Fort Wayne Line
Encyclopedia
The Fort Wayne Line and Fort Wayne Secondary is a rail line owned and operated by the Norfolk Southern Railway
(NS), Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad
(CFE), and CSX Transportation
in the U.S. state
s of Pennsylvania
, Ohio
, and Indiana
. The line runs from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
west via Fort Wayne, Indiana
to Gary, Indiana
along what was once the Pennsylvania Railroad
's Pittsburgh to Chicago Main Line.
From downtown Pittsburgh, at the west end of the Pittsburgh Line, west to the junction with CSX's Greenwich Subdivision at Crestline, Ohio
, NS owns the line. Major junctions include the Conemaugh Line
in northern Pittsburgh, the Cleveland Line at Rochester, Pennsylvania
, the Youngstown Line at New Brighton, Pennsylvania
, the Lordstown Secondary east of Alliance, Ohio
, and the Cleveland Line again at Alliance.
From Crestline west to Adams junction in Allen County, Indiana
(Fort Wayne Line) and beyond to the Gary, Indiana neighborhood of Tolleston
(Fort Wayne Secondary), the line is owned by CSX. Since 2004 this section has been leased to and operated by RailAmerica
's Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad
(CFE), with NS retaining trackage rights
.
The final piece, from CSX's Porter Subdivision at Tolleston northwest to NS's Chicago Line, the former LS&MS in far northwestern Gary, Indiana
at Buffington, is owned by CSX with NS trackage rights, junctioning CSX's Barr Subdivision
at Clarke Junction (also in northwestern Gary).
Amtrak
's Capitol Limited
operates over the line east of Alliance (OH).
's Main Line in downtown Pittsburgh in 1857. From Crestline west to Fort Wayne, the Ohio and Indiana Railroad opened the line in 1853 and 1854. The Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad extended the line west to Columbia City in 1856, on July 26 the three companies merged to form the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Rail Road. The line was completed to Chicago
in 1856 and 1858.
The Pennsylvania Railroad
began operating the line under lease on July 1, 1869. The line was subleased to the Pennsylvania Company
on April 1, 1871, which operated it until January 1, 1918, when the lease was reassigned to the PRR. It passed to Penn Central Transportation
in 1968 and Conrail in 1976.
Conrail began routing most Chicago freight via the ex-New York Central Railroad
Chicago Line, and NS bought the line from Valparaiso west to Gary on June 2, 1994, and from Warsaw to Valparaiso soon after, with trackage rights
east from Warsaw to Fort Wayne, giving them an alternate to their Chicago District.
After the breakup of Conrail in 1999, CSX acquired Conrail's portion of the line from Crestline to Fort Wayne and NS's portion of the line west of Fort Wayne, giving CSX a second route to Chicago. NS kept trackage rights and acquired the line east of Crestline. CFE leased the line from Tolleston to Crestline on August 1, 2004.
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...
(NS), Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad
Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad
The Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad is a short line railroad offering service from Tolleston, Indiana to Crestline, Ohio, United States over the former Fort Wayne Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad. It began operations in 2004 as a division of the Central Railroad of Indianapolis , under...
(CFE), and 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...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
s of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, 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...
, and Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. The line runs from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
west via Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
to Gary, Indiana
Gary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
along what was once the 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 Pittsburgh to Chicago Main Line.
From downtown Pittsburgh, at the west end of the Pittsburgh Line, west to the junction with CSX's Greenwich Subdivision at Crestline, Ohio
Crestline, Ohio
While the Census Bureau recognizes Crestline as a village, its 2000 population of 5,088 makes it a city under Ohio law.Crestline operates under a mayor-council system, with a council of eight members...
, NS owns the line. Major junctions include the Conemaugh Line
Conemaugh Line
The Conemaugh Line is a rail line owned and operated by the Norfolk Southern Railway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The line runs from Conpitt Junction northwest and southwest to Pittsburgh along a former Pennsylvania Railroad line...
in northern Pittsburgh, the Cleveland Line at Rochester, Pennsylvania
Rochester, Pennsylvania
Rochester is a borough in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located northwest of Pittsburgh, it is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 4,014 at the 2000 census....
