Main Line (Pittsburgh to St. Louis)
Encyclopedia
The Pittsburgh to St. Louis Main Line was a rail line owned and operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad
in the U.S. state
s of Pennsylvania
, Ohio
, Indiana
, and Illinois
. The line ran from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
west via Steubenville, Ohio
, Columbus, Ohio
, Dayton, Ohio
, Indianapolis, Indiana
, Terre Haute, Indiana
, and Vandalia, Illinois
to East St. Louis, Illinois
. In addition to its east end in downtown Pittsburgh, where it met the Main Line and Pittsburgh to Chicago Main Line, junctions included the Columbus to Chicago Main Line at Columbus, the C&X Branch (to Cincinnati) at Xenia, the Columbus to Indianapolis Main Line via Bradford (a freight bypass of Dayton) at New Paris
, the Richmond Branch and Fort Wayne Branch at Richmond, the Louisville Branch and I&F Branch at Indianapolis, and the Peoria Branch at Farrington, Illinois
.
Large portions of the line have been abandoned; the only major pieces still in use are from Mingo Junction
(west of Steubenville) to Columbus, operated by the Columbus and Ohio River Rail Road (Ohio Central Railroad System), and west of Terre Haute, operated by CSX Transportation
as part of its St. Louis Line Subdivision
. Other existing pieces are from Rosslyn, Pennsylvania to Walkers Mill (Pittsburgh and Ohio Central Railroad
), Weirton Junction, West Virginia to Mingo Junction (Norfolk Southern Railway
Weirton Secondary), Columbus to London, Ohio
(NS Dayton District
), Clement, Ohio to Dayton (NS), just east of Richmond, Indiana
(NS New Castle District
), and from Indianapolis to Ben Davis, Indiana (CSX Crawfordsville Branch Subdivision).
and signed a trackage rights
agreement over the Central Ohio to Columbus; it bought a one-half interest in that portion of the Central Ohio in 1864. The Pennsylvania Railroad
's Steubenville Extension, Pittsburg and Steubenville Railroad, and Steubenville Bridge across the Ohio River
opened in 1865, connecting Pittsburgh to the Steubenville and Indiana. Both companies were operated as a continuous line by the Western Transportation Company until 1868, when they merged to form the Pittsburg, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railway, owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad
.
The oldest part of the line was opened by the Columbus and Xenia Railroad
in 1850, from Columbus west to Xenia. The Dayton and Western Railroad opened from Dayton west to New Paris in 1853. The Indiana Central Railway also opened in 1853, continuing west from New Paris (on the Ohio/Indiana state line) to Indianapolis. The Indiana Central began operating the Dayton and Western in 1854. The Dayton, Xenia and Belpre Railroad opened in 1858, filling the gap between Xenia and Dayton, and was immediately leased by the Columbus and Xenia. Operation of the Dayton and Western was transferred to the Columbus and Xenia by lease in 1863; the Little Miami Railroad
leased the Columbus and Xenia (and thus the line from Columbus to New Paris) in 1868. The Pittsburg, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railway leased the Columbus, Chicago and Indiana Central Railway (the Indiana Central's successor) and the Little Miami in 1869, giving the PRR a line to Indianapolis (including an alternate route between Columbus and New Paris), fully operated by the PC&StL.
The Terre Haute and Richmond Railroad opened the line from Indianapolis west to Terre Haute in 1852. The line from East St. Louis east to Terre Haute was opened in 1868, 1869, and 1870 by the St. Louis, Vandalia and Terre Haute Railroad (in Illinois) and the Terre Haute and Indianapolis Rail Road, the Terre Haute and Richmond's successor (in Indiana). The entire line was operated by the Terre Haute and Indianapolis under lease until 1905, when the two companies were merged into the Vandalia Railroad
.
The Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway (the PC&StL's successor) and the Vandalia Railroad merged in 1917 to form the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad
, which the Pennsylvania Railroad
leased in 1921. The line passed to Penn Central Transportation
in 1968 and Conrail in 1976, after which large portions were sold off or abandoned.
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....
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...
, 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...
, and Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. The line ran 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 Steubenville, Ohio
Steubenville, Ohio
Steubenville is a city located along the Ohio River in Jefferson County, Ohio on the Ohio-West Virginia border in the United States. It is the political county seat of Jefferson County. It is also a principal city of the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
, and Vandalia, Illinois
Vandalia, Illinois
Vandalia is a city in Fayette County, Illinois, United States, northeast of St. Louis, on the Kaskaskia River. From 1819 to 1839 it served as the state capital of Illinois. Vandalia was the western terminus of the National Road. Today it is the county seat of Fayette County and the home of the...
to East St. Louis, Illinois
East St. Louis, Illinois
East St. Louis is a city located in St. Clair County, Illinois, USA, directly across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri in the Metro-East region of Southern Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 27,006, less than one-third of its peak of 82,366 in 1950...
. In addition to its east end in downtown Pittsburgh, where it met the Main Line and Pittsburgh to Chicago Main Line, junctions included the Columbus to Chicago Main Line at Columbus, the C&X Branch (to Cincinnati) at Xenia, the Columbus to Indianapolis Main Line via Bradford (a freight bypass of Dayton) at New Paris
New Paris, Ohio
New Paris is a village in Preble County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,623 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :The area was in the tribal grounds of the Pottawatomi, Miami and Wyandot Indians....
, the Richmond Branch and Fort Wayne Branch at Richmond, the Louisville Branch and I&F Branch at Indianapolis, and the Peoria Branch at Farrington, Illinois
Farrington, Illinois
Farrington is an unincorporated community in Clark County, Illinois, United States. Farrington is west of Terre Haute, Indiana....
.
