Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway| Company type | Railroad |
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| Industry | Rail transport |
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| Founded | 1833 |
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| Fate | Merged into New York Central Railroad in 1914 |
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| Headquarters | United States |
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Area served | New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois |
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| Products | Rail transportation services |
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The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, founded in 1833 and commonly referred to as the Lake Shore, played a crucial role within the New York Central Railroad's Water Level Route stretching from Buffalo, New York, to Chicago, Illinois. Its route largely traced the southern shoreline of Lake Erie as it passed through New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, extending into northern Indiana. This corridor continues to serve as a vital artery for rail transportation, utilized by Amtrak passenger trains alongside various freight carriers. Since 1998, the line has been split at Cleveland, Ohio, with ownership divided between CSX Transportation to the east and Norfolk Southern Railway to the west.
Toledo to Chicago
Chartered on April 22, 1833, in the Territory of Michigan, the Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad operated from Port Lawrence (present-day Toledo) northwestward to Adrian, Michigan. Initially powered by horse-drawn trains starting in 1836, steam locomotives were introduced by August 1837, replacing animal traction.
The Buffalo and Mississippi Railroad was established in Indiana on February 6, 1835, with the objective of linking Buffalo, New York, to the Mississippi River. It was renamed the Northern Indiana Railroad in 1837 and planned a westward route toward Michigan City, Indiana. Although some grading work commenced, progress was halted due to financial constraints.
By approximately 1838, Michigan began building the Southern Railroad from Monroe on Lake Erie heading west to New Buffalo on Lake Michigan. The line reached Adrian by 1840 and extended to Hillsdale by 1843. In 1846, ownership of the partially finished railroad transferred to the Michigan Southern Rail Road, which redirected its western terminus toward Chicago utilizing the charter of the Northern Indiana Railroad. The Michigan Southern leased the Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad in 1849, acquiring a branch line into Toledo and connections extending eastward.
Facing competition from Michigan Central Railroad, Michigan Southern's charter imposed a restriction preventing construction closer than two miles to Indiana's border east of Constantine. To circumvent this limitation, it leased right-of-way from White Pigeon to the state boundary until legislative amendments permitted direct ownership.
The Northern Indiana and Chicago Railroad was incorporated in 1850; its initial section from the state line through Elkhart to South Bend commenced operations in 1851. The entire stretch reaching Chicago opened early in 1852. Concurrently, Ohio chartered the Northern Indiana Railroad in 1851; through several mergers completed by 1855, these lines unified under the name Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad. By this time, it operated a mainline connecting Chicago to Toledo with alternative routes traversing southern Michigan as well as branches such as the Detroit, Monroe and Toledo Railroad leased in 1856.
This amalgamation created an important rail corridor linking key industrial hubs across several states, laying groundwork for subsequent expansions that bolstered market presence and competitive positioning within the railroad sector.
Erie to Cleveland
The Franklin Canal Company received its charter on May 21, 1844, constructing a rail line from Erie, Pennsylvania, heading southwest toward the Ohio boundary. The Cleveland, Painesville and Ashtabula Railroad, incorporated on February 18, 1848, extended northeast from Cleveland to connect with the Franklin Canal route at the state line. This railroad opened in segments: from Cleveland to Painesville on November 20, 1851; from Painesville to Ashtabula on June 16, 1852; and from Ashtabula to Erie on November 23, 1852. On June 20, 1854, the Cleveland, Painesville and Ashtabula Railroad acquired the Franklin Canal Company.
Buffalo to Erie
The Buffalo and State Line Railroad, chartered October 13, 1849, completed its track from Dunkirk westward into Pennsylvania by January 1, 1852, and reached Buffalo by February 17 of the same year. Meanwhile, the Erie and North East Railroad, established April 12, 1842, constructed a line from the state boundary westward to Erie, opening on January 19, 1852. Initially both railroads operated using broad gauge rails but agreed in November 1853 to convert their tracks to match the Franklin Canal Company's gauge for uninterrupted travel through Erie. This gauge change sparked the Erie Gauge War, which was resolved by February 1, 1854, when track relaying was finished and continuous service commenced. These two railroads merged on May 15, 1867, forming the Buffalo and Erie Railroad.
Cleveland to Toledo
The Junction Railroad, chartered March 2, 1846, constructed a route extending westward from Cleveland to Toledo. The Toledo, Norwalk and Cleveland Railroad, chartered March 7, 1850, linked Toledo eastward to Grafton on the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad, with service starting December 20, 1852. Together these lines created an uninterrupted Buffalo-to-Chicago corridor. On September 1 (year unspecified), they combined as the Cleveland and Toledo Railroad, designating the Junction Railroad as the Northern Division and the Toledo-Norwalk-Cleveland line as the Southern Division. The Northern Division opened between Cleveland and Sandusky on October 24, 1853, extending to Toledo by April 24, 1855. Due to insufficient traffic volumes west of Sandusky, that segment was abandoned but reconstructed in 1872 and merged with the Southern Division at Millbury. In 1866, the Southern Division east of Oberlin was discontinued in favor of a new connection linking Elyria on the Northern Division; this change ended use of the Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati segment.
