The following is a brief history of the North American rail system, mainly through major changes to

Class I railroad In the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, st ...

s, the largest class by operating revenue. ;1977 *The Virginia and Maryland Railroad replaces Conrail on most of the old

New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad The New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad was a railroad line that ran down the spine of the Delmarva Peninsula from Wilmington, Delaware to Cape Charles, Virginia and then by ferry to Norfolk, Virginia. It became part of the Pennsylvani ...

. Operations are transferred to the

Eastern Shore Railroad The Eastern Shore Railroad, Inc. was a Class III short-line railroad that began operations in October 1981 on the former Virginia and Maryland Railroad line on the Delmarva Peninsula. The line ran between Pocomoke City, Maryland, and Norfol ...

in 1981 and to the

Bay Coast Railroad The Bay Coast Railroad operated the former Eastern Shore Railroad line between Pocomoke City, Maryland, and Norfolk, Virginia. The railroad interchanged with the Delmarva Central Railroad in Pocomoke City and Norfolk Southern in Norfolk; the int ...

in 2006. *October 1: The Michigan Interstate Railway (Class I) begins operating the on the former route of the Ann Arbor Railroad. They take over from Conrail on tracks owned by the state of

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

.Lewis, pp. 24, 315-316 *December 1: The number of Class I railroads goes up by one, from 58 to 59, due to the start-up of the Michigan Interstate Railway. ;1978 *April 1: Crown corporation

Via Rail Canada Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via, is a Canadian Crown corporation that is mandated to operate intercity passenger rail service in Canada. It receives an annual subsidy from Transport Canada to offset the cost of operating ...

takes over operations of

intercity passenger train Inter-city rail services are express passenger train services that run services that connect cities over longer distances than commuter or regional trains. There is no precise definition of inter-city rail; its meaning may vary from country ...

s from the Canadian National Railway and

Canadian Pacific Ltd. Canadian Pacific Limited was created in 1971 to own properties formerly owned by Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), a transportation and mining giant in Canada. In October 2001, CPR completed the corporate spin-offs of each of the remaining business ...

*October 24: The Penn Central Corporation emerges from reorganization as a

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...

company. It has given up its one-sixth share of the

Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad The Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad was a railroad connecting Richmond, Virginia, to Washington, D.C. The track is now the RF&P Subdivision of the CSX Transportation system; the original corporation is no longer a railroad comp ...

. *November 1: The Missouri-Illinois Railroad is merged into parent

Missouri Pacific Railroad The Missouri Pacific Railroad , commonly abbreviated as MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers. In 1967, the railroad ...

. *December 31: The ICC raises the minimum operating revenue from $10 million to $50 million effective January 1, 1978, dropping seventeen railroads to Class II: ** Bangor and Aroostook Railroad ** Canadian Pacific Lines in Maine **

Central Vermont Railway The Central Vermont Railway was a railroad that operated in the U.S. states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, as well as the Canadian province of Quebec. It connected Montreal, Quebec, with New London, Connect ...

( Canadian National Railway subsidiary) ** Chicago and Illinois Midland Railway ** Detroit and Toledo Shore Line Railroad ** Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific Railway ( Canadian National Railway subsidiary) **

Georgia Railroad Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

(

Seaboard Coast Line Railroad The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was a Class I railroad company operating in the Southeastern United States beginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak in 1971. Eventually, the railroad was merged with its affiliate li ...

subsidiary) **

Georgia Southern and Florida Railway The Georgia Southern and Florida Railway , also known as the ''Suwanee River Route'' from its crossing of the Suwanee River, was founded in 1885 as the Georgia Southern and Florida ''Railroad'' and began operations between Macon, GA and Valdosta ...

( Southern Railway subsidiary) **

Illinois Terminal Railroad The Illinois Terminal Railroad Company (reporting marks "ITC"), known as the Illinois Traction System until 1937, was a heavy duty interurban electric railroad with extensive passenger and freight business in central and southern Illinois from ...

Maine Central Railroad The Maine Central Railroad Company was a U. S. Class I railroad in central and southern Maine. It was chartered in 1856 and began operations in 1862. By 1884, Maine Central was the longest railroad in New England. Maine Central had expanded to ...

** Michigan Interstate Railway ** Missouri-Illinois Railroad (

subsidiary) ** Norfolk Southern Railway ( Southern Railway subsidiary) **

Northwestern Pacific Railroad The Northwestern Pacific Railroad is a regional shortline railroad utilizing a stretch of the 271 mile mainline between Schellville and Windsor with freight and Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) commuter trains. Formerly, it was a reg ...

( Southern Pacific Transportation Company subsidiary) **

Texas Mexican Railway The Texas Mexican Railway was a railroad that operated as a subsidiary of the Kansas City Southern Railway in Texas. It is often referred to as the Tex-Mex, or TexMex Railway. On January 1, 2005, Kansas City Southern took control of the Texas ...

Toledo, Peoria and Western Railroad The Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway is a short line railroad that operates of track from Mapleton, Illinois, through Peoria across Illinois to Logansport, Indiana. TP&W has trackage rights between Galesburg, Illinois, and Peoria, between Lo ...

**The

Auto-Train Corporation Auto-Train Corporation , stylized ''auto-train'', was a privately owned passenger railroad that operated from 1971 to 1981. Its trains included autorack cars, enabling passengers to bring their own vehicles on their journey. The company used its ...

and

National Railroad Passenger Corporation The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...

(Amtrak) are also removed from the list, which now only includes freight carriers, reducing the number of Class I railroads from 59 at the end of 1977 to 40 as of December 31, 1978. ;1979 *The

Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway The Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway (SP&S) was a railroad in the northwest United States. Incorporated in 1905, it was a joint venture by the Great Northern Railway and the Northern Pacific Railway to build a railroad along the north bank of ...

is dissolved, its property going to lessee

Burlington Northern Inc. The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996. Its historical lineage begins in the earliest days of railroadi ...

*November 1: The San Diego Metropolitan Transit Development Board purchases control of the

San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway The San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway Company is a short-line United States, American railroad founded in 1906 as the San Diego and Arizona Railway (SD&A) by sugar magnate, developer, and entrepreneur John D. Spreckels. Dubbed "The Impossi ...

(no longer Class I) from parent Southern Pacific Transportation Company, which continues to operate east of Plaster City. Freight service west of Plaster City will be operated by several companies, most recently the Carrizo Gorge Railway and San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad. ;1980 *The Colorado and Wyoming Railway (no longer Class I) abandons its operations in Wyoming. *March 1: The

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986. The company experience ...

