Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway (1990)
Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway is the name of a former Railroad Company ( AAR reporting mark: WLE ) and the current one railway undertaking (AAR reporting mark: WL).
The first Wheeling and Lake Erie (1877-1949)
The history of the first Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway began with the founding of its first predecessor company, Carroll County Railroad, on 9 March 1850. The Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad was incorporated on April 6, 1871 and as narrow gauge railway with 3 foot gauge between Norwalk ( Ohio) and Huron ( Ohio) built. The operations started on 31 May 1877. The route, however, was not very successful and was closed again after 2 years.
With investments of the railroad financier Jay Gould in 1880 and financial reorganization of the company, the line was converted to standard gauge. The operation on this new standard gauge line between Huron and Massillon was taken on January 9, 1882. Other new routes have been built leading up to the Ohio River and up to Toledo (Ohio ). In addition, the WLE built new docks on Lake Erie at Huron, which were opened on 21 May 1884, the reception of the first load of iron ore.
In 1880 the construction of another narrow gauge line, the Connotton Valley Railway began the Canton ( Ohio) Coshocton and Zanesville with (Ohio ) association. The Connotton Valley Railway became the Cleveland, Canton and Southern Railroad. On November 18, 1888, she was rebuilt within a day for standard gauge track. 1899 bought the WLE the Cleveland, Canton & Southern Railroad as part of a foreclosure and incorporated it as the Cleveland Division.
At the height of its existence, the routes had WLE of the region around Pittsburgh ( Pennsylvania) from to Lake Erie and Huron. The main lines of the WLE were, however, entirely in Ohio. There were also routes between Cleveland ( Ohio) and Zanesville. This line crossed the main route Harmon (Ohio ), where the head office as well as the workshops of the WLE were built. Because of these two main lines crossing each other in the middle of Ohio, the WLE was soon nicknamed The Iron Cross (German: The Iron Cross ). Ironically, the WLE never reached Wheeling (West Virginia), the place that gave its name to the railway company. However, in 1891 Zweigstrecken between Steubenville and Martins Ferry were opened in the year, which through its subsidiary, Wheeling Bridge and Terminal Company indirectly led to a connection to Wheeling.
1910, the WLE in Brewster (Ohio ) to build locomotives. They built there own steam boilers and more than 50 locomotives, a number that has been unsurpassed by any other American railroad company.
1949, the WLE was leased by the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad. These merged in 1964 with the Norfolk and Western Railway, who later merged with the Southern Railway, from which the Norfolk Southern Railway was built.
Rebirth as a regional train (1990 )
On 1 June 1990, the Norfolk Southern Railway sold parts of their routes in Pennsylvania and Ohio, including the majority of the routes of the former WLE, to Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway named a new regional railway company, which took up the old name again and the routes operates today.
The only parts of the ancient WLE that are not part of WE today, the Norfolk Southern route to Bellevue (Ohio ) are (but has the WE route rights to use this route to Toledo, which were acquired after the decline of Conrail in 1999 ), the former Cleveland Division was sold by Norfolk Southern 1986 at the Ohio Central Railway and the routes to and around the docks in Huron.
The first route of the WLE between Norwalk and Huron, the Huron Branch was indeed acquired by the WE but north of Norwalk never reactivated, so the track was completely dismantled. However, the WE served still the dock in Huron on the Norfolk Southern line from Bellevue (formerly a range of Nickel Plate Road) and a link to the docks, which was built in 1952 by the NCP. Also, some small bits of the WLE have already been shut down by the WE and partially replaced by route rights on parallel routes leading other railway companies.
In addition, the WE line utilization rights for routes of CSX Transportation and Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern to Lima (Ohio ). These rights are a result of the Conrail -busting.
The WE has connections to three of the major Class I railroad companies in the United States, namely the Canadian National Railway, the CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway. Many of the transported goods are the same as in the early years of the WLE: coal from the Southeastern Ohio, iron ore from the area around the Great Lakes, steel from five different plants, and raw materials from four quarries. In addition, chemicals, wood and iron are transported.
Zweigstrecken rich today to Benwood (West Virginia) and Connellsville ( Pa.). The WE currently operates a rail network of about 1,400 kilometers.