Consolidations
In October 1867, the Cleveland and Toledo Railroad was leased by the Cleveland, Painesville and Ashtabula Railroad. Subsequently renamed the Lake Shore Railway on March 31, 1868, it 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 a continuous rail corridor stretching from Buffalo to Chicago. The LS&MS main line passed through prominent industrial centers such as Dunkirk, Erie, Ashtabula (Ohio), Cleveland, Toledo, Waterloo (Indiana), and South Bend. An alternative Sandusky Division ran north of the main route in Ohio between Elyria and Millbury; this branch was completed by 1872. The Air Line Division provided a northern route through southern Michigan between Toledo and Elkhart. The company also operated several branch lines including the Monroe Branch connecting Adrian to Monroe where it intersected with the leased Detroit, Monroe and Toledo Railroad. To improve efficiency, some original routes were either abandoned or rerouted.
The firm established its initial major repair facility in Elkhart, Indiana in 1851; this shop expanded over time employing approximately 1,500 workers. A second repair center opened in Collinwood (Cleveland) in 1874; by 1901 an investment of $2 million enabled construction of a larger complex that employed over 2,000 personnel by the following decades. In 1913 a freight car repair shop was added at Ashtabula to maintain ore and coal cars servicing the port area. By 1952—amidst transition from steam to diesel locomotives—repair operations were centralized at Collinwood.
Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway: 1869–1914
By approximately 1877, influential businessman Cornelius Vanderbilt had gained controlling interest in the LS&MS through his New York Central and Hudson River Railroad. This strategic acquisition allowed New York Central to extend its primary route westward from Buffalo to Chicago, while also linking with networks throughout southern Ontario via subsidiaries such as the Canada Southern Railway and Michigan Central Railroad—broadening both market access and operational scope.
A significant disaster struck LS&MS on December 29, 1876, when the Pacific Express train encountered a catastrophic bridge failure in Ashtabula, Ohio. This tragic incident caused 92 fatalities and 64 injuries, underscoring the risks associated with rapid infrastructure growth during that era.
New York Central Railroad: 1914–1968
On December 22, 1914, the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad merged with the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, creating the New York Central Railroad. The northern route segment, designated as the Sandusky Division, ultimately became the principal main line, supplanting the original southern corridor 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, which declared bankruptcy by 1970. Subsequently, Conrail absorbed its assets in 1976. That same year saw abandonment of the Southern Division stretch between Elyria and Millbury; portions of this corridor have since been repurposed as part of the North Coast Inland Trail. Under Conrail’s management, the Lake Shore main line functioned within the New York City–Chicago Chicago Line.
Following Conrail’s division in 1998 between CSX and Norfolk Southern, CSX obtained ownership of the Chicago Line east of Cleveland. CSX segmented this line into subdivisions: Lake Shore (Buffalo to Erie), Erie West (Erie to just east of Cleveland), and Cleveland Terminal (into downtown Cleveland). Norfolk Southern took control of the route extending westward from Cleveland to Chicago.
Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited operates along this corridor from Buffalo heading west. The Floridian also connected at Cleveland via a link from a former Pennsylvania Railroad line on its Washington, D.C. to Chicago route. Initially, passenger trains terminated at LaSalle Street Station but now use Union Station in Chicago by way of a crossover located in Whiting, Indiana.
Branches
One notable branch stretched from northeastern Ohio into coal and oil-producing regions in northwestern Pennsylvania, terminating near Brookville. Originally serving oil refineries at Franklin and Oil City, Pennsylvania, it was later extended westward from Polk Junction to Rose near Brookville. A connecting segment from Franklin extended southward to cross the Allegheny River along this extension.
This branch was distinguished by remarkable engineering structures including numerous large trestles, bridges, and tunnels—for instance, a complex bridge-tunnel system near Piney and two substantial trestles close to Corsica. The New York Central operated trackage rights over lines owned by Pennsylvania Railroad and Baltimore & Ohio Railroad to link Rose with Clearfield.
Coal mining operations along this route near Brookville connected with the Lake Erie, Franklin and Clarion Railroad at Sutton and interfaced with Pennsylvania Railroad lines reaching Pittsburgh & Shawmut via Pennsy tracks.
Following a decline in coal shipments during the late 1990s, service was scaled back to terminate at Piney mine. Several major trestles were dismantled in the late 2000s under directives from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission; however, as of 2015, the Clarion River bridge remained standing.
Station listing - Main Line
Portland
Portland, New York
1920s
WestfieldWestfield (village), New York
1971
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Serviced by Amtrak's
Lake Shore Limited and
Floridian |
Robertsdale |
Chicago |
1950s |
Functioned as a commuter stop |
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See also
- Rival Companies
References
