Ashland Railway
Encyclopedia
Ashland Railway is a Class III railroad
shortline railroad
operating within North Central Ohio and based in Mansfield, Ohio
. Since inception in 1986, Ashland Railway has grown to provide service 24 hours a day 7 days a week along 55 miles of track, to industries within Ashland, Huron, Richland and Wayne counties. ASRY interchanges with the Norfolk Southern Railroad in Mansfield, The Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad in Plymouth, OH and CSX Transportation
(CSXT) in Willard, OH. The line runs southeast from Willard through Plymouth and Shelby, OH to Mansfield. From Mansfield the line runs northeast through Ashland, OH and terminates in West Salem, OH
The Ashland Railway operates on two separate lines that connect in Mansfield, OH. The "original" Ashland mainline, which began operations in 1986, was purchased from Conrail. This line's heritage goes back to the Erie Lackawanna Railway
and was their Chicago - New York main line. After Conrail took control of the Erie Lackawanna, most of its trackage was deemed redundant, and removed in vast sections. The portion east of West Salem, OH and the portions west of Mansfield, OH removed in about 1984. Conrail retained ownership of the EL line between Mansfield and Ontario, to service a GM plant. As such, the crossing with the Conrail (former Pennsylvania Railroad
) Ft. Wayne Line was removed, and spur tracks were built to interchange traffic on either side.
The second portion of the Ashland Railway is the Willard to Mansfield section. This was operated by the Baltimore & Ohio railroad as a line between the docks on Lake Erie to south-central Ohio, including the city of Mt. Vernon, Ohio. Because of economic downturns in the 1980s, fright traffic reduced drastically on this line, and it was later reduced to a branch line between Willard and Mansfield. By 1990, the new CSX Transportation
was ready to part with this line, and sold it to the Ashland Railway as well. Before the purchase of the CSX line, the Ashland was marooned with only one railroad to interchange with: Conrail in Mansfield.
The railway has built a spur line to serve an industrial park in Ashland.
In 1924, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
was considering buying the Ashland Railway, a separate company from the current one by that name.
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...
shortline railroad
Shortline railroad
A shortline railroad is a small or mid-sized railroad company that operates over a relatively short distance relative to larger, national railroad networks. The term is used primarily in the USA and Canada...
operating within North Central Ohio and based in Mansfield, Ohio
Mansfield, Ohio
Mansfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Richland County. The municipality is located in north-central Ohio in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau, approximately southwest of Cleveland and northeast of Columbus....
. Since inception in 1986, Ashland Railway has grown to provide service 24 hours a day 7 days a week along 55 miles of track, to industries within Ashland, Huron, Richland and Wayne counties. ASRY interchanges with the Norfolk Southern Railroad in Mansfield, The Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad in Plymouth, OH 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...
(CSXT) in Willard, OH. The line runs southeast from Willard through Plymouth and Shelby, OH to Mansfield. From Mansfield the line runs northeast through Ashland, OH and terminates in West Salem, OH
The Ashland Railway operates on two separate lines that connect in Mansfield, OH. The "original" Ashland mainline, which began operations in 1986, was purchased from Conrail. This line's heritage goes back to the Erie Lackawanna Railway
Erie Lackawanna Railway
The Erie Lackawanna Railway , known as the Erie–Lackawanna Railroad until 1968, was formed from the 1960 merger of the Erie Railroad and the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad...
and was their Chicago - New York main line. After Conrail took control of the Erie Lackawanna, most of its trackage was deemed redundant, and removed in vast sections. The portion east of West Salem, OH and the portions west of Mansfield, OH removed in about 1984. Conrail retained ownership of the EL line between Mansfield and Ontario, to service a GM plant. As such, the crossing with the Conrail (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....
) Ft. Wayne Line was removed, and spur tracks were built to interchange traffic on either side.
The second portion of the Ashland Railway is the Willard to Mansfield section. This was operated by the Baltimore & Ohio railroad as a line between the docks on Lake Erie to south-central Ohio, including the city of Mt. Vernon, Ohio. Because of economic downturns in the 1980s, fright traffic reduced drastically on this line, and it was later reduced to a branch line between Willard and Mansfield. By 1990, the new 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...
was ready to part with this line, and sold it to the Ashland Railway as well. Before the purchase of the CSX line, the Ashland was marooned with only one railroad to interchange with: Conrail in Mansfield.
The railway has built a spur line to serve an industrial park in Ashland.
In 1924, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P...
was considering buying the Ashland Railway, a separate company from the current one by that name.