Bradford, Ohio

Bradford was known as a “railroad town” since for many years the railroad was the dominant industry in this western Ohio village. The railroad employed many people who manned the trains, worked in the switching yards and in the roundhouse where steam locomotives were kept and maintained between runs. Bradford was orignally known as Union City Junction but was renamed after railway mail clerk Tom Bradford suggested the town be named after him.

At Bradford a major rail line running from the East Coast split into two lines, one to Chicago and the other to St. Louis. These lines were strategic in the Eastern rail system. At the Bradford depot you could board a passenger train and begin a trip to destinations as close as Piqua or Greenville, or as far away as Chicago, St Louis and New York City. Bradford also boasted a freight yard, facilities for fueling and servicing steam locomotives, and a facility for repairing freight cars.

More on Bradford, Ohio here.

To learn more about the Bradford Ohio Railroad Museum, click here!