LORAIN COUNTY

Untitled 1

     

EXISTING STATIONS
Station
Name
Original
Railroad
Current
Location
Type Current
Use
Date
Built
Track
Status
Building
Material
More
Info
Amherst North side of Franklin Avenue near Hazel Street
(GPS: 41.395130, -82.219006)
F Civic 1905 In Use Brick
Avon 36840 Detroit Road (SR 254)
(GPS: 41.453738, -82.033188)
C Business 1882 None Wood
Elyria 49 East Avenue at Depot Street
(GPS: 41.368497, -82.103666)
P Vacant 1923 In Use Brick
Elyria 412 East River Street
(GPS: 41.369696, -82.096378)
F Business 1909 In Use Brick
Elyria East River & Buckeye Streets
(GPS: 41.370151, -82.096587)
P Railroad ???? In Use Metal  
Grafton West side Cleveland Street at Ontario Street
(41.274966, -82.058490)
F Railroad
Storage
???? In Use Wood
Kipton Haigh Road at Hawkins Street
(GPS: 41.267388,-82.305456)
F Storage 1852  Gone Wood
Oberlin Depot Park, SR-58 South of Downtown near South St.
(GPS: 41.284583, -82.218634)
C Business 1867 Gone Wood
Oberlin SR-18 West of Wellington
(GPS: 41.168351, -82.235893)
C Excursion Line 1853 In Use Wood
Rochester East end of South Street off SR-511
(GPS: 41.124117, -82.302149)
P Museum 1901 None Wood
Shawville
(Ridgeville)
West side of Kenwood Street about 550 feet south of Cleveland Street in Elyria.
(GPS: 41.374653,-82.082025)
C Garage 1868 None Wood
Wellington ???? P ???? ???? ???? Wood
Wellington SR-18 (Herrick Avenue) & Kelley Street
(GPS: 41.169014, -82.219942)
F Business ???? In Use Wood
STATIONS OF THE PAST
Station
Name
Original
Railroad
Notes
Amherst This station was located on the north side of the tracks near the intersection of Mill Avenue and Spring Street. Passenger service ended in 1947 and the station was demolished in 1951. This station was built in 1870 according to NYCRR valuation records.
Amherst The original freight house here bruned down in September 1905 and was replaced by a ne station of similar design on the same site (North side of Franklin Avenue near Hazel Street).
Baker  
Beebetown This station was on the west side of Marks Road on the SE side of the tracks at approximately GPS: 41.282544, -81.878224. It supposedly was washed out in 1913 and never rebuilt.
Belden This location, in the center of Grafton Township, was previously called Grafton Center before Rawsonville was renamed what is present-day Grafton.
Brighton
Station
This station was on the west side of Ashland-Kipton Road (SR-511), on the north side of the tracks (GPS: 41.178929,-82.308707)
Brownhelm This station was built in 1889 according to NYCRR valuation records.
Columbia Station The original combination station here was built in 1875. It was on North Station Road and burned down sometime around 1923.
Columbia Station A new station was built after the original station burned down. It went out of service and in 1964 it moved to a farm (location unknown) where it become a chicken coop (Elyria Chronicle Telegram, 11-23-2003).
Elyria The LS&MS passenger station was on Railroad Street (Depot Street) between Washington and North East Avenue. According to an article in the Elyria Independent Democrat (11-1-1876), it was built in 1876 to replace the first station which was more of a small shed-like building. The station measured 30'x98'. There were several other railroad structures nearby such as a water tank (across from the station), pump house (to the west on the bank of the river), repair shop, road master's office, tool house and express office. Most of those facilities, including the station, were gone by 1923 when the new passenger station went into operation. Farther to the east across East Avenue and to the north was the roundhouse and turntable. The original LS&MS freight station was at the intersection of Tremont and Lake Streets (formerly Mill Street). It was on the north side of the tracks
Elyria The CL&W station here burned down in 1900 and a new station was built shortly thereafter (The Elyria Reporter, 2-21-1900).
Elyria This station was located on the south side of Huron Street at GPS: 41.371938, -82.121603, with the freight station on the north side of the street. The stations were on the east side of the B&O tracks and an LS&MS interlocking tower was on the west side. The photo shows a 1908 wreck on the LS&MS near the B&O crossing and station.
Elyria This is the frieght station that was on the north side of Huron Street at GPS: 41.372395, -82.121599.
