Ohio and Mississippi Railroad
| Company type | Railroad |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Predecessor | Ohio and Mississippi Rail Road |
| Founded | 1854 |
| Defunct | 1893 |
| Fate | Merged into Baltimore and Ohio Southwestern Railway |
| Headquarters | Cincinnati , United States |
Area served | Ohio, Indiana, Illinois |
Key people | Ormsby M. Mitchel (civil engineer) |
| Products | Rail transport services |
| Parent | Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (later control) |
The Ohio and Mississippi Railway—initially named the Ohio and Mississippi Rail Road and commonly known by its abbreviation O&M—operated a rail line linking Cincinnati, Ohio and East St. Louis, Illinois from 1857 until 1893.
Established in 1854, the railway ran alongside the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal and reached its terminal near the Mississippi River in East St. Louis by 1857. It was among the founding participants of the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis. The project’s civil engineering efforts included contributions from General Ormsby M. Mitchel.
During the American Civil War, a tragic event occurred on September 17, 1861, when a train transporting Union soldiers collapsed through a bridge that had been deliberately damaged at Huron, Indiana, resulting in numerous fatalities.
On October 6, 1866, the Reno Gang executed what is documented as the first train robbery in United States history by targeting an Adams Express Company car near Seymour, Indiana. After facing financial difficulties, the railroad was reorganized in 1867 under the name Ohio and Mississippi Railway.
Constructed initially with a six-foot broad gauge known as “Erie Gauge,” the O&M connected through dual-gauge tracks to railroads such as the Cincinnati Hamilton & Dayton (CH&D), Atlantic Great Western (AGW), and Erie Railway. This allowed for continuous travel between St. Louis and New York City on a broad gauge system. Remarkably, on July 23, 1871, the entire 400-mile stretch was converted to standard gauge within a single day.
Eventually, control of the line transferred to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O). When combined with the Marietta & Cincinnati Railroad—which linked to B&O at Parkersburg, West Virginia—this created an uninterrupted rail corridor connecting St. Louis with major East Coast cities including Baltimore and Washington, DC. This route served as the path for B&O’s flagship passenger service, the National Limited.
In 1893, the Ohio and Mississippi Railway merged into the Baltimore and Ohio Southwestern Railway, becoming part of what today constitutes CSX Transportation’s Indiana Subdivision and Illinois Subdivision.