While an original construction date is not known, the Hamilton Belt Line appears as an established landscape feature on a 1955 topographic map of Hamilton. Prior to that time the line was built to serve industries located along the Great Miami River. In the early 20th century, the Belt Line served the Champion Bonded Paper Company; both the Belt Line and the latter company facility appear on a 1914 map.
Historically part of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, by the 1970s, this line was part of Chessie System. In late 1980s, the Hamilton Belt Line became part of the CSX Railroad, which filed for abandonment of the line in 2014.