, in trusteeship since February 13, 1978,Moody's (1980), p. 891 abandons all operations west of

Miles City, Montana Miles City ( chy, Ma'xemâhoévé'ho'eno) is a city in and the county seat of Custer County, Montana, United States. The population was 8,354 at the 2020 census. History After the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, the U.S. Army created fo ...

. Very little of this trackage is taken over by other railroads. *March 31: After a bankruptcy that started on March 17, 1975, and directed operation by the Kansas City Terminal Railway since October 5, 1979, the

Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock. At the end ...

shuts down entirely. Over the next few years, other railroads will buy large portions of the Rock Island's system, most notably the

Iowa Interstate Railroad The Iowa Interstate Railroad is a Class II regional railroad operating in the central United States. The railroad is owned by Railroad Development Corporation of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. History The railroad was formed on November 2, 1984, u ...

(

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Council Bluffs Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is the third largest and a primary city of the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area. It is loc ...

Chicago and North Western Transportation Company The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befo ...

( Spine Line), Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad subsidiary

Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad The Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad (OKT) was a railroad operating in its namesake states in the 1980s. OKT I The Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad was originally created on May 29, 1980, after the demise of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pa ...

( OKT Line), and Southern Pacific Transportation Company subsidiary St. Louis Southwestern Railway ( Tucumcari Line). The Fort Worth and Denver Railway ( Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad system) becomes sole owner of the Joint Texas Division, formerly owned by the

Burlington-Rock Island Railroad The Burlington-Rock Island Railroad came into existence on July 7, 1930, through the reorganization of its predecessor, the Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway Company (T&BV), nicknamed the "Boll Weevil Line."Grand Trunk Western Railroad The Grand Trunk Western Railroad Company is an American subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway operating in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Since a corporate restructuring in 1971, the railroad has been under CN's subsidiary holding ...

buys control of the

Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad The Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad operated from 1905 to 1983 between its namesake cities of Detroit, Michigan, and Ironton, Ohio, via Toledo. At the end of 1970, it operated 478 miles of road on 762 miles of track; that year it carried 1, ...

from the Penn Central Corporation. *September 2: The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway begins operating the former New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad (no longer Class I), which filed for bankruptcy in January 1976.Moody's (1992), p. 442 *November 1: Chessie System, Inc. and

Seaboard Coast Line Industries Seaboard Coast Line Industries, Inc., incorporated in Delaware on May 9, 1969, was a railroad holding company that owned the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, its subsidiary Louisville and Nashville Railroad, and several smaller carriers. Its railroa ...

merge to form the

CSX Corporation CSX Corporation is an American holding company focused on rail transportation and real estate in North America, among other industries. The company was established in 1980 as part of the Chessie System and Seaboard Coast Line Industries merger. ...

,Moody's (1992), p. 421 parent of the

Atlanta and West Point Railroad The Atlanta and West Point Rail Road was a railroad in the U.S. state of Georgia, forming the east portion of the Atlanta- Selma West Point Route. The company was chartered in 1847 as the Atlanta and LaGrange Rail Road and renamed in 1857; constr ...

(no longer Class I), Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Chesapeake and Ohio Railway,

Clinchfield Railroad The Clinchfield Railroad was an operating and holding company for the Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway . The line ran from the coalfields of Virginia and Elkhorn City, Kentucky, to the textile mills of South Carolina. The 35-mile segmen ...

, Louisville and Nashville Railroad,

Staten Island Railroad The Staten Island Railway (SIR) is a rapid transit line in the New York City borough of Staten Island. It is owned by the Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority (SIRTOA), a subsidiary of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and ...

(no longer Class I),

Western Railway of Alabama The Western Railway of Alabama (WRA) also seen as "WofA" was created as the Western Railroad of Alabama by the owners of the Montgomery & West Point Railroad (M&WP) in 1860. It was built to further the M&WP's development West from Montgomery, Ala ...

(no longer Class I), and

Western Maryland Railway The Western Maryland Railway was an American Class I railroad (1852–1983) which operated in Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. It was primarily a coal hauling and freight railroad, with a small passenger train operation. The WM beca ...

. *November 21: The St. Louis-San Francisco Railway merges into

Moody's (1992), p. 12 ;1981 *

merges subsidiaries

Oregon Electric Railway The Oregon Electric Railway (OE) was an interurban railroad line in the U.S. state of Oregon that linked Portland to Eugene. Service from Portland to Salem began in January 1908. The Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway purchased the system ...

(no longer Class I) and Oregon Trunk Railway (never Class I) into a new subsidiary, Burlington Northern (Oregon-Washington), Inc. *January 12: The

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison, Kansas, Atchison and Top ...

acquires full control of the

(no longer Class I) by buying the Penn Central Corporation's 50% share.Moody's (1992), p. 403 *April 13: The

Grand Trunk Western Railroad The Grand Trunk Western Railroad Company is an American subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway operating in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Since a corporate restructuring in 1971, the railroad has been under CN's subsidiary holding ...

gains control of the Detroit and Toledo Shore Line Railroad (no longer Class I) by buying the 50% share owned by the Norfolk and Western Railway.Moody's (1992), p. 237 *April 30: The

(no longer Class I) ceases operations.

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...

's ''

Auto Train ''Auto Train'' is an scheduled daily train service for passengers and their automobiles operated by Amtrak between Lorton, Virginia (near Washington, D.C.), and Sanford, Florida (near Orlando). ''Auto Train'' is the only motorail service i ...

'' replacement will begin on October 30, 1983. *May 14:

is renamed Burlington Northern Railroad. *June 8: The

Quanah, Acme and Pacific Railway Quanah, Acme and Pacific Railway (QA&P) was a Rail freight transport, freight railroad that operated between the Red River of the South, Red River and Floydada, Texas, from 1902 until it was merged into the Burlington Northern Railroad in 1981. ...

