Erie and Kalamazoo 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	Cleveland, United States
Area served	New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois
Key people	Cornelius Vanderbilt (controlling interest circa 1877)
Products	Passenger and freight rail transport
Number of employees	3500+ (early 20th century)

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 24 July 2025

The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, established in 1833, played a significant role as part of the New York Central Railroad's Water Level Route, linking Buffalo, New York and Chicago, Illinois. This route primarily followed the southern shoreline of Lake Erie, traversing New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and northern Indiana. Today, its tracks continue to serve crucial functions for both Amtrak passenger operations and freight transportation. Since 1998, ownership has been split at Cleveland, with CSX Transportation managing the eastern segment and Norfolk Southern Railway overseeing the western portion.

Toledo to Chicago

In 1833, the Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad was chartered within the Michigan Territory to connect Toledo, Ohio (known then as Port Lawrence), with Adrian, Michigan. Initially employing horse-drawn railcars in 1836, it transitioned to steam-powered locomotives by the following year.

The Buffalo and Mississippi Railroad received its charter in Indiana in 1835 with the goal of linking Buffalo, New York, to the Mississippi River. In 1837, it was renamed the Northern Indiana Railroad and sought to extend its line to Michigan City on Lake Michigan; however, early financial difficulties hindered progress.

Around 1838, Michigan began constructing the Southern Railroad, stretching from Monroe on Lake Erie westward toward New Buffalo on Lake Michigan. By 1846, this partially finished railway was sold to the Michigan Southern Rail Road, which altered plans to establish its western terminus in Chicago by utilizing the Northern Indiana Railroad charter. In 1849, the Michigan Southern leased the Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad, thereby securing a branch line reaching Toledo.

Restrictions imposed by competitor Michigan Central Railroad initially prevented Michigan Southern from owning track within two miles of Indiana’s border east of Constantine. To circumvent this limitation, the company leased right-of-way from an Indiana judge until legislative changes permitted direct ownership.

The Northern Indiana and Chicago Railroad was chartered in 1850. Its route from the Michigan Southern connection at the state line through Elkhart to South Bend became operational in 1851. Completion of the full line to Chicago occurred by February 1852.

Further consolidations took place as Ohio’s Northern Indiana Railroad companies merged by 1853 and later combined with Michigan Southern Rail Road in 1855 to form the Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad. By 1858, a more direct "Northern Indiana Air Line" extending from Elkhart eastward to Toledo was completed. This entity controlled a principal line running from Chicago to Toledo with branches throughout southern Michigan and managed a leased Detroit branch via the Detroit, Monroe and Toledo Railroad since 1856.

Erie to Cleveland

The Franklin Canal Company, chartered in 1844, constructed a railroad extending southwest from Erie, Pennsylvania to the Ohio state boundary. The Cleveland, Painesville and Ashtabula Railroad, incorporated in 1848, extended northeast from Cleveland to meet the Franklin Canal line at the state border. The segment between Cleveland and Painesville opened in 1851; service reached Ashtabula and Erie by 1852. In 1854, the Cleveland, Painesville and Ashtabula Railroad acquired the Franklin Canal Company, consolidating their operations and broadening their regional influence.

Buffalo to Erie

Incorporated in 1849, the Buffalo and State Line Railroad commenced operations between Dunkirk, New York, and the Pennsylvania border by early 1852. The segment extending from the state line to Erie was completed in 1852 by the Erie and North East Railroad, which had been chartered earlier in 1842. Initially, both railroads operated on a broad gauge; however, in 1853 they agreed to convert their tracks to align with the Franklin Canal Company's gauge. This adjustment allowed uninterrupted service through Erie without requiring passengers to transfer trains, significantly improving operational flow despite resistance during the Erie Gauge War. The two companies unified in 1867, forming the Buffalo and Erie Railroad, thereby consolidating their presence along this important route.

Cleveland to Toledo

The Junction Railroad, established in 1846, aimed to connect Cleveland westward to Toledo. Meanwhile, the Toledo, Norwalk and Cleveland Railroad, chartered in 1850, constructed a line eastward from Toledo to Grafton, Ohio, where it linked with the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad. By late 1852, this connection created an unbroken rail corridor from Buffalo to Chicago. These two railroads merged in 1853 under the name Cleveland and Toledo Railroad, with the former Junction Railroad designated as the Northern Division and the Toledo, Norwalk and Cleveland as the Southern Division. The Northern Division opened between Cleveland and Sandusky in 1853 and extended its reach to Toledo by 1855. Some sections were temporarily discontinued due to insufficient traffic but were eventually reinstated to enhance network efficiency. In 1866, strategic route adjustments through Elyria, Ohio, further optimized operations by consolidating access within this vital industrial area.

