The Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad Company

The Akron, Canton & Youngstown (AC&Y) Railway Company was incorporated in 1907, through planning by H. B. Stewart and Z. W. Davis and backing from F. A. Seiberling. Operation of the railroad, which ran from Akron to Mogadore, Ohio to connect with the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad, began on October 1, 1912.

After leasing (in March 1920) The Northern Ohio Railway Company from the Lake Erie & Western Railroad, The Akron, Canton & Youngstown Railway Company included one hundred and seventy-one miles of track running from Mogadore to Delphos, Ohio and making connections at twenty-one different junctions with nine different railroads.

In April 1933, largely due to factors relating to the Great Depression, The AC&Y Railway Company and the Northeast Ohio Railway Company went into bankruptcy stating that they were unable to meet their obligations and desired to effect reorganization. Plans for reorganizing and consolidating the AC&Y Railway Company and the Northern Ohio Railway Company were presented to the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1937. The U.S. District Court approved the plan and ordered it into operation. It was then presented to the U.S. Supreme Court where final approval was given in February 1944. The merging of the two railway companies then became known as The Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad Company. The AC&Y Company, known as "The Road of Service," continued to serve the transportation needs of some of Akron's largest rubber companies, as well as other shippers. In later years, road stone and fluxing stone from Carey, Ohio became important products for transport by rail.

The AC&Y Railroad Company sold its stock to the Norfolk and Western Railway Company in 1964 and was, as of 1969, a fully-owned subsidiary of the Norfolk and Western Railway Company with the autonomous operation under its own board of directors. Details of the purchases and consolidations of various small railroad companies prior to the consolidation of the AC&Y Railway Company in 1907 follows:

The Cleveland, Delphos & St. Louis Railroad Company, incorporated on March 9, 1881, ran from Delphos to Carey, Ohio.

The Cleveland & Western Railroad Company, incorporated on December 30, 1884, ran from Cleveland to Delphos via Carey, Ohio.

The Pittsburgh, Akron & Western Railway Company (originally known as the Ohio Railway Company), incorporated on November 10, 1883, and ran from Akron to Tiffin, Ohio.

The Cleveland & Western Railroad Company, on January 6, 1890, acquired the Cleveland, Delphos & St. Louis Railroad Company.

The Pittsburgh, Akron & Western Railroad Company, formed on March 11, 1890, was the result of consolidation of the Pittsburgh, Akron & Western Railway Company and the Cleveland & Western Railroad Company.

The Lake Erie & Western Railroad Company, on October 1, 1895, leased The Northern Ohio Railway Company and operated it until March 1920, when they then leased it to The AC&Y.

From the guide to the The Akron, Canton & Youngstown Railway Company Records, 1895-1973, 1895-1973, (Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of Akron)