Elyria This was the old 1970s Amtrak station.
Grafton The passenger station was just to the west of the still existing freight station near the intersection of Ontario, Cleveland and Main. It was demolished sometime between 1927-1945. Grafton was first called Rawsonville.
Grafton This was the first station in Grafton for the Big 4. It was later replaced by a new passenger station and then served as a freight house. It was destroyed in a 1966 derailment.
Grafton A new passenger station (Type III) opened here in 1880. Both the passenger and freight stations were southeast of Cleveland Street and northwest of Main Street.
Hart's Station This was an early station on the Lake Shore and Tuscarawas Valley Railway. It is shown on maps from 1875, but appears to have been gone by the late 1800s. This location is where Indian Hollow Road crosses the tracks NW of Grafton. Land for the station was donated by early settler John W. Hart. 
Huntington This station was on the east side of State Route 58 on the north side of the tracks at GPS: 41.089110, -82.220413.
Kipton This station, built in 1890 (according to NYCRR valuation records), was between Hawkins and Court Streets on the south side of the tracks (GPS: 41.267342,-82.304463). Other sources say the station dates to 1872.
LaGrange The original station here burned down in 1891. After that two old railroad cars were used as a station until the new station was built (Wellington Enterprise, 2-10-1892).
Lagrange This is a photo of one of the old railroad cars that was used as a temporary station before the new one was built in the early 1890s.
Lagrange It's not clear when this station was built, but a note in the June 16, 1892 Elyria Republican says the foundation stone for the new station had been delivered that week. This station was at the corner of Union and Church Streets on the NW side of the tracks (GPS: 41.236027,-82.117932). An article in the Wellington Enterprise from August 29, 1919 reported that the station was destroyed by a fire.
LaGrange A third station was built here sometime after 1919. Some sources say it was built in 1922, but verification is needed.
Lake Breeze This station served the Lake Breeze Hotel which was 1.3 miles form the station. Passengers were shuttled by carriage between the hotel and the station (carriage service was also provided from the station to Devonian Springs in Lorain).
Lorain
AND
Built in 1882, this station was in the SW corner of the B&O/NKP diamond (GPS: 41.461535,-82.170466).
Lorain The freight station was on the east corner of 11th Street and Reid Avenue (GPS: 41.460546,-82.17281).
Lorain This freight house sat NE of Broadway Street about 180 feet due south of the former NKP/B&O diamond (GPS: 41.461081,-82.170331). It was demolished March 13, 2008. The original CL&W freight house was a smaller structure in almost the same location as the later B&O freight house.
Lorain  
North Eaton The first depot opened here in 1871 on the farm of Morrison Phelps who boarded horses for locals travelling to Cleveland from here on the trains (Elyria Chronicle Telegram, 11-27-1926).
North Eaton A new combination station (Type IV) was built here in 1902.
Rochester The previous station here burned down on October 28, 1900. According to the Elyria Reporter of October 31, 1900, "Rochester was all excitement Sunday evening, Oct. 28, when our neat little depot caught fire about 5:30, and was consumed with the fierce flames in a short time. The fire started from some unknown source. Very few things were saved, and it is quite a loss to railroad people as it was a great addition to the looks of the town."
Sheffield  
Wellington The passenger station was located at the west end of Erie Street, just west of Wheeling Avenue. It was built in 1881.
Wellington
AND
According to the 1884 Sanborn map, there was a joint freight station at the crossing of the W&LE and CCC&I with platforms along each track.
Wellington This freight house was burned by fire and subsequently torn down by the W&LE in 2002. Apparently it was set afire by someone who was intent on robbing a bank in town, while the safety forces were at the fire scene. It was located in the eastern quadrant of the W&LE/CCC&St.L diamond between two W&LE spur tracks. This may be the same building as the one listed above after being heavily modified.
1898 LORAIN COUNTY RAILROAD MAP
Notes About Existing Stations...