Consolidations

In October 1867, the Cleveland, Painesville and Ashtabula Railroad secured a lease on the Cleveland and Toledo Railroad. Subsequently renamed the Lake Shore Railway on March 31, 1868, it fully absorbed the Cleveland and Toledo Railroad by February 11, 1869. Shortly thereafter, on April 6, a merger between the Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad and Lake Shore resulted in the formation of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway (LS&MS). This entity incorporated the Buffalo and Erie Railroad on June 22, establishing a continuous rail line stretching from Buffalo to Chicago. The primary route served major markets such as Dunkirk, Erie, Ashtabula, Cleveland, Toledo, Waterloo, and South Bend. An alternate pathway through Ohio—the Sandusky Division—was completed by 1872. Additionally, the Old Road segment from Toledo to Elkhart traversed southern Michigan as part of the Air Line Division. Branch lines included the Monroe Branch connecting Adrian with Monroe and linking further to the Detroit, Monroe and Toledo Railroad.

The company inaugurated its first significant maintenance facility in Elkhart, Indiana in 1851; by the early twentieth century, it employed approximately 1,500 workers there. A second major shop opened in Collinwood near Cleveland in 1874; an investment of $2 million in 1901 expanded this into a substantial repair complex that employed over 2,000 personnel by the 1920s. In support of ore and coal transportation demands, a freight car repair shop was established at Ashtabula in 1913. By 1952, during diesel locomotive adoption efforts, all repair activities were centralized at Collinwood.

Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway: 1869–1914

By approximately 1877, Cornelius Vanderbilt, a distinguished entrepreneur and industrialist, along with his New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, gained controlling interest in the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway (LS&MS). This acquisition strategically expanded New York Central’s network by extending its primary route from Buffalo to Chicago through LS&MS lines, further enhanced by connections via southern Ontario utilizing the Canada Southern Railway and Michigan Central Railroad.

A pivotal incident in LS&MS’s history occurred on December 29, 1876, when a bridge in Ashtabula, Ohio, collapsed. This disaster involved the Pacific Express train, resulting in 92 deaths and 64 injuries, underscoring the vulnerabilities in railroad infrastructure during that period.

New York Central Railroad: 1914–1968

On December 22, 1914, the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad combined with the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway to create the New York Central Railroad. The northern route segment, referred to as the Sandusky Division, eventually became the principal main line, supplanting the original southern alignment between Toledo and Elyria.

Post-NYC: 1968–present

In 1968, the New York Central merged with both the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad to form Penn Central Transportation Company. Just two years later, Penn Central declared bankruptcy and was incorporated into Conrail in 1976. That same year saw the abandonment of the Southern Division stretching from Elyria to Millbury; portions of this corridor have since been repurposed as part of the North Coast Inland Trail. Under Conrail management, the Lake Shore main line became a segment 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 section was divided into subdivisions such as Lake Shore, Erie West, and Cleveland Terminal. Meanwhile, Norfolk Southern assumed control of the Chicago Line westward from Cleveland to Chicago.

Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited operates along this route starting at Buffalo heading westward. Historically, the Floridian passenger train linked at Cleveland on its journey between Washington, D.C., and Chicago. Present-day passenger services conclude at Chicago’s Union Station, transitioning from former Pennsylvania Railroad tracks near Whiting, Indiana.

Branches

One notable branch extended from Northeastern Ohio into coal and oil-producing regions near Brookville, Pennsylvania. Initially serving oil refineries located at Franklin and Oil City, this line was later extended from Polk Junction near Franklin to Rose, Pennsylvania. The branch included significant engineering structures such as expansive trestles and tunnels around Brookville and Piney.

The New York Central exercised trackage rights over lines owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad and Baltimore & Ohio Railroad to connect Rose with Clearfield. This route supported several mining operations near Brookville and linked with local railroads including the Lake Erie, Franklin and Clarion Railroad at Sutton.

Due to a downturn in coal traffic during the late 1990s, service on this branch was truncated back to the Piney mine. Numerous major trestles were dismantled during the 2000s following directives from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission; however, as of 2015, the bridge spanning the Clarion River remained preserved.

