Staff photo / J.T. Whitehouse Former Canfield resident and author Bob Gentzel holds an original Erie Railroad time table showing the Niles-New Lisbon line that ran through Canfield. Gentzel was the program speaker as the Canfield Historical Society returned to its lecture series earlier this month.

CANFIELD — City native Bob Gentzel, who now lives in Virginia, highlighted some facts about a railroad that ran through Canfield during a recent lecture at the Canfield branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County.

Gentzel has done extensive research on the former Niles-to-Lisbon route, and the research shows it all began in Canfield.

“On Feb. 18, 1853, a Friday, delegates from the communities along a proposed railroad route from Ashtabula to New Lisbon (now just Lisbon) gathered at the courthouse in Canfield,” he said.

The men were hoping to see the construction of a line that could benefit the rich coal and clay mines along the route. Among the early individuals to help get the ball rolling was Canfield’s Judge Eben Newton.

Gentzel said the proposed line to Ashtabula never was built, but some years later the southern section, from Niles to Lisbon, did.

Gentzel went through the early history and presented photos of all the early stations in a slide presentation. Coming from Niles, the first station on the line was in Mineral Ridge. The next station was in Austintown at Mahoning Avenue.

Leaving Austintown, the next stop was mile post 11.9 in Canfield, which had a double track, or passing siding, that allowed northbound and southbound trains to pass one another safely.

Leaving Canfield, Gentzel said the next station was at Western Reserve Road. It was known as Loveland. After Loveland, the next station at mile post 15.4, according to Gentzel, was not like any of the other stations along the route because it was built by a private party.

The next station was Greenford at South Range Road, followed by Washingtonville at marker 20.6, and Leetonia at marker 22.4. From Leetonia, the route continued along the Little Beaver Creek into New Lisbon.

Gentzel said Loveland Station was renamed Marquis Station, which was in honor of Erie conductor Samuel A. Marquis, who had more than 60 years service on the Niles-Lisbon line.

In its heyday, the railroad saw four passenger trips and two freight trips running on the line. Gentzel said on June 1, 1931, passenger service ended with the popularity of the vehicle and improved roads.

The coal mines dried up and the freight traffic was in decline on the route.

“On April 2, 1981, diesel locomotive number 7766 was sent down the line to collect all the empty cars and haul them north,” he said.

Today the route through Canfield serves as a hike and bike trail, but south of Western Reserve Road, there is a battle between Mill Creek MetroParks and Angels for Animals, which owns the property, over an attempt to take the rail line property through eminent domain.

jtwhitehouse@vindy.com