The Flats Industrial Railroad is a Class III railroad

Class III railroad

A Class III railroad, as defined by the Surface Transportation Board, is a railroad with an annual operating revenue of less than $20 million . The term only applies to United States railroads, but is sometimes applied to other countries...

 that provides short-line commercial/industrial switching service in Cleveland

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...

, Cuyahoga County, Ohio

Cuyahoga County, Ohio

Cuyahoga County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. It is the most populous county in Ohio; as of the 2010 census, the population was 1,280,122. Its county seat is Cleveland. Cuyahoga County is part of Greater Cleveland, a metropolitan area, and Northeast Ohio, a...

, primarily with CSX Transportation

CSX Transportation

CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...

 and the Norfolk Southern Railway

Norfolk Southern Railway

The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...

.

History

Trains have run in the Cuyahoga Valley since the 1880s. In 1880, the Valley Railway began operations, transporting coal to Cleveland

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...

, Akron

Akron, Ohio

Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...

, and Canton

Canton, Ohio

Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...

 from the Tuscarawas River

Tuscarawas River

The Tuscarawas River is a principal tributary of the Muskingum River, 129.9 miles long, in northeastern Ohio in the United States...

 Valley and providing passenger service along the way. After a decade of operation, the Valley Railway became part of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. In the 20th century, competition from automobiles, trucks, and buses caused the decline of both freight and passenger service.

Right-of-way ownership shifted over the years from Valley Railway to Cleveland Terminal & Valley Railroad (CT&V), to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...

, to the Chessie System

Chessie System

Chessie System, Inc. was a holding company that owned the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway , the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad , the Western Maryland Railway , and several smaller carriers. It was incorporated in Virginia on February 26, 1973, and it acquired the C&O on June 15...

.

Today

Flats Industrial Railroad acquired its rails and right-of-way within the Flats District (Cleveland) from former ConRail. As of 2009, the Class III Short Line railroad operates as the Flats Industrial Railroad Company (FIR/FIRS).

FIR has one employee: a locomotive engineer.

Equipment

Flats Industrial Railroad initially operated one switching locomotive, later adding a second locomotive.

Locomotives

|Flats Industrial Railroad - Locomotives

Number	Manufacturer	Model	Description
12	EMD	SW1001 EMD SW1001 The EMD SW1001 was a diesel locomotive for industrial switching service built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division between September 1968 and June 1986...	Diesel-Electric Switcher
1202	EMD	SW1001 EMD SW1001 The EMD SW1001 was a diesel locomotive for industrial switching service built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division between September 1968 and June 1986...	Diesel-Electric Switcher

Facilities

All locations are in Cleveland

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...

, Cuyahoga County

Cuyahoga County, Ohio

Cuyahoga County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. It is the most populous county in Ohio; as of the 2010 census, the population was 1,280,122. Its county seat is Cleveland. Cuyahoga County is part of Greater Cleveland, a metropolitan area, and Northeast Ohio, a...

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

:

