Crews clear the last debris from the depot site on Wednesday. The trackage belongs to Indiana & Ohio.
Eric Davis
LIMA, Ohio – Northwest Ohio has lost a piece of its railroad history this month. Crews recently razed the former Detroit, Toledo & Ironton freight depot in Lima, completing the job on April 15. The depot, which was originally built by predecessor Ohio Southern Railroad, had been empty for years, last serving as a sports bar and restaurant.
The area next to the depot, which sits along State Route 309, known as Bellefontaine Avenue, in Lima, is being readied for a grade separation project. The former DT&I, which was acquired by the Grand Trunk Western in the 1980s, is now operated by Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary Indiana & Ohio.
Coincidentally, the depot sat just a block away from Lima’s famed Lincoln Park, home to a restored DT&I depot, a Nickel Plate caboose, and Nickel Plate 2-8-4 No. 779.
The city’s rich railroad history also includes the Lima Locomotive Works, which is known for building popular excursion locomotives Pere Marquette 2-8-4 No. 1225, Nickel Plate 2-8-4 No. 765, and Southern Pacific 4-8-4 No. 4449, as well as the unique Shay geared locomotives.
The Allen County Historical Society Museum in downtown Lima has interesting railroad exhibits, including a Lima Shay locomotive from a nearby rock quarry.