(no longer Class I) merges into parent Burlington Northern Railroad. *June 16:

Guilford Transportation Industries Guildford is a town in Surrey, England. It gives its name to the Borough of Guildford, the Diocese of Guildford and the Parliamentary constituency of Guildford. Guildford, Guilford, or Gildford may also refer to: Places Australia * Guildf ...

purchases the

(no longer Class I). *August: The Hooper-Myron Corporation, an affiliate of the Kankakee, Beaverville and Southern Railroad (not Class I), buys a portion of the old Chicago, Terre Haute and Southeastern Railway (ex- Chicago Southern Railway) between Hooper and

Danville, Illinois Danville is a city in and the county seat of Vermilion County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 33,027. As of 2019, the population was an estimated 30,479. History The area that is now Danville was once home to the Miami, K ...

from the

. The rest of the old Chicago Southern has been abandoned, while the remnant of the CTH&SE in Indiana was sold in 2006 to the

Indiana Rail Road The Indiana Rail Road is a United States Class II railroad, originally operating over former Illinois Central Railroad trackage from Newton, Illinois, to Indianapolis, Indiana, a distance of . This line, now known as the Indiana Rail Road's Indi ...

. *September 1: The Norfolk and Western Railway acquires the property of the

(no longer Class I), formerly controlled jointly by 11 railroads (two of which were part of the N&W system). *October 1: The Detroit and Toledo Shore Line Railroad (no longer Class I) is merged into parent

. *December 31: The

Colorado and Southern Railway The Colorado and Southern Railway was an American Class I railroad in the western United States that operated independently from 1898 to 1908, then as part of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad until it was absorbed into the Burli ...

is merged into parent Burlington Northern Railroad. ;1982 *In preparation for common control with the Norfolk and Western Railway by the

Norfolk Southern Corporation The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31, ...

, Southern Railway subsidiary Norfolk Southern Railway (no longer Class I) is renamed Carolina and Northwestern Railway, a company it had merged with in 1974. *The

Providence and Worcester Railroad The Providence and Worcester Railroad is a Class II railroad operating of tracks in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, as well as New York via trackage rights. The company was founded in 1844 to build a railroad between Providence, ...

(not Class I) expands its operations to include

's Northeast Corridor between

Pawtucket, Rhode Island Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 75,604 at the 2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence and East Providence to the south, Central Fal ...

and

Old Saybrook, Connecticut Old Saybrook is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 10,481 at the 2020 census. It contains the incorporated borough of Fenwick, as well as the census-designated places of Old Saybrook Center and Saybroo ...

, a former main line of the

New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to December 31, 1968. Founded by the merger of ...

and most recently Conrail. In 1991 these freight rights are extended from Old Saybrook to East Haven.Lewis, p. 257 *The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (no longer Class I) buys several lines from Conrail. This includes most of the old

Syracuse, Binghamton and New York Railroad The Syracuse and Binghamton Railroad was established on August 18, 1851, and opened for business on October 18, 1854. The road merged in 1856 into Syracuse and Southern Railroad which was renamed to Syracuse, Binghamton and New York Railroad when ...

and a piece of the old Lehigh and Hudson River Railway between

Sparta, New Jersey Sparta is a township in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 19,600, reflecting a decrease of 122 (−0.6%) from the 2010 United States Census, when the township's population was 19, ...

and

Warwick, New York Warwick is a town in the southwestern part of Orange County, New York, United States. Its population was 32,027 at the 2020 census. The town contains three villages (Florida, Greenwood Lake, and Warwick) and eight hamlets ( Amity, Bellvale, Ed ...

. After the NYS&W rehabilitates its trackage between Butler and Sparta, the latter becomes part of its main line in 1986. *January 1: The

Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad The Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad was a Class I railroad which operated in the state of Ohio. The company was founded in 1907 and opened its mainline between Mogadore and Akron, Ohio in 1912. Later reclassified as a short-line railroad, t ...

(no longer Class I) is merged into the Norfolk and Western Railway, its owner since 1964. *February 20: Chesapeake and Ohio Railway closed and stopped using railroad from Manistee - Traverse City - Petoskey. Grawn to Williamsburg and Charlevoix to Petoskey was controlled and served by Michigan Northern Railway (Eventually given to Tuscola and Saginaw Railway) *March 31: The

, in trusteeship since February 13, 1978, abandons all operations west of

Ortonville, Minnesota Ortonville is a city in Big Stone County in the U.S. state of Minnesota at the southern tip of Big Stone Lake, along the border with South Dakota. The population was 2,021 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Big Stone County. Big St ...

. The Burlington Northern Railroad takes over operations on much of this trackage. *June 1: The

takes control of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway.Moody's (1992), p. 94 *June: The Soo Line Railroad gains control of the

Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway The Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway was an long American shortline railroad connecting Minneapolis and Northfield, Minnesota. It was incorporated in 1918 to take over the trackage of the former Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester and ...

(no longer Class I).Moody's (1992), p. 223 *October: The Michigan Interstate Railway (no longer Class I) discontinues operations on the former Ann Arbor Railroad north of Ann Arbor. The Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway takes over from Ann Arbor north to Alma, and the Michigan Northern Railway operates the remainder to Frankfort until 1983, when it too goes to the T&SB. The latter company is renamed

Great Lakes Central Railroad The Great Lakes Central Railroad is an American Class II regional railroad, operating in the state of Michigan. It was originally called the Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway , which was formed on August 26, 1977, to operate over former Penn Cen ...

in 2006. *November 4: The

acquires the rail assets of the Georgia Railroad and Banking Company, and absorbs lessee

(no longer Class I), jointly controlled by the SCL and subsidiary Louisville and Nashville Railroad. *December 22: The

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

gains control of the

and

Western Pacific Railroad The Western Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was formed in 1903 as an attempt to break the near-monopoly the Southern Pacific Railroad had on rail service into northern California. WP's Feather River Route dire ...

. *December 31: The Fort Worth and Denver Railway is merged into parent Burlington Northern Railroad. ;1983 *The Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway (renamed

in 2006), which operates the old Ann Arbor Railroad between Ann Arbor and Alma, expands its operations north to Frankfort and on ex- Grand Rapids and Indiana Railway trackage north of Cadillac, replacing the Michigan Northern Railway. *The

Montour Railroad The Montour Railroad was a short line railroad company operating passenger and freight service in southwestern Pennsylvania. At its height in the 1930s, the railroad served 27 mines transporting nearly seven million tons of coal annually in Alle ...

(no longer Class I) ceases operations.Lewis, p. 359 *The

Nevada Northern Railway The Nevada Northern Railway was a railroad in the U.S. state of Nevada, built primarily to reach a major copper producing area in White Pine County, Nevada. The railway, constructed in 1905–06, extended northward about from Ely to connection ...

