A postcard from 1908 showing the Cincinnati, Milford & Blanchester traction line car heading into the Blanchester depot. Traction lines were trains that ran on electrified rails. They were popular in the early 1900’s but as the automobile became more popular their days were numbered.
The tracks in Blanchester ran along the west side of Bourbon Street. The depot was on South Broadway near where the Blanchester Oil Company building stands.
The photographer of this photo was standing in the center of South Broadway looking south down Bourbon Street. The building to the left in more recent years was the location of Wilson’s Meat Locker. None of the buildings visible are still standing.
Not only could Blanchester residents hop on the train and ride to Cincinnati and other towns along the way but local farmers could load their produce, eggs and milk on the freight sections of the train and sell their farm goods to towns far away.
