Ohio River and Western Railroad
The Ohio River & Western Railroad was a narrow gauge railway that was incorporated in 1875 and operated from 1877 or 1878 till 1931. The railroad was located in southeastern Ohio. The line ran from Bellaire to Zanesville. The last train to run on the railroad was on Memorial Day, May 30, 1931.
The Ohio River and Western Railroad began construction as the Bellaire and Southwestern Railway in 1876, starting at Bellaire, Ohio, on the Ohio River. It commenced operation in the late 1870s. It had reached Woodsfield by 1880. By 1884, it had reached Zanesville, Ohio, leasing the Muskingum County Railway from the county for the western most nine miles of track. At about the same time, the name became Bellaire, Zanesville and Cincinnati Railroad.
The final mile to the Zanesville depot was achieved through a trackage rights agreement with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
The name Ohio River and Western Railway was adopted in 1903.