(no longer Class I) ceases operations. The Northern Nevada Railroad will resume freight service in January 1995, but in June 1996 the

BHP Nevada Railroad The BHP Nevada Railroad was a shortline railroad that operated in Nevada from 1996 to 1999. BHP acquired the line from Nevada Northern Railway. Constructed by Utah Construction Company in 1908, the railroad hauled copper ore concentrate from BHP ...

will take over until July 1999, when freight is again discontinued. *January 1: The

merges subsidiaries

and Louisville and Nashville Railroad to form the

Seaboard System Railroad The Seaboard System Railroad, Inc. was a US Class I railroad that operated from 1982 to 1986. Since the late 1960s, Seaboard Coast Line Industries had operated the Seaboard Coast Line and its sister railroads—notably the Louisville & Nashv ...

. *February 11: The

, an unincorporated entity organized jointly by the

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967 it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast L ...

and subsidiary Louisville and Nashville Railroad to operate the

Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway The Clinchfield Railroad was an operating and holding company for the Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway . The line ran from the coalfields of Virginia and Elkhorn City, Kentucky, to the textile mills of South Carolina. The 35-mile segment ...

under lease, is dissolved, as both lessees have merged into the

.Moody's (1983), p. 725 *May 1: The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad begins operating the lines of subsidiary

. *May 31: The New Orleans Great Northern Railway merges into lessee Illinois Central Gulf Railroad.Moody's (1992), p. 32 *July 1:

purchases the Boston and Maine Corporation, bankrupt since March 1970. *August 1: The Anthracite Railway replaces Conrail as operator of the former Reading Company (ex-

Perkiomen Railroad Perkiomen may refer to one of the following entities, all located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, unless stated otherwise: Communities * Perkiomen Junction, a neighborhood of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, in Chester County * Perkiomen Township, ...

) line between

Emmaus Emmaus (; Greek: Ἐμμαούς, ''Emmaous''; la, Emmaus; , ''Emmaom''; ar, عمواس, ''ʻImwas'') is a town mentioned in the Gospel of Luke of the New Testament. Luke reports that Jesus appeared, after his death and resurrection, before tw ...

and Pennsburg. The lines will be taken over by the Blue Mountain and Reading Railroad in mid-1988 and East Penn Railways (now East Penn Railroad) on July 1, 1995. *December: The

merges into parent

. *December 30: The

Norfolk, Franklin and Danville Railway The Atlantic and Danville Railway was a Class I railroad which operated in Virginia and North Carolina. The company was founded in 1882 and opened its mainline between Portsmouth, Virginia and Danville, Virginia in 1890. The Southern Railway lea ...

(not Class I), successor to the

Atlantic and Danville Railway The Atlantic and Danville Railway was a Class I railroad which operated in Virginia and North Carolina. The company was founded in 1882 and opened its mainline between Portsmouth, Virginia and Danville, Virginia in 1890. The Southern Railway lea ...

, merges into parent Norfolk and Western Railway.Moody's (1992), p. xxiii *December 31: The

(no longer Class I) merges into parent

. ;1984 *January 4:

purchases the Delaware and Hudson Railway from Norfolk and Western Railway subsidiary Dereco, Inc.Moody's (1990), p. 277 *January 19: The

St. Louis Southwestern Railway of Texas The St. Louis Southwestern Railway of Texas , operated the lines of its parent company, the St. Louis Southwestern Railway within the state of Texas. The St. Louis Southwestern, known by its nickname of "The Cotton Belt Route" or simply the Cotton ...

merges into lessee St. Louis Southwestern Railway. *March: The

Fonda, Johnstown and Gloversville Railroad The Fonda, Johnstown and Gloversville Railroad (FJ&G) was formerly a 132-mile steam engine and electric interurban railroad that connected its namesake towns in east central New York State to Schenectady, New York. It had a successful and profita ...

, not Class I since 1919, ceases operations. *July: The Louisville, Henderson and St. Louis Railway merges into lessee

. *November 1: Southern Pacific Transportation Company subsidiary

(no longer Class I) sells its lines north of Willits to the

Eureka Southern Railroad The Eureka Southern Railroad was a shortline freight and excursion railroad that ran over former Northwestern Pacific trackage in California from Willits to Eureka. Origin On September 8, 1981, Bryan Whipple purchased the soon-to-be abandoned ...

; the North Coast Rail Authority will buy that company's property on April 1, 1992. *December 31: The

Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad The Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad is a class II railroad that operates in northwestern Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio. The railroad's main route runs from the Lake Erie port of Conneaut, Ohio, to the Pittsburgh suburb of Penn Hills, Pen ...

Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway The Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway (DM&IR) , informally known as the Missabe Road, was a railroad operating in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin that used to haul iron ore and later taconite to the Great Lakes ports of Duluth and Two Harbor ...

, and

Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad The Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad (P&LE) , 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 ...

are demoted to Class II, leaving 28 Class I railroads. ;1985 * Burlington Northern (Oregon-Washington), Inc. merges into parent Burlington Northern Railroad. *February 19: Soo Line Railroad subsidiary The Milwaukee Road, Inc. acquires the property of the

,Moody's (1992), p. 221 in trusteeship since February 13, 1978. *March 1: The

Indiana and Ohio Railway The Indiana and Ohio Railway is an American railroad that operates of track in Ohio, southern Michigan, and parts of southeastern Indiana. It is owned and operated by Genesee & Wyoming, who acquired the railroad in the 2012 purchase of RailAmeri ...

(not Class I) takes over from Conrail on a piece of the former Cincinnati, Lebanon and Northern Railway; another segment will be transferred on December 19, 1986. *May 1: The Rarus Railway begins operating the former Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway (no longer Class I). The name will be changed back to BA&P on July 19, 2007. *July: The Gulf and Mississippi Railroad (not Class I) buys a number of lines from the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad, including most of the old Gulf, Mobile and Northern Railroad (ICG retains

Mobile Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ( ...

Hattiesburg Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County (where it is the county seat and largest city) and extending west into Lamar County. The city population was 45,989 at the 2010 census, with the populat ...

) and the former

Mobile and Ohio Railroad The Mobile and Ohio Railroad was a railroad in the Southern U.S. The M&O was chartered in January and February 1848 by the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It was planned to span the distance between the seaport of Mobil ...

south of

Corinth Corinth ( ; el, Κόρινθος, Kórinthos, ) is the successor to an ancient city, and is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Since the 2011 local government refor ...

(including a branch to

Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal and Piedmont plains meet. Alabama's fifth-largest city, it had an estimated population of ...

