CN&Z E Rwy

Columbus Newark & Zanesville Electric Railway
1902-1929

         When I think of the CN&Z interurban line that ran from Columbus, 64 miles to Zanesville, Jim Green comes to mind. Jim started to come to the Ohio Railroad Museum in 1962, even then in his seventies, and he would be a faithful member and volunteer well into his late eighties.
         Jim liked the companionship of the other museum members, hard work and best of all to tell stories of his motorman days on the CN&Z. Many a time I would see Jim sharpen his scythe and cut the grass in the museum parking lot. He was always a welcome member of the track gang. He could out work many a young member or weekday office worker.
         It was his stories that made Jim special. My favorite Jim Green story was the day he came home from the Great War in 1919. He was mustered out in Columbus and as he was heading home to Newark he stopped by the CN&Z dispatcher's office in the Columbus Interurban Terminal Station. His intention was to let the dispatcher know he would be ready to return to work as a motorman. As luck would have it the dispatcher was short motormen and had Jim, still wearing his army uniform, run the interurban to Newark. Jim couldn’t have had a better welcome home from his army service in France.
         Jim started working for the CN&Z in the early days as a conductor on the Newark streetcar line. From there he moved to the Granville interurban line and later became a motorman on the line from Columbus – Zanesville. He ran every interurban car on the line from passenger cars and freight motors to the line car.
         In this section of Columbus’ interurbans we will attempt to show the CN&Z that Jim would remember and so often described for the ORM members.