Join us Monday, May 13, 7 p.m. at the Delhi Park Lodge, as Mike Brestel talks about the C & O’s Cheviot Hill route with its many trestles. Many people are surprised to learn that for more than three quarters of a century Cincinnati’s West Side hosted a virtual mountain railroad, extending from the banks of the Ohio River near downtown to a crossing of the Great Miami River north of Miamitown. This program covers the history of Cheviot Yard and Cheviot Hill, which were essential features of the C&O’s route from Cincinnati to Chicago, from the line’s beginning in 1901 through its abandonment in 1978.

The program features hundreds of photos illustrating the construction of the railroad and showing the day-to-day operations and features that made the line a legend among railroad fans around the country The story culminates in a trip down Cheviot Hill on the last train to leave the Yard on July 16, 1978, then we see the dismantlement and scrapping of the track and infrastructure, ending with a look at the remnants of what was once a major through route for passengers and freight between the eastern U.S. and the Chicago rail gateway.

Mike Brestel is a lifetime resident of Cincinnati, having lived most of his life within two miles of Cheviot Yard. Several of his family members were C&O employees, spending all or most of their careers at Cheviot. Mike is a nationally known rail photographer and writer, and is the owner of Western Hills Photo & Hobby, 6319 Glenway Ave. He is a former President of the National Model Railroad Association, which he currently serves as World-Wide Director, and has been a member of the C&O Historical Society for over 50 years. His wife, Mary Beth, was the Branch Manager of the Delhi Township Public Library, 2010-2017.