|Flats Industrial Railroad - Facilities

Coordinates Geographic coordinate system A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on the Earth to be specified by a set of numbers. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represent vertical position, and two or three of the numbers represent horizontal position...	Name	Type	Address	Description
41°29′30.75"N 81°42′0.5"W	Head	Quarters	1757 Columbus Road, 44113
41°29′31.5"N 81°41′59.25"W	Vertical Lift	bridge	over Cuyahoga River Cuyahoga River The Cuyahoga River is located in Northeast Ohio in the United States. Outside of Ohio, the river is most famous for being "the river that caught fire", helping to spur the environmental movement in the late 1960s...
41°29′31"N 81°42′1"W	Locomotive Locomotive A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...	parking	1757 Columbus Road, 44113	model ?
41°29′30.75"N 81°42′1.25"W	W	Switch Railroad switch A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....	1757 Columbus Road, 44113
41°29′27"N 81°41′45"W	E	Switch Railroad switch A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....	Carter Road, Scranton Road
41°29′25.5"N 81°41′44.25"W	EE	Switch Railroad switch A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....	Carter Road, Scranton Road
41°29′20.25"N 81°41′42.75"W	EEE	Switch Railroad switch A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....	Lorain-Carnegie, Scranton Road
41°29′25.5"N 81°41′43.75"W	EEEN	Switch Railroad switch A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....	Carter Road, Scranton Road
41°29′28.75"N 81°41′45"W	EEENW	EOL	Carter Road and Old River Road	ruins to former Old River Road rail lift bridge and GCRTA W.10th tracks
41°29′34.5"N 81°41′42.75"W	EEENE	EOL	Carter Road and Scranton Road	rear of Carter and Scranton Road businesses
41°29′15.25"N 81°41′42.25"W	ES	Switch Railroad switch A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....	Scranton Road, University Road
41°29′13"N 81°41′41.75"W	ESS	Switch Railroad switch A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....	Scranton Road and University Road
41°29′3.5"N 81°41′45.25"W	ESSS	Switch Railroad switch A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....	Scranton Road, Abbey Avenue
41°28′53.25"N 81°41′52"W	ESSSE	EOL	Willey Road, Train Avenue
41°28′53"N 81°41′53"W	Willey	Switch Railroad switch A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....	Willey Road, Train Avenue
41°28′37.75"N 81°42′13"W	ESSSS	Switch Railroad switch A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....	Train Avenue, West 30th. Street
41°28′37"N 81°42′14.5"W	ESSSSN	Switch Railroad switch A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....	Train Avenue, Richner Avenue
41°28′26"N 81°42′42.25"W	ESSSSNS	Switch Railroad switch A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....	Train Avenue and Richner Avenue
41°28′25.25"N 81°42′44.25"W	ESSSSS	Switch Railroad switch A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....	Train Avenue and Richner Avenue
41°28′23.5"N 81°42′47.75"W	ESSSSSM	Switch Railroad switch A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....	Train Avenue, Richner Avenue	CP Knob connection to (NS/NSR?) main line
41°29′32"N 81°42′5.75"W	WN	Switch Railroad switch A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....	Fall Street and Leonard Street
41°29′33.5"N 81°42′8"W	WNN	Switch Railroad switch A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....	Fall Street and Leonard Street
41°29′35.5"N 81°42′12.5"W	WNNN	EOL	Cuyahoga River Cuyahoga River The Cuyahoga River is located in Northeast Ohio in the United States. Outside of Ohio, the river is most famous for being "the river that caught fire", helping to spur the environmental movement in the late 1960s...	flour mill
41°29′35.25"N 81°42′12.5"W	WNNS	EOL	Cuyahoga River Cuyahoga River The Cuyahoga River is located in Northeast Ohio in the United States. Outside of Ohio, the river is most famous for being "the river that caught fire", helping to spur the environmental movement in the late 1960s...	flour mill
41°29′32.75"N 81°42′9.25"W	WNS	Switch Railroad switch A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....	Fall Street
41°29′33.25"N 81°42′11"W	WNSN	EOL	Merwin Street	flour mill
41°29′33"N 81°42′11"W	WNSS	EOL	Merwin Street	flour mill
41°29′29.75"N 81°42′3.75"W	WS	Switch Railroad switch A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....	French Street and Columbus Road
41°29′29.25"N 81°42′5.5"W	WSN	Switch Railroad switch A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....	Fall Street and French Street
41°29′27"N 81°42′8.5"W	WSNN	EOL	Fall Street and French Street	FIR siding
41°29′26.75"N 81°42′8.5"W	WSNS	EOL	Fall Street and French Street	FIR siding
41°29′27.25"N 81°42′7.25"W	WSS	EOL	Fall Street and French Street	? spare parts locomotive ?

Accidents

In 2005, FIR reported a single Highway-Rail Crossing incident, no other accidents, and no one killed or injured. In 2004, FIR did not report any accidents (train, highway-rail crossing, other incidents).

See also

• Cleveland railroad history
  Cleveland railroad history
  Cleveland railroad has long been a major part of railroad, from the late 19th century to present day.-Early rail history:Cleveland railroading began in the 19th century when the New York Central and Nickel Plate Road Cleveland railroad has long been a major part of railroad, from the late 19th...
  
  
• List of crossings of the Cuyahoga River
• List of Ohio railroads
• Connecting or neighboring railroads:
• Cleveland Commercial Railroad
• CSX Transportation
  CSX Transportation
  CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
  
  
• Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad
  Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad
  Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad is a Class III railroad and steam-powered excursion trips through Peninsula, Ohio in the Cuyahoga Valley, primarily through the scenic Cuyahoga Valley National Park.-History:...
  
  
• Cleveland Works Railway
• Norfolk Southern Corporation
• Newburgh and South Shore Railroad
  Newburgh and South Shore Railroad
  The Newburg & South Shore Railroad is a railroad that operates in Cleveland, Ohio. The line operates on 13 miles of railroad track. It was originally built to service U.S. Steel mills in Cleveland. The line is owned by Omnitrax....
  
  
• Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway
  Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway (1916-1988)
  The Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway was a Class I railroad mostly within the U.S. state of Ohio. It was leased to the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad in 1949, and merged into the Norfolk and Western Railway in 1988...
  
  

General References

• Ohio Department of Transportation
  Ohio Department of Transportation
  The Ohio Department of Transportation is the organization of state government responsible for developing and maintaining all state and federal roadways in the state of Ohio with exception of the Ohio Turnpike. In addition to highways, the department also helps develop public transportation and...