MidSouth Rail Corporation The MidSouth Rail Corporation is a railroad line operated by Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS) as a result of the January 1, 1994, acquisition; KCS began operating over MidSouth's line on January 11, 1994. The line ran from Shreveport, Louisia ...

subsidiary SouthRail Corporation will take over in April 1988. After the

Kansas City Southern Railway The Kansas City Southern Railway Company is an American Class I railroad. Founded in 1887, it operates in 10 midwestern and southeastern U.S. states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and ...

takes control in 1993, it will dispose of portions, including the ex-M&O Tuscaloosa branch (to the

Alabama Southern Railroad The Alabama Southern Railroad is a class III railroad that operates in the southern United States. The ABS is one of several short line railroads owned by Watco. The railroad operates an line leased from the Kansas City Southern Railway (KCSR) ...

), ex-M&O

Meridian Meridian or a meridian line (from Latin ''meridies'' via Old French ''meridiane'', meaning “midday”) may refer to Science * Meridian (astronomy), imaginary circle in a plane perpendicular to the planes of the celestial equator and horizon * ...

- Waynesboro (to the Meridian Southern Railway), and ex-GM&N

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

- Middleton (to the Mississippi and Tennessee RailNet). *October: Washouts west of Petoskey on former C&O line between Petoskey and Charlevoix, Which cause Michigan Northern Railway to abandon the line *December: The

Chicago Central and Pacific Railroad The Chicago Central and Pacific Railroad (Chicago Central & Pacific Railroad) is part of the Illinois Central Railroad (IC), which is owned by the Canadian National Railway (CN) through the Grand Trunk Corporation. Operationally, the Chicago Ce ...

(not Class I) buys the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad's

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

- Omaha main line and branches. *December 31: With the demise of the

, and the Southern Railway's decision to combine its subsidiaries in its report to the ICC (including Class I

Alabama Great Southern Railroad The Alabama Great Southern Railroad is a railroad in the U.S. states of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It is an operating subsidiary of the Norfolk Southern Corporation (NS), running southwest from Chattanooga (where i ...

, Central of Georgia Railroad, and

Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway The Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway (abbreviated: CNO&TP; ) is a railroad that leases the Cincinnati Southern Railway from Cincinnati, Ohio, south to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and sub leases it to the Norfolk Southern Railway sys ...

), the number of Class I railroads drops to 24. ;1986 *January 1: The Milwaukee Road, Inc. and

merge into parent Soo Line Railroad. *March 18: The

(not Class I) begins operating most of the former Indianapolis Southern Railroad, purchased from successor Illinois Central Gulf Railroad. *March 31: The

(not Class I) acquires lines from the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad, including the former Alabama and Vicksburg Railway and

Vicksburg, Shreveport and Pacific Railway The Vicksburg, Shreveport and Pacific Railway (May 1, 1901, to December 31, 1926) was chartered as the Vicksburg, Shreveport, & Texas Railroad Company with an east and west division on April 28, 1853, to be a link, via a transfer boat, between Vic ...

between

and Shreveport, and a portion of the old

Gulf and Ship Island Railroad The Gulf and Ship Island Railroad (G&SI) was constructed in the state of Mississippi, USA, at the turn of the 20th century to open a vast expanse of southern yellow pine forests for commercial harvest. In spite of economic uncertainty, entrepren ...

between Gulfport and

. *June: The

(no longer Class I) merges into the

, whose predecessors have controlled it since 1920. *July 1:

subsidiary

is renamed CSX Transportation. *July 21: The

Rochester and Southern Railroad 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 a ...

begins operations on a portion of CSX Transportation lessor

Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway The Buffalo, Rochester, and Pittsburgh Railway was one of the more than ten thousand railroad companies founded in North America. It lasted much longer than most, serving communities from the shore of Lake Ontario to the center of western Penns ...

's line to

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

. *August 27: The

Paducah and Louisville Railway The Paducah & Louisville Railway is a Class II railroad that operates freight service between Paducah and Louisville, Kentucky. The line is located entirely within the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The line was purchased from Illinois Central Gu ...

(not Class I) begins operations on a line in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

bought from the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad. *September: The

Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad The Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad is a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Before its purchase, it was the largest Class II railroad in the United States, operating across South Dakota and southern Minnesota in ...

(not Class I) buys the

's line between

Rapid City, South Dakota Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...

and

Winona, Minnesota Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, Minnesota, Winona County, in the U.S. state, state of Minnesota. Located in bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf (Winona, Minnesota ...

. *September 15: The

Nashville and Eastern Railroad The Nashville and Eastern Railroad is a shortline railroad which administers of track between Nashville and Monterey, Tennessee, of which are currently operational. The company is based in Lebanon, Tennessee. The Nashville and Eastern was f ...

(not Class I) replaces CSX Transportation on the remaining piece of the Tennessee Central Railway sold to the Louisville and Nashville Railroad in 1968, from Nashville to

Monterey Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bot ...

. *December 8: The

Winchester and Western Railroad The Winchester and Western Railroad is a shortline railroad operating from Gore through Winchester, Virginia and West Virginia to Hagerstown, Maryland. It also operates several lines in southern New Jersey, connecting to Conrail Shared Assets Op ...

(not Class I) takes over the old

Cumberland Valley and Martinsburg Railroad Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 1974 ...

from Conrail. *December 31: The

Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway The Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway was a Class I railroad, operating between Waukegan, Illinois and Gary, Indiana. The railroad served as a link between Class I railroads traveling to and from Chicago, although it operated almost entirely wit ...

drops to Class II. CSX Transportation, the

, and the

begin submitting combined reports for all subsidiaries, thus removing the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Chesapeake and Ohio Railway,

, Southern Railway, Norfolk and Western Railway,

, and

from the list of Class I railroads, now numbering 18. ;1987 *March 26: The stock of government-owned Conrail is sold to private investors. *April 28: The Chicago, Missouri and Western Railway (not Class I) acquires almost all of the former

Alton Railroad The Alton Railroad was the final name of a railroad linking Chicago to Alton, Illinois; St. Louis, Missouri; and Kansas City, Missouri. Its predecessor, the Chicago and Alton Railroad , was purchased by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1931 a ...

from the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad. It will declare bankruptcy in less than a year. *April 30: The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad merges into the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, which has controlled it since 1963. *June 15: The Sacramento Northern Railway is merged into parent

. *June 16: The

merges into parent

.Moody's (1992), p. xxiv *August 31: The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway merges into CSX Transportation. *October 11:

Wisconsin Central Ltd. Wisconsin Central Ltd. is a railroad subsidiary of Canadian National. At one time, its parent Wisconsin Central Transportation Corporation owned or operated railroads in the United States, Canada (Algoma Central Railway), the United Kingdom (DB ...

