The Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad (M&C) is a defunct railroad of southern Ohio that was later absorbed by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O).
The M&C was founded as the Belpre and Cincinnati Railroad (B&C) in 1845[1] to connect to the B&O between Parkersburg, West Virginia and Belpre, Ohio because the government of Virginia would only allow the B&O to build to the Ohio River at Wheeling, West Virginia. To continue to the west on the B&O, one had to take a steamboat down river to Parkersburg.
The destination of the B&C was changed to Marietta, Ohio, with plans for a later connection to Wheeling which never happened, and the name of the railroad changed in 1851. The right-of-way extended from Marietta up river to Bellaire, Ohio for a connection to the B&O. The M&C reached Cincinnati, Ohio by 1857, at which time the company was bankrupt. The first through-train from Cincinnati ran on April 9, 1857.
The railroad never went up-river from Marietta. The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) later purchased the right-of-way south of Bellaire. With help from the B&O and the Baltimore City Council, the Union Railroad connected Marietta to Belpre in 1860. It also was later absorbed by the B&O. This section of track is still in operation (2004) with unit coal trains providing most of the traffic. B&O was also eventually able to build to Parkersburg, then created trackage from Belpre to Canaanville, Ohio to connect with the Marietta & Cincinnati there. This section was known as the B&O Short Line.
By 1876, the "Old Line" from Canaanville to Marietta fell into disuse, since it duplicated the B&O Short Line and was dangerous, steep and difficult to maintain, with many trestles and tunnels, and was eventually sold to the Toledo and Ohio Central Extension Railroad. This section was known for its many accidents. The name was later changed to Marietta, Columbus and Cleveland Railroad (MCC) and operated to about 1917. The east end then operated as the Marietta and Vincent Railroad Company until abandoned in 1924.
The rest of the line from Canaanville westward was acquired and operated for many years by B&O Railroad. The section from eastern Vinton County to Belpre was abandoned in the 1980s and the right-of-way sold off. Today, the portion from Mineral, Ohio to the end of the now-operating line south of Zaleski, Ohio is the Moonville Rail-Trail.
One of the main driving forces of the M&C was William P. Cutler. He also was a backer of the Union Railroad and the MCC, among other local railroads. Cutler served as General Manager and as President of the M&C for many years.