page_title: Columbus and Xenia Railroad
section_title: Opening the road
hierarchical_section_title: Columbus and Xenia Railroad / Construction / Opening the road
caption_attribution_description: English: The first Union Station in Columbus, Ohio around 1864
context_page_description: The Columbus and Xenia Railroad was a railroad which connected the city of Columbus, with the town of Xenia in the state of Ohio in the United States. Construction began in October 1847, and the line opened in February 1850. Connecting with the Little Miami Railroad, it created the first rail route from Cincinnati to Columbus.
context_section_description: A locomotive was shipped via canal and rail to Columbus, where it assisted with the laying of track. Mild winter weather allowed track to be laid more quickly than expected. With only 4 to 5 miles (6.4 to 8.0 km) of track left to lay on February 9, 1850, the company rushed to write rules and regulations for operating its road and to hired conductors and track workers.
  The laying of track was complete on either February 19 or February 21, 1850. The first test train ran over the track on February 22. Passengers, which included railway officials, civic leaders, and businessmen, traveled while seated on a flatcar. The journey took 3 hours and 5 minutes.
  The Columbus and Xenia Railroad began regular service on February 27, 1850. The train was pulled by the Washington, a locomotive built by the Bolton Works of Cincinnati. There were no passenger or freight stations between Columbus and Xenia, only halts. The halts were incomplete; there were no platforms, shelters, or signals, just wide mudflats. On March 2, members of the Ohio General Assembly rode the line in a special train to celebrate the road's opening.
  Although the cost of constructing the road had been estimated at $600,000 ($18,400,000 in 2019 dollars) in May 1849, the final cost proved to be $1.4 million ($43,000,000 in 2019 dollars).
  The C&X bridge over the Scioto River opened on December 14, 1850. This allowed the railroad to reach its permanent freight and passenger station, located on High Street at Naughten. This large, barn-like structure covered three tracks, all of them at-grade. The location of the station had been controversial, as both sides of the river wanted the station. The 1851 station had several small additions made to it in the early 1860s, to accommodate train traffic during the American Civil War. A new Union Station was built north of it in 1875, and the 1851 station demolished.
  The C&X built a brick building on west side of High Street (across the street from the depot) as its corporate headquarters in 1853.
caption: Station of the Columbus & Xenia Railroad (center, with cupola) on High Street, depicted in 1864
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