebanon Junction siding was there and yes if there was no meet Woodman was where things could speed up. After that we moved to apartments south of Hempstead Station on the Conrail Lytle branch. I got to see the Conrail with a black patched unit and at least a half dozen cars one time, at least that I remember. After moving to Moraine we moved back to Kettering and were in earshot of the Delco plant. I caught the yard job going to Delco a couple times back in 1994-95. The timing had to be right that I was at home and was able to borrow the car.

4) I thought maybe a map would be helpful. The black line is the Kettering Industrial Track. The Burgundy line is the former Pennsylvania to Xenia that is now a bike trail. The Blue is the former B & O Wellston Sub which is now a bike trail from Spaulding Rd and on north somewhere. I only included the main roads, the road on the far left would be Smithville and the road on the far right would be Woodman Ave.

5) Here is the same scene back on the 1st of December 2013, without the tarp.
6) This is south of what was known as Lebanon Junction. It is behind the Root Beer Stande on Woodman Ave and south of where the B & O crossed Woodman.

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