(not Class I) acquires

subsidiary Soo Line Railroad's Lake States Transportation Division, including most of the remaining trackage east of Minneapolis-St. Paul formerly belonging to the

Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railroad The Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway (DSS&A) was an American railroad serving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Lake Superior shoreline of Wisconsin. It provided service from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and St. Ignace, Michigan, west ...

, Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad, and Wisconsin Central Railroad, which merged in 1961 to form the Soo. (The Soo had acquired the

in 1985, and chose to retain those lines east of the Twin Cities. Several Milwaukee Road branches were also included in the WC sale.) *October 31: The Montana Rail Link leases the former Northern Pacific Railway main line across

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

from the Burlington Northern Railroad. *December 31: The

Oregon Short Line Railroad The Oregon Short Line Railroad was a railroad in Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Montana and Oregon in the United States. The line was organized as the Oregon Short Line Railway in 1881 as a subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railway. The Union Pacific int ...

Oregon-Washington Railroad and Navigation Company The Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company (OR&N) was a railroad that operated a rail network of running east from Portland, Oregon, United States, to northeastern Oregon, northeastern Washington, and northern Idaho. It operated from 1896 as a ...

, and

Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad The Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad was a rail company in California, Nevada, and Utah in the United States, that completed and operated a railway line between its namesake cities (Salt Lake City, Utah and Los Angeles, California), via Las Ve ...

are merged into lessee

, as is subsidiary Spokane International Railroad (no longer Class I). ;1988 *February 23: The Illinois Central Gulf Railroad, which has sold off most of the former

Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad The Gulf, Mobile and Ohio was a Class I railroad in the central United States whose primary routes extended from Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans, Louisiana, to St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, as well as Chicago, Illinois. From its two ...

, is renamed

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, was a railroad in the Central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. A line also c ...

. *June 1: The Carolina and Northwestern Railway is merged into parent Southern Railway. *June 20:

subsidiary Delaware and Hudson Railway files for bankruptcy. The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (formerly Class I) assumes temporary operation of the D&H. *June 27: The Southern Railway acquires the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad's line between

Fulton, Kentucky Fulton is a home rule-class city in Fulton County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,357 at the 2020 census, down from 2,445 at the 2010 census. It was once known as the "Banana Capital of the World", because 70% of imported banan ...

and

Haleyville, Alabama Haleyville is a city in Winston and Marion counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. It incorporated on February 28, 1889. Most of the city is located in Winston County, with a small portion of the western limits entering Marion County. Haleyville w ...

, including a piece of the old

between

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

and

. The

Redmont Railway The Redmont Railway operated a segment of railroad that was leased from the Mississippi-Alabama Railroad Authority and operated by Sunshine Mills. The line runs between Corinth, Mississippi, and Red Bay, Alabama. Primary products hauled includ ...

will take over south of Corinth in 1995, and the

West Tennessee Railroad The West Tennessee Railroad is a shortline railroad in the Southern U.S., connecting Corinth, Mississippi, to Fulton, Kentucky, via western Tennessee. The company began operating in 1984 on a portion of the former Mobile and Ohio Railroad (M&O) m ...

, which already operates the ex-M&O north of Jackson, will lease the line from Fulton via Jackson to Corinth in 2001. *July 19: The Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad (not Class I) acquires much of the former

, then leased to CSX Transportation, as well as the remnants of the former Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad near DuBois. The BR&P remains a CSX subsidiary, though none of its lines have been operated by CSX since then. *August 12:

subsidiary

acquires control of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. *September: New

subsidiary

Canadian Atlantic Railway The Canadian Atlantic Railway (CAR) was a Canadian and U.S. railway that existed from 1988 to 1994. The CAR was created in September 1988 as a business unit of CP Rail (CPR) to serve the Maritime Provinces and state of Maine. Its creation wa ...

takes over all CP operations east of Megantic, Quebec, including the former

International Railway of Maine The International Railway of Maine was a historic railroad constructed by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) between Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, and Mattawamkeag, Maine, closing a key gap in the railway's transcontinental main line to the port of Sai ...

. *September 20: The Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway merges into lessee Norfolk and Western Railway. *October 7: The new Ann Arbor Railroad (not Class I) begins operating the former Michigan Interstate Railway (pre-1976 Ann Arbor Railroad) south of Ann Arbor; that company had been bankrupt since January 1983. *October 11: The Arizona Eastern Railway (not Class I) begins operations on the Bowie-

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

line of the former Arizona Eastern Railroad, purchased from successor Southern Pacific Transportation Company. *October 13:

Rio Grande Industries Rio Grande Industries (RGI or Rio Grande Industries, Inc.) was a name of two holding companies that were involved in the railroading industry. The original and second company took part in the operations of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Ra ...

, parent of the

Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to ''Rio Grande'', D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow-gauge line running south from D ...

, buys control of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company, including subsidiaries St. Louis Southwestern Railway and

(the latter no longer Class I). The Southern Pacific name is retained for the combined system. ;1989 *January 9: The

is merged into lessee CSX Transportation, whose predecessors have controlled it since 1967. *February 1: The

sells the former

to a new

Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway The Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway is a short line railroad that operates of track from Mapleton, Illinois, through Peoria across Illinois to Logansport, Indiana. TP&W has trackage rights between Galesburg, Illinois, and Peoria, between Lo ...

(not Class I). *May 1: The

Aberdeen, Carolina and Western Railway The Aberdeen, Carolina and Western Railway is a short-line railroad running from Aberdeen to Star, North Carolina. It was incorporated in 1987 and operates on a former Norfolk Southern Railway branch line. It also leases track from Norfolk Sout ...

