Buffalo and Mississippi Railroad

Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway
Company type	Railroad
Industry	Rail transport
Founded	1833
Fate	Merged into New York Central Railroad in 1914
Headquarters	United States
Area served	New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois
Products	Freight and passenger rail transportation

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Buffalo and Mississippi Railroad, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 23 July 2025

The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway (LS&MS), founded in 1833, played a crucial role within the New York Central Railroad's Water Level Route, linking Buffalo, New York with Chicago, Illinois. Its main line traced the southern shore of Lake Erie, passing through New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and northern Indiana. Today, this rail corridor remains essential for both freight and passenger transportation. Since 1998, control of the line has been split at Cleveland, Ohio, with CSX Transportation managing the eastern portion and Norfolk Southern Railway overseeing the western section.

Toledo to Chicago

On April 22, 1833, the Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad was granted a charter in Michigan Territory to establish a connection from Port Lawrence (now Toledo, Ohio) northwestward to Adrian, Michigan. Initially operated by horse-drawn cars starting in 1836, steam locomotives took over by 1837.

In 1835, Indiana chartered the Buffalo and Mississippi Railroad intending to build a line from Buffalo, New York to the Mississippi River; however, it was renamed the Northern Indiana Railroad in 1837 with a revised goal to reach Michigan City on Lake Michigan. Financial difficulties prevented progress beyond early grading work.

Around 1838, Michigan initiated construction of the Southern Railroad, extending westward from Monroe on Lake Erie to New Buffalo on Lake Michigan. By 1846, this line was sold to the Michigan Southern Rail Road, which shifted its western endpoint to Chicago by utilizing the Northern Indiana Railroad charter. In 1849, the Michigan Southern leased the Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad to gain access to a Toledo branch.

Due to competitive pressure from Michigan Central Railroad, restrictions limited how close Michigan Southern could build near the Indiana border east of Constantine. To overcome this obstacle, Judge Stanfield secured a right-of-way from White Pigeon to the state line for lease until legislative changes permitted full ownership.

The Northern Indiana and Chicago Railroad, chartered in 1850, completed tracks linking the Michigan Southern at the state border westward through Elkhart to South Bend by 1851; full access into Chicago was established by 1852. Following this expansion, several regional railroads merged: Northern Indiana (Ohio) combined with Northern Indiana (Indiana) in 1853; this entity then merged with Northern Indiana and Chicago Railroad as well as Buffalo and Mississippi Railroad in 1855; finally, all merged with Michigan Southern Rail Road to form the Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad.

By 1858, the "Northern Indiana Air Line" offered a direct connection from Elkhart eastward to Toledo. The company operated a principal route between Chicago and Toledo featuring alternate alignments through southern Michigan and included branches such as the Detroit, Monroe and Toledo Railroad—leased in 1856—which linked Toledo with Detroit.

Erie to Cleveland

The Franklin Canal Company, established in 1844, constructed a rail line running southwest from Erie, Pennsylvania toward the Ohio boundary. The Cleveland, Painesville and Ashtabula Railroad, incorporated in 1848, extended northeast from Cleveland to connect with the Franklin Canal Company's line at the state border. The stretch between Cleveland and Painesville opened in 1851; it reached Ashtabula by 1852 and connected onward to Erie later that same year. In 1854, the Cleveland, Painesville and Ashtabula acquired the Franklin Canal Company, uniting this important corridor under one company.

Buffalo to Erie

Incorporated in 1849, the Buffalo and State Line Railroad began operations between Dunkirk, New York, and the Pennsylvania state boundary in early 1852, soon extending service to Buffalo. Meanwhile, the Erie and North East Railroad, established in 1842, completed its track from the state line to Erie by January 1852. Initially, both lines operated on broad gauge tracks but consented in 1853 to adjust their rail gauge to align with that of the Franklin Canal Company, enabling uninterrupted travel. This conversion eliminated the necessity for passengers to transfer trains at Erie. The two entities combined forces in 1867, forming the Buffalo and Erie Railroad, thereby enhancing their competitive standing.

Cleveland to Toledo

The Junction Railroad, chartered in 1846, was designed to link Cleveland westward with Toledo. The Toledo, Norwalk and Cleveland Railroad, chartered four years later in 1850, constructed tracks eastward from Toledo reaching Grafton, where it connected with the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad. This connection finalized a continuous rail corridor from Buffalo to Chicago by late 1852. In September 1853, these companies consolidated into the Cleveland and Toledo Railroad, organizing the Junction Railroad as its Northern Division and the Toledo, Norwalk and Cleveland as its Southern Division. The Northern Division opened between Cleveland and Sandusky in 1853 and extended service to Toledo by 1855. Due to insufficient demand, portions of the Northern Division were abandoned but subsequently reconstructed in 1872 to join with the Southern Division near Millbury. In 1866, a section of the Southern Division was discontinued and replaced by a new route linking Elyria on the Northern Division, thereby improving operational efficiency.

