Nostalgia & History > Lebanon, Ohio- Heritage capital of the U.S. (?)

I live in Lebanon, which is about 30 miles or so northeast of Cincinnati.  It sits along what was, during the WW2-era, one of four lines connecting Cincinnati and Dayton (and which by far was the least-used).  Passenger traffic ceased in the 30s, and the line was severed as a through route to Dayton in the 1950s.  Nevertheless the line survived into the Conrail-era, and freight services south of here continue to this day thanks to Indiana & Ohio and its successors.  Lebanon itself no longer sees any freight traffic, but we do have a rather active excursion train, the Lebanon Mason & Monroe, that provides a wide range of passenger trips throughout the year.  One of the highlights of being a railfan here is the wide variety of cars and locomotives that pass through the area.  In No. 1, Conrail "7544" (not an original CR unit but beautifully painted) has been leading the annual Santa Claus express this year.  No.2 shows C&O 5704 doing the same job a few years back.  No. 3 shows Clinchfield 800, which made a guest appearance back in 2019.     

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The Cincinnati, Lebanon & Northern eventually became part of the PRR/PC/CR family, but the Nickel Plate is well-represented in Lebanon.  No. 4 shows NKP 902 earlier this year, No.5 shows NKP 901 on the Santa Claus train several years ago, and No. 6. shows Pullman 151 CITY OF CHICAGO.  You will often see Nickel Plate coach 90 (not pictured) passing through here as well.

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Steam occassionally shows up in the 40536 as well.  In No 7, we see an 0-6-0 "Thomas" class, who usually makes his appearance in the late summer.  In No.8, I was driving home one time and just happened to come across four cabooses parked south of town (and again, things like this happen all the time).  And No. 9 shows a hodge-podge-  C&O 5704 and caboose 3160 watch as Lehigh Coal 126 pulls DT&I caboose 116.  And for added measure, coach 104 is one of several former commuter cars still in service on this line that were built for the DL&W in 1930.  Thanks for looking!

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It's nice being connected to the national network. Not every museum/tourist operation is so lucky

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The CL&N was such a neat bit of railroading. Glad bits of it are still in use.

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