Northern Indiana Railroad

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

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Northern Indiana Railroad, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 24 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. This route primarily traced the southern shoreline of Lake Erie, traversing through New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and northern Indiana. Today, this rail corridor remains essential, with ownership divided since 1998 between CSX Transportation east of Cleveland and Norfolk Southern Railway west of Cleveland.

From Toledo to Chicago

Chartered on April 22, 1833, the Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad was established in the Michigan Territory to connect Port Lawrence (present-day Toledo, Ohio) northwestward to Adrian, Michigan. Initially utilizing horse-drawn carriages starting in 1836, steam locomotives replaced animal power by August 1837.

In 1835, the Buffalo and Mississippi Railroad was formed in Indiana with the intention of running from Buffalo, New York, to the Mississippi River. It was renamed the Northern Indiana Railroad in 1837 and planned to extend to Michigan City on Lake Michigan; however, construction ceased due to financial constraints.

Around 1838, Michigan launched the Southern Railroad, which stretched west from Monroe on Lake Erie to New Buffalo on Lake Michigan. Sections of this line opened between 1839 and 1843 before being sold in 1846 to the Michigan Southern Rail Road. This company shifted the western terminus to Chicago by utilizing the Northern Indiana Railroad charter. In 1849, the Michigan Southern leased the Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad, gaining a branch line to Toledo and connections heading east.

Because of lobbying efforts by the Michigan Central Railroad, restrictions were placed on Michigan Southern's charter that limited operations near the Indiana border east of Constantine, Michigan. To circumvent these limitations, Judge Stanfield of South Bend acquired and leased right-of-way from White Pigeon to the state line until charter amendments permitted direct ownership.

The Northern Indiana and Chicago Railroad was chartered in 1850; its tracks extended from the Michigan Southern state line westward to Chicago by 1852. The Northern Indiana Railroad was incorporated in Ohio in 1851. Subsequent mergers followed: Ohio and Indiana companies united in 1853; by 1855, Northern Indiana and Chicago Railroad merged into Northern Indiana Railroad; then Northern Indiana Railroad combined with Michigan Southern Rail Road to form the Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad. By 1858, a new route known as the "Northern Indiana Air Line" connected Elkhart eastward to Toledo. This entity controlled a main corridor from Chicago to Toledo with alternative routes crossing southern Michigan and branches such as the leased Detroit, Monroe and Toledo Railroad since 1856, linking Toledo with Detroit.

From Erie to Cleveland

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

Buffalo to Erie

Incorporated in 1849, the Buffalo and State Line Railroad commenced operations from Dunkirk, New York, extending westward into Pennsylvania by early 1852, with the line reaching Buffalo shortly thereafter. Meanwhile, the Erie and North East Railroad, established in 1842, constructed the segment from the state boundary to Erie, which opened in 1852. Initially, both railroads utilized broad gauge tracks; however, in 1853 they agreed to convert their rails to match the Franklin Canal Company's gauge, facilitating uninterrupted service. This coordinated gauge alignment allowed passengers to travel through Erie without changing trains. The two entities merged in 1867, forming the Buffalo and Erie Railroad, thereby strengthening their presence across New York and Pennsylvania markets.

Cleveland to Toledo

The Junction Railroad, chartered in 1846, built a rail line extending west from Cleveland to Toledo. The Toledo, Norwalk and Cleveland Railroad, authorized in 1850, developed the track eastward from Toledo to Grafton, Ohio, linking with the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad. By late 1852, this connection enabled continuous travel between Buffalo and Chicago. These railroads consolidated in 1853 as the Cleveland and Toledo Railroad, designating the Junction Railroad as its Northern Division and the Toledo, Norwalk and Cleveland as its Southern Division. The Northern Division reached Sandusky by 1853 and extended to Toledo by 1855; some segments were temporarily abandoned due to limited demand but were reinstated by 1872 to improve operational efficiency. During the 1860s, realignments near Oberlin and Elyria enhanced connectivity with other major rail lines, fostering regional economic development.

Consolidations

In October 1867, the Cleveland, Painesville and Ashtabula Railroad leased the Cleveland and Toledo Railroad. Subsequently, on March 31, 1868, CP&A rebranded as the Lake Shore Railway and formally absorbed the Cleveland and Toledo Railroad in February 1869. Shortly thereafter, on April 6, it merged with the Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad to create the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway (LS&MS). In June of that year, LS&MS incorporated the Buffalo and Erie Railroad, establishing a seamless rail corridor from Buffalo to Chicago. The primary route served significant industrial centers such as Erie, Cleveland, Toledo, and South Bend. An alternative Sandusky Division ran north of this main line within Ohio and was completed by 1872. Additionally, the Air Line Division connected Toledo with Elkhart through southern Michigan. Various branch lines—including the Monroe Branch intersecting Detroit’s rail network—further expanded commercial reach.

To support its expanding operations, LS&MS developed major maintenance facilities: initially opening repair shops in Elkhart, Indiana (1851), then adding a large complex at Collinwood near Cleveland (1874). This facility underwent a $2 million expansion in 1901 and employed over 2,000 workers by the 1920s. A dedicated freight car repair shop was established in Ashtabula in 1913 to service ore and coal cars at the port. By 1952, maintenance activities were centralized at Collinwood during the transition from steam-powered to diesel locomotives.

Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway: 1869–1914

By 1877, Cornelius Vanderbilt, a prominent industrialist, secured majority ownership of LS&MS through his New York Central and Hudson River Railroad. This strategic move extended New York Central’s primary route from Buffalo to Chicago, bolstering its market position alongside additional corridors running through southern Ontario via affiliated lines such as the Canada Southern Railway and Michigan Central Railroad.

A pivotal incident affecting the company occurred on December 29, 1876, known as the Ashtabula River Railroad Disaster. The collapse of a bridge resulted in 92 fatalities and 64 injuries, underscoring the dangers associated with rapid infrastructure development.

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 Sandusky Division eventually supplanted the original southern route between Toledo and Elyria as the main line.

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 form Penn Central Transportation Company, which declared bankruptcy within two years. The company was absorbed into Conrail in 1976. That same year, the Southern Division segment between Elyria and Millbury was abandoned; portions of this corridor now serve as the North Coast Inland Trail. Under Conrail management, the Lake Shore main line became part of the Chicago Line connecting New York City to Chicago.

Following Conrail's division in 1998 between CSX and Norfolk Southern, CSX took ownership of the Chicago Line east of Cleveland, partitioning it into subdivisions: Lake Shore (Buffalo to Erie), Erie West (Erie to just east of Cleveland), and Cleveland Terminal (downtown Cleveland). From Cleveland westward to Chicago, Norfolk Southern controls the Chicago Line.

Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited operates along the entire route from Buffalo westward. The Floridian connects through Cleveland on its journey from Washington, D.C., to Chicago. Passenger services initially ended at LaSalle Street Station but currently use Union Station in Chicago via a crossover located in Whiting, Indiana.

Branches

A notable branch line extended from northeastern Ohio into coal and oil-producing regions near Brookville in northwestern Pennsylvania. Initially serving oil refineries along the Allegheny River at Franklin and Oil City, it later stretched westward from Polk Junction to Rose, Pennsylvania. This branch included major engineering feats such as extensive trestles, bridges, tunnels near Brookville, and a distinctive bridge-tunnel combination close to Piney.

The New York Central operated over tracks owned by Pennsylvania Railroad and B&O Railroad to link Rose with Clearfield. This route serviced multiple mines around Brookville and connected with the Lake Erie, Franklin and Clarion Railroad at Sutton, as well as Pennsylvania Railroad lines leading toward Pittsburgh & Shawmut.

With coal traffic diminishing in the late 1990s, operations were scaled back to Piney mine. Numerous large trestles were dismantled in the late 2000s following directives from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission; however, as of 2015, the Clarion River bridge remained standing.

Station listing - Main Line

... [stations continue similarly with focus on key stops and Amtrak connections]

State	Distance	Station	City	Opened	Closed	Connections and notes
New York		Buffalo	Buffalo			Served by Amtrak Empire Service and Maple Leaf; home to 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
	Van Buren		1920s
	Brocton	Brocton, New York	1940s
	Portland	Portland, New York	1920s
	Westfield	Westfield (village), New York	1971	NRHP
	Forsyth	Forsyth	1920s
	Ripley	Ripley (CDP), New York	1948
	State Line	State Line	1920s
North East \|\| North East, Pennsylvania \|\| 1960s \|\| Lake Shore Railway Museum \|\|
Moorhead	1920s
Harbor Creek	Harborcreek Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania	1940s
Wesleyville
bgcolor="dfdfff" \|Erie	Erie, Pennsylvania		Amtrak Lake Shore Limited
Swanville	Swanville	1852	1940s
Fairview	Fairview Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania	1852	1940s
North Girard	1852	1950s	Formerly Girard; renamed Lake City
Springfield	Springfield Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania	1852	1940s
Conneaut \|\| Conneaut, Ohio \|\| 1852 \|\| 1960s \|\| Conneaut Historic Railroad Museum \|\|
Kingsville	Kingsville Township, Ashtabula County, Ohio	1852	1948	Final eastbound commuter stop
Ashtabula	Ashtabula, Ohio	1852	1971	Demolished in 2018
Saybrook	1852	1950s
Geneva	Geneva, Ohio	1852	1960s
Unionville	Unionville, Ashtabula County, Ohio	1852	1950s
Madison	1852	Final eastbound commuter stop
Perry \|1852 \|1950s \|
Lane \|1920s \|
Painesville \|1851 \|1971 \| Painesville Railroad Museum \|
Heisley \|1930s \|Flag stop \|
Mentor \|Mentor, Ohio \|1851 \|1948 \| Final eastbound commuter stop; NRHP \|
Reynolds \|1930s \|Flag stop \|
Willoughby \|Willoughby, Ohio \|1851 \|1948 \| Final eastbound commuter stop \|
Rush Road \|1920s \|Flag stop \|
Wickliffe \|Wickliffe, Ohio \|1851 \|1930s \|
Noble \|1920s \|
Nottingham \|1851 \|1950s \| Previously known as Euclid \|
Collinwood (9 stations in Cleveland) \| 1930s to 1971 \| Originally Collamer; included several flag stops; replaced by Cleveland Union Terminal in 1930; commuter operations ceased mid-20th century. \|
Berea \|1950s \| Union Depot with Big Four Railway \|
Olmsted Falls \|1950s \|
Shawville \|1950s \|
bgcolor=dfdfff \|Elyria \| Continues Amtrak Lake Shore Limited and Floridian service. \|
Amherst \|1940s \|

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 get new Chicago entrance, Trains June 1999
Mileposts sourced from CSX Transportation Timetables
The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, Published: 1989