(not Class I) leases the former Norfolk Southern Railway west of

Gulf, North Carolina Gulf is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in southwestern Chatham County, North Carolina, United States, southeast of the town of Goldston. As of the 2010 census, the Gulf CDP had a population of 144. The community i ...

from the Southern Railway. *May 19: The

St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad The St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad , known as St-Laurent et Atlantique Quebec in Canada, is a short-line railway operating between Portland, Maine, on the Atlantic Ocean, and Montreal, Quebec, on the St. Lawrence River. It crosses the C ...

buys the former

Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad The St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad , known as St-Laurent et Atlantique Quebec in Canada, is a short-line railway operating between Portland, Maine, on the Atlantic Ocean, and Montreal, Quebec, on the St. Lawrence River. It crosses the C ...

from the Canadian National Railway. In 1998, affiliate St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad (Quebec) will replace CN on the portion of the line in Canada. *August: The Elk River Railroad (not Class I) buys an out-of service portion of the former Coal and Coke Railway from CSX Transportation. *November 8: Southern Pacific Transportation Company subsidiary

SPCSL Corporation The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...

acquires the east half of the old

from the bankrupt (since April 1, 1988Lewis, p. 355) Chicago, Missouri and Western Railway (not Class I). *December 1: The Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad merges into parent

. *December 31: The Boston and Maine Corporation and Delaware and Hudson Railway are demoted from Class I; combined with the demise of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, this drops the number of Class I railroads to 15. ;1990 * CSX Transportation subsidiary

ends freight service. Conrail will reactivate the line in 2007. *January: The Gateway Western Railway (not Class I) acquires the remainder of the old

from the bankrupt (since April 1, 1988) Chicago, Missouri and Western Railway (not Class I). Through a haulage agreement, it gives the

access to

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

. *April 2: The

Chesapeake and Albemarle Railroad The Chesapeake and Albemarle Railroad is a short-line railroad that operates of track from Chesapeake, Virginia to Edenton, North Carolina. The railroad was originally part of the Norfolk Southern Railroad, which continued south, crossing the ...

(not Class I) leases the former Norfolk Southern Railway east of

Edenton, North Carolina Edenton is a town in, and the county seat of, Chowan County, North Carolina, United States, on Albemarle Sound. The population was 4,397 at the 2020 census. Edenton is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. In recent years Edenton has be ...

from the Southern Railway. *May 17: The new Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway (not Class I) acquires lines from the Norfolk and Western Railway, including most of the former

(merged 1982) and Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway (merged 1988), as well as the lease of the

Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railroad The Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway was a railroad in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Wheeling, West Virginia, areas. Originally built as the Wabash Pittsburgh Terminal Railway, a Pittsburgh extension of George J. Gould's Wabash Railroad ...

. *June 29: The

is merged into lessee CSX Transportation. *October: The

Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Western Railroad The Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Western Railroad was established in 1915 as a reorganization of the Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Western Railway, which in turn had been created in 1902 as a merger of the Indiana, Decatur and Western Railway (I ...

is merged into lessee CSX Transportation. *October: The Indiana and Ohio Central Railroad (not Class I) begins operating a portion of the old

between Washington Court House and Springfield, Ohio, purchased from Canadian National Railway subsidiary

. Affiliated

will acquire most of the remainder, from Springfield north to Diann, Michigan, in 1997; GTW retains ownership between Diann and

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

. *November: Conrail acquires full control of the

Monongahela Railway The Monongahela Railway was a coal-hauling short line railroad in Pennsylvania and West Virginia in the United States. It was jointly controlled originally by the Pennsylvania Railroad, New York Central subsidiary Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Ra ...

(no longer Class I) by buying the one-third shares owned by CSX Transportation and the

. *December 15: The

Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad The Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad , sometimes shortened to Reading and Northern Railroad, is a regional railroad in eastern Pennsylvania. Its headquarters is in Port Clinton. The RBMN provides freight service on of track. Its mainl ...

(not Class I) begins operations over most of the remaining Reading Company lines north of

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...

, which they bought from Conrail. *December 31: The Southern Railway acquires direct control of the Norfolk and Western Railway from parent

, and is renamed Norfolk Southern Railway.Moody's (1992), p. 68 ;1991 *January:

purchases the bankrupt Delaware and Hudson Railway. *January 14: The Wichita, Tillman and Jackson Railway begins operations on the remaining piece of the old

Wichita Falls and Northwestern Railway The Wichita Falls and Northwestern Railway, its affiliate the Northwestern Railway Company of Texas, and two subsidiaries collectively constructed a railway running from Wichita Falls, Texas through Altus, Oklahoma to Forgan, Oklahoma, with a bran ...

between

Wichita Falls Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the seat of government of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay, and Wichita counties. According ...

and

Altus Altus or ALTUS may refer to: Music * Alto, a musical term meaning second highest musical or vocal type *Altus (voice type), a vocal type also known as countertenor Places * Altus, Arkansas, US **Altus AVA, a wine-growing region near Altus, Arka ...

, bought from successor Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. *June 1: The Texas and Oklahoma Railroad (not Class I) buys the old Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway and Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway of Texas between

Thomas, Oklahoma Thomas is a city in Custer County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,181 at the 2010 census. History Thomas was named for William Thomas, who owned a general store and served as postmaster, when the first post office was established ...

and Maryneal, Texas from successor

. Farmrail will take over the portion in Oklahoma in January 1993, and the T&O will later abandon all but Sweetwater-Maryneal. *October 10: The railroad properties of the

(no longer Class I) are conveyed to new CSX Transportation subsidiary Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railway. CSX had owned an 80% share in the RF&P, the other 20% being the Norfolk Southern Railway's. *November 12: The

Wabash Railroad The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including track in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Missouri and the province of Ontario. Its primary co ...

merges into lessee Norfolk and Western Railway. ;1992 *January 2: The South Orient Railroad (not Class I) begins operating portions of the former

Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway The Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway, chartered under the laws of Texas on June 1, 1885, was part of a plan conceived by Buckley Burton Paddock and other Fort Worth civic leaders to create a transcontinental route linking New York, Fort Worth ...

and Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway of Texas, bought from successor

, between

Santa Anna, Texas Santa Anna is a town in Coleman County in Central Texas, United States. Its population was 1,099 at the 2010 census. Geography Santa Anna is located in eastern Coleman County at (31.740189, –99.325192). Three U.S. highways pass through the c ...

and the

Mexican border Mexico shares international borders with three nations: *To the north the United States–Mexico border, which extends for a length of through the states of Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas. *To the southe ...

Texas Pacifico Transportation Texas Pacifico Transportation Ltd. is a Class III railroad operating company in West Texas owned by Grupo México. The company operates over the South Orient Rail Line under a lease and operating agreement with the Texas Department of Transpor ...

will replace the South Orient in 2000. *February 17: The Lake State Railway takes over operation of the

Detroit and Mackinac Railway The Detroit and Mackinac Railway , informally known as the "Turtle Line", was a railroad in the northeastern part of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The railroad had its main offices and shops in Tawas City with its main line ...

