Cincinnati, New Castle and Michigan Railroad
| Company type | Railroad |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Predecessor | Steubenville and Indiana Railroad, Pittsburgh and Steubenville Railroad, Terre Haute & Richmond Railroad, Columbus, Piqua & Indiana Railroad, Richmond and Covington Railroad, New Castle and Richmond Railroad, Cincinnati, Logansport and Chicago Railway, Cincinnati and Chicago Air-Line Railroad, Chicago and Cincinnati Railroad, Columbus and Indianapolis Central Railway, Columbus and Indiana Central Railway, Columbus, Chicago and Indiana Central Railway |
| Founded | 1848 |
| Fate | Merged into Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railway (later part of Pennsylvania Railroad network) |
| Headquarters | Pittsburgh , United States |
Area served | Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois |
| Products | Rail transport services |
The Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, commonly referred to as the Pan Handle Route (later shortened to Panhandle Route), played a significant role within the Pennsylvania Railroad network. Its principal track extended from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, passing through West Virginia's Northern Panhandle to Bradford, Ohio, where it divided into two directions: one heading north toward Chicago and the other southward toward Indianapolis and East St. Louis.
Pittsburgh to Columbus (1848–1869)
In 1848, the Steubenville and Indiana Railroad was established in Ohio with the purpose of constructing a line westward from Steubenville on the Ohio River to the Indiana border via Mount Vernon. The following year, it received authorization to build a bridge at Steubenville and to add a branch line reaching Columbus.
Construction commenced simultaneously along the entire planned route in late 1851. The initial segment, spanning from Steubenville west to Unionport, began operations in December 1853. Rapid expansions took place, extending the line westward to Newark by April 1855; however, connections with other railroads at Newark were initially absent.
By December 1854, the S&I secured permission to utilize Central Ohio Railroad tracks from Newark westward to Columbus. This linkage was inaugurated in April 1857, supported financially by the Columbus and Xenia Railroad to enable continuous service extending to Cincinnati. By 1864, the S&I had acquired a fifty percent ownership stake in this section.
Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh and Steubenville Railroad was chartered in Pennsylvania in 1849 with plans to construct westward from near Pittsburgh toward the Virginia (present-day West Virginia) border aiming to connect with the S&I line. In 1852, it received approval to extend its reach into Pittsburgh proper. The Pennsylvania Railroad formed the Western Transportation Company in 1856 specifically to build and manage this route.
In 1853, private landowners transferred right-of-way across the Virginia Panhandle to the P&S railroad, enabling construction without requiring a charter—a critical step due to resistance from Wheeling officials who opposed bypass routes.
The Edgington and Wells Railroad operated briefly in 1854 but failed due to insufficient connections. Subsequently, Western Transportation chartered the Holliday's Cove Rail Road in 1860 near what is now Weirton; this facilitated building the Steubenville Railroad Bridge over the Ohio River.
On October 9, 1865, the complete P&S line opened from Pittsburgh’s Smithfield Street westward reaching Wheeling Junction at the eastern end of the bridge. This connection linked with the S&I via the Steubenville Railroad Bridge and provided access from Pittsburgh to PRR lines through both the Monongahela River Bridge (Panhandle Bridge) and Grant's Hill Tunnel.
After foreclosure proceedings in November 1867, ownership of P&S assets transferred to Panhandle Railway (chartered in 1861). In April 1868, Panhandle Railway merged with S&I and HCRR, creating the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railway; shortly thereafter, Western Transportation Company was dissolved.
Columbus to Indianapolis (1847–1867)
The Terre Haute & Richmond Railroad was chartered in 1847 with plans for a route traversing Indiana through Indianapolis. On May 25, 1850, stakeholders east of Indianapolis formed a separate entity named Terre Haute & Richmond Railroad (East of Indianapolis). This eastern segment was renamed Indiana Central Railway on January 20, 1851. Subsequently, an Ohio statute passed on January 31 authorized joint operation between Indiana Central and Dayton and Western Railroad. The track from Indianapolis eastward reached Greenfield by September 1853 and extended to the state border by October 8, connecting with Dayton and Western. Joint service between Indianapolis and Dayton, Ohio began on August 1, 1854. In 1859, track gauge was converted from standard gauge to broader Ohio gauge () allowing seamless connections with both Little Miami Railroad and Columbus and Xenia Railroad at Dayton.
