Lying on the highlands between the Little and Great Miami Rivers , the CL&N was commonly known as the " Highland Route " . While it normally received only local traffic , its location was a distinct advantage during floods . This was first demonstrated during the Flood of 1884 , when the rising Ohio River cut off all other railroads from downtown Cincinnati . But the load was too much for the narrow gauge TC&S tL , and several companies switched to Miami and Erie Canal boats to make the connections until the waters subsided . Similar Cincinnati floods happened in 1883 , 1897 , 1898 , 1907 , and 1937 , but in 1913 the Great Dayton Flood inundated that city , then lying at the north end of the independent DL&C . That company had just completed its line into downtown Dayton , when , less than a year later , the Loramie Reservoir broke through its levees and sent a swell of water through down the Great Miami River and into the city . As with the Cincinnati floods , only the CL&N and DL&C were unaffected , and relief supplies were sent north from Cincinnati via Lebanon to the National Cash Register plant
Great Dayton Flood
Great Dayton Flood
Cincinnati, Lebanon and Northern Railway