Cleveland Short Line Railway
Encyclopedia
The Cleveland Short Line Railway was a freight bypass around southern Cleveland, Ohio
on the New York Central Railroad
's Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway
system. It is now owned and used by CSX.
at Rockport, southwest of Cleveland, to the Lake Erie and Pittsburgh Railway (jointly owned by the New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroad
s) at Marcy, southeast of Cleveland. The rest of the line, from Marcy to the LS&MS at Collinwood, northeast of Cleveland, opened on July 1, 1912. In 1915 the company was merged into the New York Central Railroad
, a year after the same was done with the LS&MS, and kept its name as the Cleveland Short Line.
The line became part of Penn Central in 1968 and Conrail in 1976. By the time of the Conrail breakup in 1998, the majority of trains through Cleveland used the original Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway
line through downtown. Of those that used the bypass, over half only used it west of the former Pennsylvania Railroad
's Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad (then Conrail's Cleveland Line). With the breakup, Norfolk Southern acquired the old main line through and west from downtown, up to the Cleveland Line split. CSX got the bypass, except at the west end, west of the crossing with the old Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway
main line (at Short Line Junction), where Norfolk Southern uses it to access the old CCC&StL to downtown. Reciprocal trackage rights are given by each company to the other in case one of the routes is blocked.
The Cleveland Short Line east of Short Line Junction is now CSX's Short Line Subdivision
, and is part of their main New York City
-Chicago route.
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
on the New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
's Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway
Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway
The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, sometimes referred to as the Lake Shore, was a major part of the New York Central Railroad's Water Level Route from Buffalo, NY to Chicago, primarily along the south shore of Lake Erie and across northern Indiana...
system. It is now owned and used by CSX.
History
The Cleveland Short Line Railway was chartered November 24, 1902. The first section opened February 24, 1910, from the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern RailwayLake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway
The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, sometimes referred to as the Lake Shore, was a major part of the New York Central Railroad's Water Level Route from Buffalo, NY to Chicago, primarily along the south shore of Lake Erie and across northern Indiana...
at Rockport, southwest of Cleveland, to the Lake Erie and Pittsburgh Railway (jointly owned by the New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
s) at Marcy, southeast of Cleveland. The rest of the line, from Marcy to the LS&MS at Collinwood, northeast of Cleveland, opened on July 1, 1912. In 1915 the company was merged into the New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
, a year after the same was done with the LS&MS, and kept its name as the Cleveland Short Line.
The line became part of Penn Central in 1968 and Conrail in 1976. By the time of the Conrail breakup in 1998, the majority of trains through Cleveland used the original Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway
Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway
The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, sometimes referred to as the Lake Shore, was a major part of the New York Central Railroad's Water Level Route from Buffalo, NY to Chicago, primarily along the south shore of Lake Erie and across northern Indiana...
line through downtown. Of those that used the bypass, over half only used it west of the former Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
's Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad (then Conrail's Cleveland Line). With the breakup, Norfolk Southern acquired the old main line through and west from downtown, up to the Cleveland Line split. CSX got the bypass, except at the west end, west of the crossing with the old Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway
Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway
The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, also known as the Big Four Railroad and commonly abbreviated CCC&StL, was a railroad company in the Midwestern United States....
main line (at Short Line Junction), where Norfolk Southern uses it to access the old CCC&StL to downtown. Reciprocal trackage rights are given by each company to the other in case one of the routes is blocked.
The Cleveland Short Line east of Short Line Junction is now CSX's Short Line Subdivision
Short Line Subdivision (Ohio)
The Short Line Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. state of Ohio. The line runs from a point northeast of downtown Cleveland south and southwest to Berea along a former New York Central Railroad line....
, and is part of their main New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
-Chicago route.
See also
- Cleveland Belt and Terminal Railroad, a closer-in connection owned by the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway