Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, and Chicago Railway Company

The Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, and Chicago Railroad Company was formed in 1856 as a consolidation of the Ohio and Pennsylvania Railroad, the Ohio and Indiana Railroad, and the Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad. Over the span of three years it made several expansions, primarily throughout Illinois. However, due to financial problems the company went bankrupt. It was reorganized on February 26, 1862 and renamed the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, and Chicago Railway. The new railway leased lines throughout the Beaver Valley, in Pennsylvania and the Mahoning Valley in Ohio. It also included routes throughout Ashtabula, Ohio and Cleveland, Ohio. In 1869 the Pennsylvania Railroad took over operation of the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, and Chicago. PRR retained control until 1871 when the line was transferred to the Pennsylvania Company. The Pennsylvania Company returned the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, and Chicago line back to PRR January 1, 1918. They retained control until 1968, when Penn Central bought out the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. July 14, 1973 the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, and Chicago filed or bankruptcy, it was bought out by Conrail three years later. After the breakup of Conrail in 1998, the line was divided at Crestline, Ohio. The eastern half was bought by Norfolk Southern, and the western half was bought by CSX. The line is currently operated in limited capacity by several companies including RailAmerica, CSX, and Norfolk Southern.