, the Youngstown Line at New Brighton, Pennsylvania
New Brighton, Pennsylvania
New Brighton is a borough in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States, located along the Beaver River northwest of Pittsburgh. There are deposits of coal and clay in the vicinity. In the past, articles produced here included pottery, bricks, sewer pipe, glass, flour, twine, lead kegs,...
, the Lordstown Secondary east of Alliance, Ohio
Alliance, Ohio
Alliance is a city in Stark and Mahoning counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 22,322 at the 2010 census. Alliance's nickname is "The Carnation City", and the city is home to the University of Mount Union....
, and the Cleveland Line again at Alliance.
From Crestline west to Adams junction in Allen County, Indiana
Allen County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 331,849 people, 128,745 households, and 86,259 families residing in the county. The population density was 505 people per square mile . There were 138,905 housing units at an average density of 211 per square mile...
(Fort Wayne Line) and beyond to the Gary, Indiana neighborhood of Tolleston
Gary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
(Fort Wayne Secondary), the line is owned by CSX. Since 2004 this section has been leased to and operated by RailAmerica
RailAmerica
RailAmerica, Inc., based in Jacksonville, Florida, is a holding company of a number of short-line railroads and regional railroads in the United States and Canada....
's Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad
Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad
The Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad is a short line railroad offering service from Tolleston, Indiana to Crestline, Ohio, United States over the former Fort Wayne Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad. It began operations in 2004 as a division of the Central Railroad of Indianapolis , under...
(CFE), with NS retaining trackage rights
Trackage rights
Trackage rights , running rights or running powers is an agreement whereby a railway company has the right to run its trains on tracks owned by another railway company....
.
The final piece, from CSX's Porter Subdivision at Tolleston northwest to NS's Chicago Line, the former LS&MS in far northwestern Gary, Indiana
Gary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
at Buffington, is owned by CSX with NS trackage rights, junctioning CSX's Barr Subdivision
Barr Subdivision
The Barr Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in the U.S. states of Indiana and Illinois. The line runs from Willow Creek , west to Blue Island, Illinois, along a former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad line...
at Clarke Junction (also in northwestern Gary).
Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
's Capitol Limited
Capitol Limited (Amtrak)
Amtrak's Capitol Limited is one of the railroad's two routes connecting Washington, D.C. to Chicago, running via Cleveland, Ohio . Service began in 1981 and was named after the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's Capitol Limited which ended in 1971 upon the formation of Amtrak...
operates over the line east of Alliance (OH).
History
The Ohio and Pennsylvania Railroad opened the line from Allegheny (Pittsburgh) west to Crestline in 1851, 1852, and 1853; the Fort Wayne Railroad Bridge connected it to the Pennsylvania RailroadPennsylvania 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 Main Line in downtown Pittsburgh in 1857. From Crestline west to Fort Wayne, the Ohio and Indiana Railroad opened the line in 1853 and 1854. The Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad extended the line west to Columbia City in 1856, on July 26 the three companies merged to form the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Rail Road. The line was completed to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1856 and 1858.
The 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....
began operating the line under lease on July 1, 1869. The line was subleased to the Pennsylvania Company
Pennsylvania Company
The Pennsylvania Company was a major holding company, owning and operating much of the Lines West territory of the Pennsylvania Railroad, including the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway, the PRR's main route to Chicago. It also owned but did not operate the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago...
on April 1, 1871, which operated it until January 1, 1918, when the lease was reassigned to the PRR. It passed to Penn Central Transportation
Penn Central Transportation
The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American railroad company that operated from 1968 until 1976. It was created by the merger on February 1, 1968, of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central Railroad...
in 1968 and Conrail in 1976.
Conrail began routing most Chicago freight via the ex-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...
Chicago Line, and NS bought the line from Valparaiso west to Gary on June 2, 1994, and from Warsaw to Valparaiso soon after, with trackage rights
Trackage rights
Trackage rights , running rights or running powers is an agreement whereby a railway company has the right to run its trains on tracks owned by another railway company....
east from Warsaw to Fort Wayne, giving them an alternate to their Chicago District.
After the breakup of Conrail in 1999, CSX acquired Conrail's portion of the line from Crestline to Fort Wayne and NS's portion of the line west of Fort Wayne, giving CSX a second route to Chicago. NS kept trackage rights and acquired the line east of Crestline. CFE leased the line from Tolleston to Crestline on August 1, 2004.