08/26/2026
Death of the Doodlebug
Since 1946, the public utilities commission had refused to let the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad discontinue its passenger service between Zanesville and Parkersburg, West Virginia.
However, in 1953, the Ohio Supreme Court reversed the ruling, which allowed the B&O to announce July 18 to be the last run of the Doodlebug.
What was a Doodlebug and how did it get that name?
Norris Schneider explains: " 'Doodlebug' is the name given to the gasoline-electric motor car — other articles say it was diesel-powered — that replaced steam locomotives 55 and 56, Zanesville to Parkersburg and return, on July 15, 1933, almost 20 years before the date set for the 'bug's' last croak.
"Why that name? Some say it was applied because the bright bands of color on the head of the original car resembled the head of a bug. Others say it was a term of sarcasm given by people still loyal to the steam locomotive. Another explanation is that the distant drone of the car horn suggested the hum of a bug." (Sunday Times-Signal, July 12, 1953)
The Signal announced that a steam engine would be attached on the last trip to "help" the Doodlebug haul what was expected to be a large crowd: "Present plans call for the addition of a number of passenger cars as the diesel-powered Doodlebug itself will accommodate only 40. A steam locomotive will be used to pull the train but the Doodlebug will be included." (July 13, 1953).
Some "old timers" planned to take that last ride: "When the Doodlebug pulls into the Market street station Saturday night on its final run, on board will be Anthony Robinson of Roseville, who was among the passengers when the first train made the trip from Malta to Zanesville on Dec. 27, 1886"
That was many years before the Doodlebug replaced the steam locomotive. "He recalled... that he helped lay the track and cut the right-of-way for the railroad during the summers when the mines were shut down. Workmen were paid $1.25 for a 10-hour day, he recalled, and his board and room at a McConnelsville hotel cost $3 per week. That left him $4.50 out of his weekly pay envelope, providing the weather had not interfered and he had been able to work each day." (Signal, July 15, 1953).
The Zanesville News reminded its readers that something significant was passing from the scene: "The Doodlebug has meant a lot of things to a lot of people, and the announcement that its last run would be tomorrow has brought a lot of those things to light.
"There are former B & O employees who worked on the train scattered all over Ohio, people who remember the first trip, in fact, people who rode the first trip ... people who rode it to work ... to visit relatives ... even to do their courting. There are people who live along the tracks who used it to set their clocks ... or who knew it was suppertime when it went by.
"In short, the Doodlebug is more than just a regular-run train. It's an institution." (July 17, 1953).
The Doodlebug had served many communities, and near the end of its existence, it made 26 regular stops. Those included Zanesville, Philo, Malta, Marietta, Belpre and Parkersburg.
Sadly, for many, the big day arrived: "Engineer John Urban took a firm grip on the throttle with his left hand, reached up with his right and gave the whistle chain two snappy jerks.
"'Honk! Honk!' went the odd-sounding horn.
"Suddenly the 600-horsepower diesel engine which had been idling at his left elbow came to life with a chuggity sort of roar and the B. & O. railroad's Doodlebug began moving along the tracks on its last run to Parkersburg."
At some stops, several citizens paid their respects, but some other towns virtually ignored the historical event: "At Parkersburg there was hardly a ripple when the train started its last homeward bound trip, but about 75 persons were on hand in Marietta.
"At Waterford there were 150, Stockport, 200, and an estimated 1,500 were at Malta where a brief ceremony was held. The M. & M. high school band played, Mayor Dan Martin introduced Attorney A. B. Mercer and a high school trumpeter sounded 'taps' as the train left.
"A small group was on hand in Zanesville when the train arrived 35 minutes late, at 8:50 p.m., and then the 'Doodlebug' headed (one last time) for the roundhouse yards."
Source: Times Recorder, July 20, 1953, Lewis LeMasters,