Station listing - Main Line

State	Distance	Station	City	Opened	Closed	Connections and notes
New York		Buffalo	Buffalo			Served by Amtrak's 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; previously a Union Station shared by Erie Railroad and New York Central Railroad services.
		Van Buren	1920s
		Brocton	1940s
		Portland	1920s
		Westfield	1971	Registered on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)
		Forsyth	1920s	-		Ripley	1948	-		State Line	1920s	-
	North East	1960s	Hosts the Lake Shore Railway Museum	-	Moorhead	1920s	-	Harbor Creek Twp.	1940s	-	Wesleyville		-	bgcolor="dfdfff" \|Erie		Served by Amtrak Lake Shore Limited	-	Swanville	1852	1940s	-	Fairview Twp.	1852	1940s	-	North Girard	1852	1950s	-	Springfield Twp.	1852	1940s	-
	Conneaut	1852	1960s	-	Kingsville	1852	1948	-	Ashtabula	1852	1971	-	Saybrook	1852	1950s	-	Geneva	1852	1960s	-	Unionville	1852	1950s	-	Madison	1852	1948	-	Perry	1852	1950s	-	Lane	1920s	-	Painesville	1851	1971	-	Heisley	1930s	-	Mentor	1851	1948	-	Reynolds	1930s	-	Willoughby	1851	1948	-	Rush Road	1920s	-	Wickliffe	1851	1930s	-	Noble	1920s	-	Nottingham	1851	1950s	-
	Collinwood (previously Collamer)	1930s	Formerly named Collamer
	Coit Road		1870s
	Coits		1870s	Closed in 1920s
	East 105th Street		1930s	Previously Glenville
	East 55th Street		1920s	Formerly Wilson Street
	East 40th Street		1920s	Previously Case Street; Flag stop
	Cleveland Union Depot	1851	Replaced in 1930 by Cleveland Union Terminal; later served as CCC&St.L stop and Cleveland Lakefront Station.
	West Cleveland
	West Park station		1930s
	Berea		1950s	Shared Union Depot with Big Four Railway
	Olmsted Falls		1950s
	Shawville		1950s
	Elyria		Served by Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited and Floridian services.
	Amherst		1940s
	Brownhelm		1920s
	Vermilion		1940s
	Ceylon		1940s
	Huron		1940s
	Sandusky		Served by Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited and Floridian; NRHP-listed.
	Venice		1874–1940s
	Bay Bridge		1920s
	Danbury		1940s
	Gypsum		1940s
	Port Clinton station		1874–1971
	La Carne		1950s
	Oak Harbor		1874–1940s
	Rocky Ridge		1940s
	Graytown		1874–1940s
	Martin		1940s
	Millbury		1950s
	Toledo rowspan="2" \|Toledo, Ohio	Offers Amtrak Lake Shore Limited and Floridian services.
	Air Line Junction		-\| Holland 1950's; Swanton 1950's; Delta 1950's; Wauseon 1950's; Pettisville 1950's; Archbold 1950's; Stryker 1950's; bgcolor=dfdfff Bryan Amtrak Lake Shore Limited service; Melbern 1950's; Edgerton 1950's. - \| rowspan="35" \|Indiana Butler 1950's; bgcolor=dfdfff Waterloo Amtrak Lake Shore Limited and Floridian service; Corunna 1950's; Kendallville 1960's; Brimfield 1950's; Wawaka 1950's; Ligonier 1950's; Millersburg 19500's; Goshen 19550's; bgcolor=dfdfff Elkhart Amtrak Lake Shore Limited and Floridian service with National New York Central Railroad Museum. Commuter trains ceased in 1964.; Osceola 19550's; Mishawaka 19550's; South Bend Amtrak Lake Shore Limited and Floridian service. Commuter trains ended in 1964.; Lydick and Terre Coupee 19200's; New Carlisle and Rolling Prairie mid-century stops.; La Porte commuter trains ended in 1964.; Pinola and Durham mid-century stops.; Otis and Burdick mid-century stops.; Chesterton NRHP-listed, commuter trains stopped in 1964.; Porter commuter stop from 1964.; Dune Park ceased commuter trains in the '50's flag stop.; Ogden Dunes commuter stop.; Millers and Gary stopped commuter trains in the '50's.; Gary stopped commuter trains in '64.; Kirk Yard, Curtis, Pine commuter stops in the '50's.; Buffington commuter stop.; Indiana Harbor ceased commuter trains in '64.; Mahoning commuter stop from '64.; Whiting stopped commuter trains in '64. - \| rowspan="8" \|Illinois Robertsdale to Englewood Chicago area stations mostly discontinued commuter services by late '70's with some like Englewood closing in 1978. LaSalle Street Station currently serves Metra Rock Island District.

References

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