Aliquippa and Ohio River Railroad

Last updated
Aliquippa and Ohio River Railroad
Aliquippa and Ohio River Railroad logo.png
Overview
Headquarters Coshocton, Ohio
Reporting mark AOR
Locale Western Pennsylvania
Dates of operation2002–
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length6 mi (9.7 km)
Other
Website www.gwrr.com/aor/

The Aliquippa and Ohio River Railroad( reporting mark AOR) is a six-mile short line railroad in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, United States, controlled by Genesee & Wyoming Inc. through its ownership of the Ohio Central Railroad System. It lies between CSX Transportation's ex-Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad line and the Ohio River, extending south from CSX's yard in northern Aliquippa to near the Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge. Formerly known as the Aliquippa and Southern Railroad( reporting mark ALQS), its owner and primary customer was LTV Steel, which mostly closed its Aliquippa plant in 1985 and sold the line to the Ohio Central in 2002. The AOR now connects the Aliquippa Industrial Park, which occupies the LTV site, with CSX.

History

The Jones and Laughlin Steel Company (J&L) incorporated the Aliquippa and Southern Railroad in November 1906 to serve its new plant at Aliquippa, downriver from its Pittsburgh location. [1] The majority of the line was opened by the end of 1910, [2] and in 1921 the Interstate Commerce Commission declared it to be a common carrier. Although the vast majority of its service was to J&L, several other local businesses shipped over the line. [3]

LTV Steel acquired J&L in 1968, and in 1985 it shut down most of the Aliquippa plant. [4] The bankrupt LTV sold the railroad to the Ohio Central Railroad System in late 2002, [5] and the newly created Aliquippa and Ohio River Railroad began operations on November 15. [6] The rail access has since attracted businesses such as Wolfpac Technologies to the Aliquippa Industrial Park, developed by the Beaver County Corporation for Economic Development on the old steel mill property. [7] Major commodities shipped over the line include bricks, aggregates, and plastics.

The company was acquired by Genesee & Wyoming in 2008 as part of its purchase of the Ohio Central Railroad System. [8]

Related Research Articles

The Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, also known as the "Little Giant", was formed on May 11, 1875. Company headquarters were located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The line connected Pittsburgh in the east with Youngstown, Ohio in the Haselton neighborhood in the west and Connellsville, Pennsylvania to the east. It did not reach Lake Erie until the formation of Conrail in 1976. The P&LE was known as the "Little Giant" since the tonnage that it moved was out of proportion to its route mileage. While it operated around one tenth of one percent of the nation's railroad miles, it hauled around one percent of its tonnage. This was largely because the P&LE served the steel mills of the greater Pittsburgh area, which consumed and shipped vast amounts of materials. It was a specialized railroad deriving much of its revenue from coal, coke, iron ore, limestone, and steel. The eventual closure of the steel mills led to the end of the P&LE as an independent line in 1992.

The Chattahoochee and Gulf Railroad was a short line railroad operating from 2003 to 2006 between Columbus, Georgia and Dothan, Alabama, on former Central of Georgia and Norfolk Southern tracks. Initially the railroad was a subsidiary of Gulf and Ohio Railways. In 2006, the railroad was acquired by Genesee & Wyoming Inc. and combined with the adjacent H and S Railroad out of Dothan to form the Chattahoochee Bay Railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conecuh Valley Railroad</span>

The Conecuh Valley Railway, L.L.C. connects with the CSX at Troy, Alabama, and travels 15.04 miles (24.20 km) to Goshen, Alabama. This short line railroad was created after 2001 from the former Southern Alabama Railroad and is currently owned and operated by Genesee & Wyoming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jones and Laughlin Steel Company</span> Former steel company that operated in Western Pennsylvania and Ohio.

The Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation, also known as J&L Steel or simply as J&L, was an American steel and iron manufacturer that operated from 1852 until 1968. Beginning as the American Iron Company, founded in 1852 by Bernard Lauth and Benjamin Franklin Jones, a few miles south of Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River. Lauth's interest was bought in 1854 by James Laughlin. The first firm to bear the name of Jones and Laughlin was organized in 1861, and headquartered at Third & Ross in downtown Pittsburgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bauxite and Northern Railway</span> Railroad in the United States

The Bauxite & Northern Railway is a Class III railroad operating in the United States state of Arkansas. BXN operates over 7 miles (11 km) of track in Bauxite, Arkansas. Traffic consists of largely of alumina, and the railroad hauls 4,059 carloads per year. In 2005, the railroad was purchased by holding company RailAmerica. In December 2012, Genesee & Wyoming acquired the railroad in its acquisition of RailAmerica. As of 2023, Bauxite & Northern Railway interchanges with Union Pacific in Bauxite, Arkansas and can hold up to 286,000 pounds of supplies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad</span> Class II railroad operating in New York and Pennsylvania

The Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad is a Class II railroad operating in New York and Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valdosta Railway</span>

The Valdosta Railway is a shortline railroad in the U.S. state of Georgia, connecting Clyattville to CSX Transportation and the Norfolk Southern Railway at Valdosta. The company began operations in 1992 as a subsidiary of the Rail Management and Consulting Corporation, and was acquired by Genesee & Wyoming Inc. in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rochester and Southern Railroad</span> Short line railroad in the state of New York, United States of America

The Rochester and Southern Railroad, a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc., is a class III shortline that runs from the city of Rochester in Monroe County to Silver Springs, NY. The RSR started in 1986, when the B&O sold off its Buffalo and Rochester branches. The trackage was purchased by Genesee & Wyoming Inc., and split into two railroads, the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad and the Rochester and Southern Railroad. The Rochester branch was scrapped from Silver Springs south to Machias, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pittsburgh and Ohio Central Railroad</span> Short line railroad in southwestern Pennsylvania, U.S.