Consolidations

In October 1867, the Cleveland, Painesville and Ashtabula Railroad leased control of the Cleveland and Toledo Railroad. The CP&A rebranded itself as the Lake Shore Railway on March 31, 1868, and fully absorbed the Cleveland and Toledo Railroad by February 1869. On April 6, 1869, a merger between the Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad and Lake Shore created the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway (LS&MS), which then incorporated the Buffalo and Erie Railroad on June 22. This consolidation established an uninterrupted rail route stretching from Buffalo to Chicago. The LS&MS main line traversed important markets such as Dunkirk, Erie, Ashtabula, Cleveland, Toledo, Waterloo, and South Bend. Additionally, an alternative Sandusky Division operated in northern Ohio between Elyria and Millbury along a route north of the main line. The Air Line Division ran from Toledo through southern Michigan to Elkhart. Branch lines included the Monroe Branch connecting Adrian with Monroe and linking to the Detroit, Monroe and Toledo Railroad.

To support its operations, the railroad developed significant maintenance facilities: its first major shop opened in Elkhart, Indiana in 1851, growing employment there to approximately 1,500 workers by the early twentieth century. A second facility was established in Collinwood, Cleveland in 1874; by 1901 this site received a $2 million expansion transforming it into a primary repair hub employing over 2,000 personnel by the 1920s. A freight car repair shop commenced operation in Ashtabula in 1913 specifically for maintaining ore and coal cars serving the port. By 1952, coinciding with diesel locomotive adoption, all repair activities were centralized at Collinwood.

Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway: 1869–1914

By approximately 1877, prominent entrepreneur Cornelius Vanderbilt and his New York Central and Hudson River Railroad had gained majority ownership of the LS&MS. This strategic acquisition allowed New York Central to extend its primary route from Buffalo westward to Chicago, while also incorporating lines across southern Ontario through affiliated companies such as the Canada Southern Railway and Michigan Central Railroad.

A major operational disaster occurred on December 29, 1876, when the Pacific Express train experienced a devastating bridge failure in Ashtabula, Ohio. This tragedy resulted in 92 deaths and 64 injuries, underscoring the critical infrastructure vulnerabilities within the railroad sector.

New York Central Railroad: 1914–1968

On December 22, 1914, the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway merged with the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, creating the New York Central Railroad. The northern route segment, known as the Sandusky Division, ultimately became the primary mainline, supplanting the original southern path between Toledo and Elyria.

Post-NYC: 1968–present

In 1968, the New York Central combined forces with the Pennsylvania Railroad and New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad to establish Penn Central Transportation Company. After declaring bankruptcy two years later, Penn Central was incorporated into Conrail in 1976. That same year saw abandonment of the Southern Division stretch from Elyria to Millbury; some sections were repurposed as part of the North Coast Inland Trail. Under Conrail’s management, the Lake Shore mainline formed part of the Chicago Line connecting New York City and Chicago.

Following Conrail’s division in 1998 between CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway, CSX took ownership of the Chicago Line east of Cleveland. This segment was subdivided into three parts: Lake Shore (Buffalo to Erie), Erie West (Erie to just east of Cleveland), and Cleveland Terminal (through downtown Cleveland). Westward from Cleveland to Chicago, Norfolk Southern operates the Chicago Line.

Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited utilizes this corridor running west from Buffalo. Additionally, the Floridian train linked through Cleveland on its route between Washington, D.C., and Chicago. Present-day passenger rail services conclude at Chicago’s Union Station, transitioning from former Pennsylvania Railroad tracks near Whiting, Indiana.

Branches

A significant branch line extended from northeastern Ohio into northwestern Pennsylvania’s coal and oil regions, ending near Brookville. Initially serving oil refineries located in Franklin and Oil City, Pennsylvania, it was later extended from Polk Junction near Franklin to Rose, Pennsylvania. This branch included notable engineering structures such as large trestles, bridges, and tunnels around Brookville and Piney.

The New York Central exercised trackage rights over Pennsylvania Railroad and Baltimore & Ohio Railroad lines to connect Rose with Clearfield, Pennsylvania. This route serviced multiple mining operations near Brookville and interfaced with other local railroads like the Lake Erie, Franklin and Clarion at Sutton.

Declining coal shipments in the late 1990s led to partial abandonment of this line with operations reduced to Piney mine. Major trestles were dismantled during the 2000s following directives from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission; however, as of 2015, the Clarion River bridge remained standing.

Station listing - Main Line

... [list continues similarly with fewer notes where applicable] ...

State	Station	City	Closed	Connections and notes
New York	Buffalo	Buffalo		Amtrak Empire Service and Maple Leaf; home to the Lake Shore Railway Museum
	Lackawanna	Lackawanna	1920s
	West Seneca
	Blasdell	Blasdell	1920s
	Bay View		1940s
	Athol Springs	Athol Springs	1940s
	Wanakah		1920s
	Lake View	Lake View	1940s
	North Evans
	Derby	Derby	1940s
	Angola	Angola	1950s
	Farnham	Farnham	1940s
	Irving	Irving	1940s
	Silver Creek	Silver Creek	1950s
	Waites Crossing		1920s
	Dunkirk	Dunkirk	1971	Linked to Titusville Branch; historic Union Station formerly served both Erie Railroad and New York Central Railroad trains.
	Van Buren		1920s
	Brocton	Brocton	1940s

References

Corporate History of North American Railroads
History of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway Company
Excerpts from "History of St. Joseph County, Indiana" (1880)
Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway System and Representative Employees Biographical Publishing Company, 1900
J. David Ingles, IC may get new Chicago entrance, Trains June 1999
Mileposts from CSX Transportation Timetables
The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, Published: 1989