Youngstown and Suburban Railway
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Headquarters | Youngstown, Ohio , United States |
Area served | Youngstown, Ohio to Darlington, Pennsylvania |
| Products | Freight transportation services |
| Owner | Midwest & Bluegrass Rail |
The Youngstown and Southeastern Railroad operates as a short-line railroad under the ownership of Midwest & Bluegrass Rail, providing freight transportation services between Youngstown, Ohio and Darlington, Pennsylvania, United States. This rail corridor is held by the Columbiana County Port Authority and is leased to the Eastern States Railroad—controlled by the principal shipper—with operational duties contracted to YSRR. Freight connections with CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway take place in Youngstown.
Initially, the line was managed by the Youngstown and Southern Railway, which ran from 1904 until 1993, including an electric interurban passenger route until 1948—the final such service in Ohio. Ownership later transitioned to joint control by the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad. After a local entity acquired the line in 1996 but obstructed maintenance efforts, operations halted for nearly five years. Service recommenced in 2001 under the Central Columbiana and Pennsylvania Railway. Freight operations began under YSRR in 2006 following two short tenures with the Ohio Central Railroad System's Ohio and Pennsylvania Railroad. The Indiana Boxcar Corporation held ownership until 2019.
Line description
Beginning in southern Youngstown, Ohio, YSRR connects with both CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway near the Mahoning River. It tracks northwest along the riverbank before bending southwest to ascend into Boardman Township’s elevated terrain. Historically, the interurban route passed through downtown Youngstown, crossing the Mahoning River via Front Street and South Avenue before joining the current alignment just east of South Avenue.[1] Beyond Boardman, the line intersects with the Norfolk Southern Railway's Fort Wayne Line at Columbiana. Near Signal, Ohio—where it turns eastward—the track descends into the Little Bull Creek valley en route to Negley. From Negley, a former branch extended southward to reach the Ohio River at Smiths Ferry. The main route continues east into Pennsylvania, terminating at Darlington; it formerly extended slightly further to link with the Fort Wayne Line at New Galilee.[2]
20th century
In May 1903, both the Youngstown and Southern Railway (Y&S) and Youngstown and Salem Railroad were incorporated, with Y&S absorbing Youngstown and Salem by October that year. Service commenced in 1904 as a 16-mile steam railroad between Youngstown and Columbiana. Electrification followed in 1907 alongside a three-mile extension to Leetonia on the Youngstown and Ohio River Railroad (Y&OR). Alongside its interurban passenger operations, Y&S mainly transported coal freight sourced from both the electric Y&OR and steam-powered Pittsburgh, Lisbon and Western Railroad (PL&W). After entering receivership in 1915, it reorganized as the Youngstown and Suburban Railway in 1916.
During the late 1920s through early 1930s, industries within Mahoning Valley together with Pittsburgh Coal Company pursued a new rail connection between Youngstown and the Ohio River due to insufficient transfer facilities provided by existing railroads. The Interstate Commerce Commission mandated construction of such facilities instead. Subsequently, Pittsburgh Coal Company constructed a private railroad from Smiths Ferry, PA, to Negley, OH, linking via its Montour Railroad subsidiary to PL&W and Y&S (which it acquired in 1928). This network facilitated substantial coal deliveries to steel mills in Youngstown. The railway reverted to its original name in 1944 and absorbed PL&W on January 1, 1945.
Following World War II, Consolidated Coal Company sold its rail assets to Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), which along with Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad (P&LE), a subsidiary of New York Central, assumed joint control of Montour and Y&S on December 31, 1946. Passenger services ceased on Y&S in 1948—the last interurban operation in Ohio—and sections including Columbiana-Leetonia were abandoned. By 1960, diesel locomotives fully replaced steam power on Y&S. After Penn Central’s bankruptcy in 1970, P&LE gained complete ownership of Montour and Y&S.
Financial difficulties within the steel sector affected P&LE during the 1980s; CSX Transportation acquired its main lines by 1992. The newly established PL&W Railroad began leasing operations of Y&S in 1993 before transferring this lease to Ohio and Pennsylvania Railroad (O&P) under Ohio Central Railroad System management in 1995. The Negley-Smiths Ferry segment was abandoned in 1996 after prolonged inactivity, leaving only Youngstown-Darlington for O&P operation. In March 1996, P&LE filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
When O&P declined to purchase leased trackage from Railroad Ventures, Inc. (RVI), owner of Y&S, RVI unlawfully terminated the lease causing O&P to embargo service. Following complaints from shippers, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) intervened; O&P and RVI subsequently negotiated a new lease agreement. Shortly thereafter flooding caused a second embargo.
RVI’s initial STB application to acquire the line was denied due to doubts about its commitment to common carrier responsibilities; approval was granted only after assurances were provided. RVI obstructed repairs undertaken by Columbiana County Port Authority (CCPA) and filed twice for abandonment. CCPA offered financial support for purchasing the line; STB penalized RVI for neglecting carrier duties—including covertly selling track materials soon after acquisition—and invalidated transfers involving subsurface and air rights as well as agreements with local governments. RVI's interference with escrow funds delayed resolution until STB mandated direct payment to CCPA in November 2001.
21st century
On January 24, 2001, CCPA purchased the rail line from RVI, and operations between Youngstown and Boardman Township commenced on May 31 under the Central Columbiana and Pennsylvania Railway, a subsidiary of Arkansas Short Line Railroads, Inc.. By August 31, service extended to Darlington with the arrival of a CQPA train, fully reopening the route. Although CQPA served nine customers, both it and its parent company experienced financial difficulties that hindered necessary repairs for increased traffic, culminating in bankruptcy by June 2004. Temporary operations were reinstated by the Ohio and Pennsylvania Railroad in December 2004; however, these ceased following bankruptcy proceedings. The principal customer, Total Waste Logistics, established Eastern States Railroad and took over the lease in November 2006. Eastern States then partnered with Indiana Boxcar Corporation, which launched the Youngstown and Southeastern Railroad to manage the line.
In 2000, the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) introduced a three-criteria test to determine whether a non-operating lessor retaining residual common-carrier responsibilities qualifies as a covered employer. The entity must:
- Have a primary business focus other than earning profits from railroad activities.
- Neither operate nor maintain the capability to operate the rail line.
- Utilize an operator who is or would be classified as a covered employer.
RVI did not meet these conditions since its main objective was to profit from selling the railroad. This represented a departure from previous decisions that exempted such entities. Subsequently, this test was applied to rule Eastern States Railroad as not covered (created to sustain service) and Pennsylvania Lines, LLC as covered (owned by for-profit Conrail).
In 2019, Indiana Boxcar transferred control of the Youngstown and Southeastern Railroad to Midwest and Bluegrass Rail.
References
- ↑ Railroad Switching District: Youngstown Ohio, January 25, 1934
- ↑ Google Maps street maps and USGS topographic maps, accessed December 2008 via ACME Mapper