Youngstown Belt Railroad

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Youngstown Belt Railroad
G&W YB logo.png
Overview
Headquarters Youngstown, Ohio
Reporting mark YB
Locale Ohio
Dates of operation1997
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The Youngstown Belt Railroad( reporting mark YB) 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.

Contents

The company operates in three separate areas near Warren, Niles, and Youngstown, connected by trackage rights over the Norfolk Southern Railway. In addition to its connections with affiliated railroads - the Warren and Trumbull Railroad at Warren, Ohio and Youngstown and Austintown Railroad at Youngstown, Ohio - it interchanges in Youngstown, Ohio with Norfolk Southern at Youngstown, Ohio and with CSX in Ohio Junction, Ohio. The track spans 5 miles and is rated for rail cars up to 286,000 pounds. [1] [2] [3]

History

The YB's trackage near Youngstown and Niles includes pieces of a former main line, completed in 1856 by the Cleveland and Mahoning Railroad, a predecessor of the Erie Railroad. [4] Other ex-Erie trackage includes two branches to Leadville (connecting with the Youngstown and Austintown Railroad there) and the U.S. Steel Ohio Works, [5] and the portion of the line at Warren north of the Warren and Trumbull Railroad junction (opened by the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad as part of a main line to Dayton in 1863 [4] ). The remainder of the Warren line was opened in 1873 by the Ashtabula, Youngstown and Pittsburgh Railroad, a Pennsylvania Railroad predecessor. [4] Conrail sold all of these lines to the Warren and Trumbull Railroad in 1996, [6] and later that year the W&T leased a connecting ex-Baltimore and Ohio Railroad line near Youngstown from CSX Transportation. [7] Effective January 1, 1997, the Youngstown Belt Railroad began operating this trackage under lease. [8]

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References

  1. "Youngstown Belt Railroad – A Genesee & Wyoming Company".
  2. Norfolk Southern Corporation. "List of Short Lines: Youngstown Beltline Railroad [sic]". Archived from the original on January 1, 2010. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
  3. CSX Corporation. "Short Line Partners: Youngstown Belt Railroad". Archived from the original on September 20, 2010. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 Baer, Christopher T. "PRR Chronology". Archived from the original on July 7, 2009. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
  5. "Railroad Switching District: Youngstown Ohio". 1934 via Rails and Trails.
  6. STB Finance Docket No. 33012, 1996
  7. STB Finance Docket No. 33118, 1996
  8. Railroad Retirement Board (1997). "Employer Status Determination: The Youngstown Belt Railroad Company" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 17, 2009.