The Pittsburgh and Ohio Central Railroad is a short-line railroad operating 35 miles (56 km) of track over the Chartiers Branch in southwest Pennsylvania. It also operated a small portion of the former Conrail Panhandle Route between Carnegie and Walkers Mill. This portion has not seen a train since 2014, and both bridges on the line have been fenced off. A three-foot (1 m) section of rail was also cut from the line just west of Carnegie in 2015, rendering the line completely impassible. It is owned by the Ohio Central Railroad System, which is a division of the rail holding company Genesee & Wyoming Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad</span> Short line railroad

The Chicago, Ft. Wayne & Eastern Railroad is a short line railroad offering service from Tolleston, Indiana to Crestline, Ohio, United States over the former Fort Wayne Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad. It began operations in 2004 as a division of the Central Railroad of Indianapolis (CERA), under the overall corporate ownership of RailAmerica. CFE operates 273 miles (439 km) of rail leased from CSX.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohio Central Railroad System</span> Rail network

The Ohio Central Railroad System is a network of ten short line railroads operating in Ohio and western Pennsylvania. It is owned by Genesee & Wyoming

R.J. Corman Railroad/Pennsylvania Lines is a railroad in the R.J. Corman Railroad Group, operating a number of lines in central Pennsylvania. It primarily carries coal between mines and Norfolk Southern Railway connections at Cresson and Keating. The trackage was acquired from Conrail in 1996, when the latter company sold its "Clearfield Cluster"; Norfolk Southern acquired nearby Conrail lines in 1999. This is the longest R.J. Corman owned line, at over 300 miles in length.

The Youngstown and Southeastern Railroad is a short-line railroad subsidiary of Midwest & Bluegrass Rail that operates freight trains between Youngstown, Ohio and Darlington, Pennsylvania, United States. The line is owned by the Columbiana County Port Authority, leased to the Eastern States Railroad, which is owned by the line's primary shipper, and contracted out to the YSRR. Freight is interchanged with CSX Transportation and the Norfolk Southern Railway at the Youngstown end.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youngstown Belt Railroad</span>

The Youngstown Belt Railroad is a part of the Ohio Central Railroad System, which was bought by Genesee & Wyoming Inc. in 2008, serving the area northwest of Youngstown, Ohio. It began operations in 1997, mainly on ex-Erie Railroad trackage owned by the affiliated Warren and Trumbull Railroad (W&T), which acquired the "Lordstown Cluster" from Conrail in 1996. It also leases a short ex-Baltimore and Ohio Railroad segment from CSX Transportation, formerly operated by the W&T.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warren and Trumbull Railroad</span>

The Warren and Trumbull Railroad is a part of the Ohio Central Railroad System, which was bought by Genesee & Wyoming Inc. in 2008, operating three lines in and near Warren. It began operations in 1994 on a line formerly operated by CSX Transportation, and expanded in 1996 on two ex-Conrail lines.

The following is a brief history of the North American rail system, mainly through major changes to Class I railroads, the largest class by operating revenue.

The Baltimore and Ohio and Chicago Railroad (B&O&C) was a subsidiary of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) that owned the line from Willard, Ohio to Chicago, Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbus and Ohio River Railroad</span>

The Columbus & Ohio River Railroad is a railroad in the U.S. state of Ohio owned by Genesee & Wyoming Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Carolina Central Railroad</span> Railroad in South Carolina, USA

The South Carolina Central Railroad is a class III railroad that operates 42 miles (68 km) of former CSX Transportation trackage in South Carolina. Originally a RailTex subsidiary upon its start in 1987, the railroad passed to RailAmerica following their acquisition of RailTex in 2000 and passed to the Genesee & Wyoming Railroad upon its acquisition of RailAmerica.

References

  1. ↑ The New York Times , Will Build a New Town, July 27, 1907, p. 1
  2. ↑ Interstate Commerce Commission, 121 I.C.C. 536: Valuation Docket No. 815, Aliquippa and Southern Railroad Company (1927)
  3. ↑ Interstate Commerce Commission, 60 I.C.C. 325: No. 11134, Jones & Laughlin Steel Co. v. Director General (1921)
  4. ↑ John P. Hoerr, And the Wolf Finally Came, University of Pittsburgh Press, 1988, ISBN   0-8229-5398-6, p. 479
  5. ↑ Surface Transportation Board, Finance Docket No. 34260 Archived 2012-03-09 at the Wayback Machine , October 30, 2002
  6. ↑ Railroad Retirement Board, Employer Status Determination: Aliquippa & Ohio River Railroad Company Archived 2009-01-17 at the Wayback Machine , February 14, 2003
  7. ↑ Michael Pound, Beaver County Times, State funding will help rebuild local sections of rail lines Archived 2018-07-06 at the Wayback Machine , March 28, 2008
  8. ↑ "Connecticut company buys Ohio Central Railroad". Business First of Columbus. August 4, 2008. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.