<div class="description">
This automobile underpass was built as the Big Four Railroad was being raised for the new trestle being built over the Great Miami River in Middletown. This underpass - and others being built at or near the same time - separated the highway and the railroad. The railroad planned to bypass Franklin, and had to build a second trestle over the river near Miamisburg. This took place in 1906 and later years. The underpass seen here is on the road to Hamilton - present-day State Route 63. Middletown’s portion of the Big Four Route originally began as the second railroad built through Middletown by the Cincinnati and Springfield Railroad Company - also referred to as the Beeline Railroad or shortline. It was completed in 1872, with the first train arriving on July 4, 1872. The first depot for the railroad was located along the tracks on Third Street - present-day Central Avenue. By the end of 1872, the Cincinnati and Springfield Railroad Company had been acquired by the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis Railway (CCCI). In 1889, CCCI merged with various lines in Indiana and Illinois to form the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago, and St. Louis Railway. This new railway became known as the Big Four Railway or Big Four Route. In 1906, the railroad was acquired by the New York Central Railroad, but operated independently until 1930. In 1968, it became a part of the Penn Central System. By 1997, the railway had become a part of Norfolk Southern Corporation. As of 2019, the railway was still part of the Norfolk Southern Corporation, and was used for freight.</div>
This file was contributed to Wikimedia Commons by <a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q69487667" class="extiw" title="d:Q69487667"><span title="public library system in Ohio, USA">Midpointe Library System</span></a> as part of a cooperation project. The donation was facilitated by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Public_Library_of_America" class="extiw" title="w:Digital Public Library of America">Digital Public Library of America</a>, via its partner Ohio Digital Network.<span style="text-align:left">
<ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.midpointedigitalarchives.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16488coll13/id/493">Record in source catalog</a></li>
<li>DPLA identifier: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://dp.la/item/2eb38dad78134df54f0b5efa38ab8228">2eb38dad78134df54f0b5efa38ab8228</a></li>
<li>Midpointe Library System identifier: MonroeHistSoc_MGWarnerPGNeg_053</li></ul></span>