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Akron and Chicago Junction Railroad

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Akron and Chicago Junction Railroad
Map
Overview
LocaleOhio, United States
Dates of operation1890 (1890)
SuccessorBaltimore and Ohio Railroad
CSX Transportation
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
standard gauge
Length76.66 miles

The Akron & Chicago Junction Railroad was a railroad incorporated in the state of Ohio on February 17, 1890. It ran from Akron to the town of Chicago Junction, Ohio, renamed Willard in 1917. Construction was completed the following year, and the first train ran on August 15, 1891.[1][2]

On July 1, 1890, the A&CJ was leased in perpetuity to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad,[3] who built the A&CJ as part of its new Pittsburgh-Chicago route, consisting of existing B&O trackage from Cumberland, Maryland, to Pittsburgh, with the newly acquired Pittsburgh and Western Railroad from New Castle, Pennsylvania, to Akron, and the A&CJ from Akron to the old B&O main line at Chicago Junction. The new line provided faster, more direct service from eastern shippers and markets through the heavily industrialized parts of Pennsylvania and Ohio to Chicago, avoiding the steep grades of B&O's mountainous route between Cumberland and Grafton, West Virginia.[1][4][5]

The surviving portions of the B&O's Pittsburgh-Chicago route are part of CSX Transportation.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b Morris, J. C. (1902). History of the Railroads of Ohio. Commissioner of Railroads and Telegraphs, State of Ohio. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Marching Right On. Improvements Being Made By The B.&O." The Akron Beacon Journal. 16 November 1891. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Financial: $1,500,000. Akron & Chicago Junction Railroad Co., 1st Mortgage 5 per cent. Gold Bonds, due 1930". The Philadelphia Enquirer. 14 April 1891. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Akron Railroad History". Akron Railroads. Akron Railroad Club. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  5. ^ a b Knorek, Jeff. "The CSXT New Castle Subdivision". Ohio Railroads. Retrieved 13 December 2021.