The Ohio Valley Electric Railway was a

street railway A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

and

interurban The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 a ...

system that ran between

Huntington, West Virginia Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Cabell County, and the largest city in the Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area, sometimes referred to as the Tri-State Area. A h ...

, and

Ashland, Kentucky Ashland is a home rule-class city in Boyd County, Kentucky, United States. The largest city in Boyd County, Ashland is located upon a southern bank of the Ohio River at the state border with Ohio and near West Virginia. The population was 21,6 ...

. The system was also connected by

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

Ironton, Ohio Ironton is a city in and the county seat of Lawrence County, Ohio, United States. Located in southernmost Ohio along the Ohio River northwest of Huntington, West Virginia, the city includes the Downtown Ironton Historic District. The populatio ...

History

The Ohio Valley Electric Railway was incorporated in West Virginia on August 28, 1899, and, backed by

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Johnson N. Camden Johnson Newlon Camden (March 6, 1828 – April 25, 1908) was a prominent oilman, industrialist, banker, railroad tycoon, and politician who was estimated to have $25 million at the time of his unexpected death. Although both of his attempts to b ...

, bought out the Consolidated Light and Railway Company of Huntington, the Ashland and Catlettsburg Street Railway, and the Ironton and Petersburg Street Railway. By the fall of 1900, new track connected the

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

and

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

segments of the line, and the combined properties became known as the Camden Interstate Railway Company. In 1908, the company changed its name back to the Ohio Valley Electric Railway. Street railway operations ceased in 1937.

References

External links

HuntingtonTrolley.com

ElectricalRailroaders.org

Camden Park history
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ohio Valley Electric Railway Huntington, West Virginia Transportation in Cabell County, West Virginia Transportation in Wayne County, West Virginia Ashland, Kentucky Transportation in Boyd County, Kentucky Transportation in Lawrence County, Ohio Streetcars in West Virginia Streetcars in Kentucky Streetcars in Ohio Interurban railways in West Virginia Interurban railways in Kentucky Interurban railways in Ohio Defunct Kentucky railroads Defunct Ohio railroads Defunct West Virginia railroads