Columbus and Xenia Railroad

The Columbus and Xenia Railroad (C&X) was chartered on March 12, 1844. Among its early leaders was William Dennison, the future Governor of Ohio.

The Little Miami Railroad linked Cincinnati and Xenia in 1845, and the C&X was intended to link Columbus to Xenia—creating the first rail link between Columbus and Cincinnati. In its charter, the C&X was authorized to issue $500,000 ($17,300,000 in 2025 dollars) in stock, but the incorporators had difficulty raising funds and initiating construction. Two years later, the state authorized Greene County to purchase $50,000 ($1,800,000 in 2025 dollars) of company stock, and the town of Xenia to purchase $5,000 ($200,000 in 2025 dollars) of company stock. The following year, the state authorized Franklin County and the city of Columbus to purchase $50,000 ($1,700,000 in 2025 dollars) of company stock each. The General Assembly also amended the C&X's charter to permit it to seek loans up to $300,000 ($10,400,000 in 2025 dollars). Greene County was authorized to purchased another $50,000 ($1,700,000 in 2025 dollars) in stock, and Xenia to purchase another $6,000 ($200,000 in 2025 dollars) in stock. Madison County was authorized to purchase up to $20,000 ($700,000 in 2025 dollars) in stock.

By April 1845, the company had raised just $200,000 ($6,900,000 in 2025 dollars). With funds still in short supply, no survey of the route had been made by February 1847. The state legislature amended the company's charter in February 1848 to permit it to increase the stock by $1 million and to obtain loans in any amount necessary to complete the road.

In 1853, the Columbus and Xenia Railroad and the Little Miami Railroad entered into a contract to operate as one line. This joint operating agreement ended in 1869, at which point the C&X agreed to permanently lease itself to the Little Miami Railroad. A year later, the Little Miami (and its leased lines) were leased to the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, which eventually became a part of the Pennsylvania Railroad.