New Castle District
| Company type | Rail corridor |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Founded | 1853 |
| Headquarters | United States |
Area served | Ohio, Indiana |
| Owner | Norfolk Southern Railway |
The New Castle District is a rail corridor managed and owned by the Norfolk Southern Railway spanning across Ohio and Indiana. This route extends northwest from Evendale to Fort Wayne, Indiana, following the former tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (commonly known as the Nickel Plate). At its southern terminus in Evendale, it connects with both the Dayton District and the Indiana and Ohio Railway's Oasis Subdivision. Additionally, it operates under trackage rights on the CSX Transportation's Toledo Subdivision between Hamilton and New Miami, Ohio. The line intersects with the Frankfort District at Muncie, Indiana, crosses over the Huntington District in Fort Wayne, and concludes at the junction with the Chicago District.
History
The roots of this railway stretch back to 1853 with the inauguration of the Eaton and Hamilton Railroad in Ohio alongside the Richmond and Miami Railroad in Indiana. These lines linked New Miami, Ohio to Richmond, Indiana, incorporating trackage rights extending southward to Hamilton. That same year saw the expansion northwestward to New Castle by the Cincinnati, Logansport and Chicago Railway. In 1888, the Cincinnati and Richmond Railroad commenced operations from Hamilton down to Evendale. Through various leases and mergers, this Cincinnati-to-New Castle corridor was absorbed into the Pennsylvania Railroad network.
Segments of this line were part of the Fort Wayne, Muncie and Cincinnati Railroad, affiliated with the Nickel Plate Road, which was acquired by the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W) in 1964. Following the establishment of Conrail in 1976, the underutilized Cincinnati-New Castle segment was divested to N&W, which subsequently became integrated into Norfolk Southern.