The Columbus, Piqua & Indiana Railroad was established in Ohio on February 23, 1849, intending to construct a line from Columbus westward passing through Urbana, Piqua, and Greenville toward Indiana's border. On March 21, 1851, CP&I modified its western alignment beyond Covington to link with the Indianapolis and Bellefontaine Railroad at Union City, Indiana, providing access into Indianapolis. The inaugural segment opened June 6, 1853 from Columbus to Plain City, extending further west to Urbana by September 19 and reaching Piqua by October 16 of 1854; that same day it converted its rails to Ohio gauge () for compatibility with re-gauged Indianapolis and Bellefontaine tracks. Despite financial challenges delaying progress, CP&I reached Union City on March 25, 1859. Following foreclosure on August 6, 1863 it reorganized as Columbus and Indianapolis Railroad on October 30.
The Richmond and Covington Railroad was chartered in Ohio on March 12, 1862 by Indiana Central Railway together with Columbus, Piqua & Indiana Railroad to build a branch connecting Bradford with Indiana’s border near New Paris. This branch opened early in 1863; shortly after Indiana Central ceased joint operations with Dayton and Western on March 9. On January 10, 1864 Indiana Central (IC), Columbus and Indianapolis (C&I), and Richmond & Covington (R&C) agreed upon joint management as the Great Central Line, operating between Columbus and Indianapolis under Indiana Central’s leadership. C&I acquired R&C on September 5 of that year. Ultimately on October 19 Indiana Central merged with Columbus and Indianapolis Railroad forming Columbus and Indianapolis Central Railway, establishing a continuous mainline from Columbus to Indianapolis along with a branch spanning Bradford to Union City.
Richmond to Chicago (1848–1865)
Initially chartered in 1848 as the New Castle and Richmond Railroad, the company planned to construct a rail line extending from New Castle eastward to Richmond, Indiana, with later ambitions to stretch northwest toward Lafayette. The enterprise was renamed the Cincinnati, Logansport and Chicago Railway in 1853 to better represent its broadened objectives. That same year in December, the New Castle-Richmond segment commenced operations, functioning in coordination with connecting railroads heading toward Hamilton, Ohio. The Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad began joint operations in 1854.
In 1854, two affiliated firms—the Cincinnati, Cambridge and Chicago Short Line Railway and the Cincinnati, New Castle and Michigan Railroad—merged to form the Cincinnati and Chicago Railroad. This new entity absorbed the Cincinnati, Logansport and Chicago Railway within that year. The Richmond-Logansport route became fully operational in 1857 but faced foreclosure and sale in 1860; it was subsequently reorganized as the Cincinnati and Chicago Air-Line Railroad. Some grading sections southeast of Wabash were divested to other local railroads.
The Chicago and Cincinnati Railroad was chartered in 1857 to construct a line from Logansport northwest to Valparaiso, where it connected with the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway reaching Chicago by 1861. That year also saw the Air-Line open a bridge over the Wabash River at Logansport, facilitating joint Richmond-Chicago service between 1862 and 1865.
Realignments towards Chicago and mergers (1857–1869)
During the 1860s, routes aimed at Chicago were consolidated by the Galena and Illinois River Railroad (Illinois) and the Chicago and Great Eastern Railway (Indiana). The C&GE took over the G&IR in 1863 and launched a new line from Chicago southward to La Crosse in 1865, discontinuing older tracks. Subsequently, it absorbed both the Cincinnati and Chicago Air-Line Railroad and the Chicago and Cincinnati Railroad.
