Kent and the Erie Railroad

Railroad Town: Kent and the Erie Railroad
Written by Bruce Dzeda

Railroads and trains have interested Bruce Dzeda all his life. Born in Cleveland just a few houses away from the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad, Bruce spent his childhood in East Cleveland in a house next door to the double track mainline of the Nickel Plate Railroad, where the daily parade of magnificent steam locomotives and shiny passenger trains captured his attention and affection. He later moved to Kent to study at Kent State University, where he earned both his B.S.Ed. and M.A. degrees. Bruce’s interest in the Erie and Baltimore and Ohio railroads stems from that time. He taught history for 37 years, the last 25 at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Kent, where he was well known for his Advanced Placement United States History course and his many field trips to places of historical or cultural interest. He has been the recipient of numerous teaching awards. When not riding a train to someplace, Bruce can be found riding his bicycle on trails that were once railroad tracks, reading about or talking about railroads or, in his pensive moments, thinking about them.

About the Book
This profusely illustrated book traces the history of the Erie railroad from its inception as the A&GW railroad as well as the profound affect it had on the economy of the city of Kent. The book is filled with historical photos of the railroad from the early steam engines to the powerful diesels. Mr. Dzeda's timeline tracks Marvin Kent's vision for the rail line through to the final days of passenger service. The book gives a vivid picture of the many immigrants that settled in Kent and worked in the rail shops and the social impact they had on the city. We not only gain an understanding of the historical importance of the Erie rail line and Kent but we see through extraordinary photos the building of the depot in the 1870's, its eventual demise, and finally its resurrection in the early 1970's.
50 pages with over 60 historical photos, maps and illustrations that amplify Mr. Dzeda's engaging narrative.
To purchase a copy of the book click here.

Here are some of the images found in the book

Erie Final Color Trans

Ohio.com
Erie Railroad fan
reveals Kent ties

Railroad enthusiast Bruce Dzeda, a retired history teacher from Theodore Roosevelt High School in Kent, was asked only to write about the old depot of the Erie Railroad. Instead, his Railroad Town: Kent and the Erie Railroad, though just 42 pages long, tells the story of the town's great dependence on the Erie, from its first through train in 1863 (before Kent changed its name from Franklin Mills) to 1970, when the last Erie Lackawanna passenger train left the Kent depot.

You do not have to be a railroad enthusiast to enjoy this wonderful book.

Depot-Elevation
The Depot