Dayton Ohio has a long history of rail transportation.

On the electric side, starting with the White Line, thru the myriad of interurbans which ran thru Dayton, and the first trolleybuses, Dayton has had a continuous electric transit presence for over 100 years. This site contains photos of the Dayton Street Transit (DST), Peoples' Railway (PR), Oakwood-Dayton Street Railway (ODSR), Oakwood-Dayton Transit Company (ODTC), Dayton-Xenia Railway (DX), City Railway (CR), City Transit (CT), the Miami Valley Regional Transit Authority (MVRTA) and the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority (GDRTA). (This site is in no way affiliated with the GDRTA).

On the steam and diesel side, Dayton has been a transportation hub since the mid-19th century, and the myriad of rail service reflects this.