Amherst (LS&MS) - Display of C&O pass. cars and caboose on site. On National Register of Historic Places. This replaced an earlier frame station.

Avon (NKP) - Moved. Now behind Police Station. Now a model RR shop. 1918 B&O caboose on site.

Elyria (NYC - Passenger) - On National Register of Historic Places. Constructed 1923-1925 by New York Central with the grad opening on April 6, 1925. Passenger service discontinued around 1966. Building used as beauty school for number of years, went out of business, building sat abandoned for years. Purchased by Lorain County 1991. After ten years of renovation, building recently reopened as Transportation Center for Lorain County. Currently operating as civic center, with meeting rooms. Originally featured twin tunnels that passed under elevated tracks with stairways leading up to trackside. Tunnels now filled in and non-functional, as are stairways. - John Thompson

Elyria (NYC - Freight) - On National Register of Historic Places. The NRHP says that this was built in 1923, but a freight house is shown at this location on the 1910 Sanborn maps and NYCRR valuation records confirm this with a build date listed as 1909. Tracks were elevated through town approx. 1913-1923. Work was interrupted for a time due to WWI. Although station remains mostly vacant, some small businesses are now located within premises.

Grafton (B&O) - Approx. 30 yards east of SR 57 passing through town, on north side of downtown, adjacent to current CSX tracks near Grafton Tower.

Kipton (LS&MS) - This was the original TN&C passenger station until 1891 when a new station was built. Thereafter it served as a freight station. The station likely dates to 1852.

Oberlin (LS&MS) - Caboose on site. On National Register of Historic Places

Oberlin (TN&C) - This was the original Toledo, Norwalk & Cleveland station. It's original location was the east side of South Main on the south side of the tracks in Oberlin. It later served as a freight station when the LS&MS built a new station on the west side of South Main. Still later, it was moved to Wellington and is now operated by the Lake Shore Railway Association. Fritz Kuenzel reports, "When I belonged to the LSRA/L&WV railroad group, we had the contractor dismantle and move this depot from Oberlin to Wellington. At the end roof peak between the two rafters he found an 1853 penny wedged between the rafters. He told us that back in the old days they used to do that as a symbol of good luck when erecting a building. So the depot may have been built in 1853 by the TN&C prior to the Cleveland & Toledo RR (which the line became in September of that year)." NYCRR valuations confirm a build date of 1853.

Rochester (CCC&St.L) - Moved from original location which was on Main Street just to the east of West Alley (GPS: 41.124779,-82.307146). This station was built in the spring of 1900 as that as the previous station burned down early in 1900.

Shawville (LS&MS) - The original location of this station was on the west side of Avon-Belden Road (SR-83), on the north side of the tracks (mile marker 356, 12 miles West of the Olmsted Falls station). It was built sometime in the late 1850s and served until 1947. It was first called Ridgeville Station, but after 1890 it was changed to Shawvillle in honor of Zimri Shaw who had been station master there for 45 years.  In the late 1950's it was sold and moved to Kenwood Street in Elyria.  Over the years it has been an auto repair shop, machine shop, antique shop and is now a garage. The station has been covered with siding and the twin doors on what would have been the west end of the station for the baggage room has been opened up to fit a garage door. The station structure (walls) appears to be original. The north side may have a storage section added. According to NYCRR valuation records this station was built in 1868.

Wellington (CCC&St.L) - While traveling through Southern Medina County on River Corners Rd. I found the Wellington (Lorain Co.) station (so I was told) on a back road at a private residence but it was in the process of being dismantled by Amish workers and loaded onto a truck. One of the workers informed me that the depot was being moved to Michigan (near Detroit). No other info was available. Anyone know more about this station? The original location of this station was on Kelly Street, just SW of Johns Street at GPS: 41.169778, -82.218779. --Dan West

Wellington (CCC&St.L) - Used as storage. Sometime between 1904-1911 this station was moved across the tracks to the NW side of the tracks from it's original location on the SE side. There was a cheese wharehouse attached to the freight station when it was in its original location.