Large portions of the line have been abandoned; the only major pieces still in use are from Mingo Junction
Mingo Junction, Ohio
Mingo Junction is a village in Jefferson County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 3,631 at the 2000 census. In 1900, its only manufacturing plant was a steel mill owned by Carnegie Steel Company...
(west of Steubenville) to Columbus, operated by the Columbus and Ohio River Rail Road (Ohio Central Railroad System), and west of Terre Haute, operated by 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...
as part of its St. Louis Line Subdivision
St. Louis Line Subdivision
The St. Louis Line Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. states of Indiana and Illinois. The line runs from Indianapolis, Indiana west-southwesterly to East St. Louis, Illinois along a former Conrail line, partly former New York Central Railroad trackage and partly...
. Other existing pieces are from Rosslyn, Pennsylvania to Walkers Mill (Pittsburgh and Ohio Central Railroad
Pittsburgh and Ohio Central Railroad
The Pittsburgh and Ohio Central Railroad is a short-line railroad operating 35 miles of track over the Chartiers Branch in southwest Pennsylvania...
), Weirton Junction, West Virginia to Mingo Junction (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...
Weirton Secondary), Columbus to London, Ohio
London, Ohio
London is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Ohio, United States. Located about southwest of the Ohio capital of Columbus, London was established in 1811 to serve as the county seat. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,771, an increase from 7,807 in 1990. It is the...
(NS Dayton District
Dayton District
The Dayton District is a railroad line owned and operated by the Norfolk Southern Railway in the U.S. state of Ohio. The line runs from Columbus southwest to Cincinnati along former Pennsylvania Railroad and New York Central Railroad lines...
), Clement, Ohio to Dayton (NS), just east of Richmond, Indiana
Richmond, Indiana
Richmond is a city largely within Wayne Township, Wayne County, in east central Indiana, United States, which borders Ohio. The city also includes the Richmond Municipal Airport, which is in Boston Township and separated from the rest of the city...
(NS New Castle District
New Castle District
The New Castle District is a railroad line owned and operated by the Norfolk Southern Railway in the U.S. states of Ohio and Indiana. The line runs from Cincinnati, Ohio northwest and north to Fort Wayne, Indiana along former Pennsylvania Railroad and New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad lines...
), and from Indianapolis to Ben Davis, Indiana (CSX Crawfordsville Branch Subdivision).
History
The Steubenville and Indiana Railroad opened a line from Steubenville west to Newark in 1853, and 1854, and 1855. In 1857, it built a connection in Newark to the Central Ohio RailroadCentral Ohio Railroad
The Central Ohio Railroad was the third railroad to enter Columbus, Ohio, and the first to connect Columbus with the east coast. It eventually became a part of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.- History :...
and signed a 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....
agreement over the Central Ohio to Columbus; it bought a one-half interest in that portion of the Central Ohio in 1864. 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 Steubenville Extension, Pittsburg and Steubenville Railroad, and Steubenville Bridge across the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
opened in 1865, connecting Pittsburgh to the Steubenville and Indiana. Both companies were operated as a continuous line by the Western Transportation Company until 1868, when they merged to form the Pittsburg, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railway, owned by 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....
.
The oldest part of the line was opened by the Columbus and Xenia Railroad
Columbus and Xenia Railroad
The Columbus and Xenia Railroad was the first railroad to operate in Columbus, Ohio. By merging with the Little Miami Railroad it created the first through rail route from the important manufacturing city of Cincinnati to the state capital, Columbus....
in 1850, from Columbus west to Xenia. The Dayton and Western Railroad opened from Dayton west to New Paris in 1853. The Indiana Central Railway also opened in 1853, continuing west from New Paris (on the Ohio/Indiana state line) to Indianapolis. The Indiana Central began operating the Dayton and Western in 1854. The Dayton, Xenia and Belpre Railroad opened in 1858, filling the gap between Xenia and Dayton, and was immediately leased by the Columbus and Xenia. Operation of the Dayton and Western was transferred to the Columbus and Xenia by lease in 1863; the Little Miami Railroad
Little Miami Railroad
The Little Miami Railroad, now defunct, was a railway of southwestern Ohio, running from the eastern side of Cincinnati to Springfield, Ohio. By merging with the Columbus and Xenia Railroad it created the first through rail route from the important manufacturing city of Cincinnati to the state...
leased the Columbus and Xenia (and thus the line from Columbus to New Paris) in 1868. The Pittsburg, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railway leased the Columbus, Chicago and Indiana Central Railway (the Indiana Central's successor) and the Little Miami in 1869, giving the PRR a line to Indianapolis (including an alternate route between Columbus and New Paris), fully operated by the PC&StL.
The Terre Haute and Richmond Railroad opened the line from Indianapolis west to Terre Haute in 1852. The line from East St. Louis east to Terre Haute was opened in 1868, 1869, and 1870 by the St. Louis, Vandalia and Terre Haute Railroad (in Illinois) and the Terre Haute and Indianapolis Rail Road, the Terre Haute and Richmond's successor (in Indiana). The entire line was operated by the Terre Haute and Indianapolis under lease until 1905, when the two companies were merged into the Vandalia Railroad
Vandalia Railroad (1905-1917)
The Vandalia Railroad was a railroad from Logansport, Indiana, to South Bend, Indiana. It quickly became a property of the Pennsylvania Railroad , which later became part of Penn Central and then Conrail. The railroad was mostly a freight-carrying route with a hub at Logansport Yard...
.
The Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway (the PC&StL's successor) and the Vandalia Railroad merged in 1917 to form the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad
Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad
The Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, commonly called the Pan Handle Route , was a railroad forming part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system. Its common name came from its main line west from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania across the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia...
, which 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....
leased in 1921. The line 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, after which large portions were sold off or abandoned.