In Indiana, unfinished lines originally intended to connect Union City, Marion, and Logansport were acquired by the Union and Logansport Railroad. Concurrently, western expansions toward Illinois developed through reorganized companies that culminated in the Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway bypassing Chicago.
A significant consolidation took place on September 11, 1867, when the Columbus and Indianapolis Central Railway merged with Union and Logansport Railroad and Toledo, Logansport and Burlington Railway to establish the Columbus and Indiana Central Railway. Its principal route from Union City to Marion opened in October of that year.
On February 12, 1868, another merger formed the Columbus, Chicago and Indiana Central Railway (CC&IC), uniting Columbus and Indiana Central with Chicago and Great Eastern. By March 1868, CC&IC had completed its main line extending from Marion northwest to Anoka near Logansport. This created primary routes linking Columbus with both Chicago and Indianapolis, including branches extending southeast to Richmond and west toward Effner. In late 1868, Erie Railway proposed leasing CC&IC but was surpassed by a higher bid from the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railway, which took over leasing on February 1, 1869.
Expansion (1869–1890)
On December 1, 1869 (retroactively effective from February 23, 1870), the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railway leased the Little Miami Railroad, encompassing subsidiaries such as the Columbus and Xenia Railroad, Dayton and Western Railroad, Dayton, Xenia and Belpre Railroad, along with the Richmond and Miami Railway branch leading to Richmond, Indiana. This lease secured vital access for Pennsylvania Railroad into Cincinnati.
By 1870, completion of both the St. Louis, Vandalia and Terre Haute Railroad and Terre Haute and Indianapolis Rail Road established a continuous route reaching East St. Louis via PC&StL through Indianapolis.
Following foreclosure of the Columbus, Chicago and Indiana Central Railway in January 1883, a new company—the Chicago, St. Louis and Pittsburgh Railroad—was incorporated in March of that year to acquire its assets. Operations remained under PC&StL management until April 1883; subsequently, these two companies merged in April 1884. On September 30, 1890, this consolidated entity united with PC&StL itself as well as with Cincinnati and Richmond Railroad and Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad to create the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway (PCC&StL).
20th century
In 1891, the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway (PCC&StL) acquired a controlling interest in the Little Miami Railroad. On December 21, 1916, with effect from January 1, 1917, the PCC&StL consolidated with the Vandalia Railroad, Pittsburgh, Wheeling and Kentucky Railroad, Anderson Belt Railway, and Chicago, Indiana and Eastern Railway to establish the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad.
Beginning January 1, 1921, the Pennsylvania Railroad leased the PCC&StL, which was subsequently merged into the Pennsylvania Railroad's Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad on April 2, 1956.
Current use
Various portions of the initial line have been adapted for public transit and recreational purposes. The easternmost segment stretching from Pittsburgh Union Station through the Panhandle Tunnel to Station Square currently operates as part of the Pittsburgh Light Rail system. Beyond this point to the Sheraden neighborhood in Pittsburgh, the line is incorporated into Norfolk Southern’s Mon Line. The section extending from Sheraden to Carnegie has been transformed into the West Busway, designated exclusively for bus traffic.
Rails remain intact between Carnegie and Walkers Mill under ownership of the Pittsburgh and Ohio Central Railroad; however, this section has been inactive since mid-2015 and is planned for conversion into the Panhandle Trail. From Walkers Mill to Weirton, West Virginia, tracks were removed by Conrail in 1996; this corridor has since been developed into a multi-use trail for cycling and walking known as the Panhandle Trail.
Rail infrastructure persists from Weirton to Columbus: between Weirton and Mingo Junction it supports multiple rail services; from Mingo Junction to Columbus it forms part of the Columbus and Ohio River Railroad. Within Piqua, Ohio, a portion of the former railway has been repurposed as a linear park. The segment running from Logansport to Chicago is abandoned; sections within Chicago have been converted into the Major Taylor Trail while stretches between Lansing, Illinois and Schererville, Indiana serve as the Pennsy Greenway.