(no longer Class I). *April 11: Conrail sells the remnants of the Evansville, Indianapolis and Terre Haute Railway (except at

Terre Haute Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

), and a former Vandalia Railroad branch, to the

Indiana Southern Railroad The Indiana Southern Railroad is a short line or Class III railroad operating in the United States state of Indiana. It began operations in 1992 as a RailTex property, and was acquired by RailAmerica in 2000. RailAmerica was itself acquired by G ...

(not Class I). *April 17: The Columbus and Ohio River Rail Road (not Class I) begins operations on the former

Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad The Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, commonly called the Pan Handle Route (Panhandle Route in later days), was a railroad that was part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system. Its common name came from its main line, whic ...

main line between Columbus and

Steubenville, Ohio Steubenville is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Ohio, United States. Located along the Ohio River 33 miles west of Pittsburgh, it had a population of 18,161 at the 2020 census. The city's name is derived from Fort Steuben, a ...

, sold by Conrail. *July 6: The

Louisiana and Arkansas Railway The Louisiana and Arkansas Railway was a railroad that operated in the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. The railroad's main line extended 332 miles, from Hope, Arkansas to Shreveport and New Orleans. Branch lines served Vidalia, Louis ...

(no longer Class I) and Fort Smith and Van Buren Railway (never Class I, but successor to the

Fort Smith and Western Railway The Fort Smith and Western Railway was a railroad that operated in the states of Arkansas and Oklahoma. The railroad's main line extended from Coal Creek, Oklahoma (about 7 miles east of Bokoshe, Oklahoma) to Guthrie, Oklahoma, with an addit ...

) merge into parent

. *September 13: CSX Transportation subsidiary Three Rivers Railway takes over the remaining trackage of the

(no longer Class I). *October 1: The

(no longer Class I) merges into parent Southern Pacific Transportation Company. *December 21:

San Joaquin Valley Railroad The San Joaquin Valley Railroad is one of several short line railroad companies and is part of the Pacific Region Division of Genesee & Wyoming Inc. It operates over about of owned or leased track primarily on several lines in California's C ...

lessor

Tulare Valley Railroad The Tulare Valley Railroad () was operational from December 22, 1992 after acquiring several former Santa Fe Railway branch lines in California's San Joaquin Valley on October 20, 1992. The company was formed by Morris Kulmer & Kern Schumucher ...

leases a portion of the property of the Sunset Railway (only Class I in 1911), a joint subsidiary of the

and Southern Pacific Transportation Company; the rest is abandoned.Lewis, p. 361 *December 31: The Colorado and Wyoming Railway (no longer Class I) sells its Southern Division at

Trinidad, Colorado Trinidad is the home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Las Animas County, Colorado, United States. The population was 8,329 as of the 2020 census. Trinidad lies north of Raton, New Mexico, and s ...

to the Trinidad Railway (operated by the

and

), leaving only the Middle Division at

Pueblo In the Southwestern United States, Pueblo (capitalized) refers to the Native tribes of Puebloans having fixed-location communities with permanent buildings which also are called pueblos (lowercased). The Spanish explorers of northern New Spain ...

. ;1993 *May 1: The

(no longer Class I) merges into parent Conrail. *May 4:

, parent of the

, Southern Pacific Transportation Company, and St. Louis Southwestern Railway, is renamed Southern Pacific Rail Corporation. *June:

Kansas City Southern Industries Kansas City Southern (KCS) is a pure transportation holding company with railroad investments in the United States, Mexico, and Panama. The KCS rail network includes about of track in the U.S. and Mexico.https://www.kcsouthern.com/pdf/communit ...

, parent of the

, acquires control of the MidSouth Corporation, parent of several non-Class I railroads:

(former Alabama and Vicksburg Railway and

), MidLouisiana Rail Corporation, SouthRail Corporation (former Gulf, Mobile and Northern Railroad and

), and TennRail Corporation. *August 27:

(not Class I) subsidiary Fox Valley and Western Ltd. acquires the properties of the

Green Bay and Western Railroad The Green Bay and Western Railroad served central Wisconsin for almost 100 years before it was absorbed into the Wisconsin Central in 1993. For much of its history the railroad was also known as the Green Bay Route. At the end of 1970 it operat ...

(formerly Class I), Fox River Valley Railroad (a 1988

shortline spin-off), and

Ahnapee and Western Railway The Ahnapee and Western Railway (A&W) was a common carrier short line railroad located in northeastern Wisconsin. The railroad ran from a connection with the Kewaunee, Green Bay and Western Railroad at Casco Junction to the lakeshore terminals ...

(never Class I). *September 17: CSX Transportation takes over the operations of subsidiary Three Rivers Railway (ex-

). *September 26: Shortline

California Northern Railroad The California Northern Railroad is one of several Class III short-line railroad companies owned by Genesee & Wyoming, Inc. It operates over Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) tracks (now Union Pacific Railroad) under a long-term lease. The CFN ...

replaces the Southern Pacific Transportation Company as operator of the former

. ;1994 *January 1: The

is merged into the

, its parent since June 1993. *January 1: The Bay Line Railroad begins operating the former Atlanta and St. Andrews Bay Railway (no longer Class I). *March 12: The

Louisville and Indiana Railroad The Louisville and Indiana Railroad is a Class III railroad that operates freight service between Indianapolis, Indiana and Louisville, Kentucky, with a major yard and maintenance shop in Jeffersonville, Indiana. It is owned by Anacostia Rail H ...

(not Class I) begins operating a former major branch of the

between Indianapolis and

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

, sold by Conrail. *May 20: South Orient Railroad affiliate Cen-Tex Rail Link (not Class I) begins operating most of the former

, bought from successor

, between Fort Worth and Ricker, Texas. The

Fort Worth and Western Railroad The Fort Worth and Western Railroad is a Class III short-line railroad headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. Operating only within the state of Texas, its main freight service route is between Carrollton, Fort Worth and Brownwood. History Much ...

will take over in 1998. *July 15: Service ends on the

Cambria and Indiana Railroad The Cambria and Indiana Railroad (C&I) is a railway company that is located in the southeastern part of Indiana County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Incorporated in 1904 and built in 1910 with the intention of carrying lumber, coal was di ...

(no longer Class I). *December 31:

subsidiary Canadian American Railway, including the former

, shuts down. Bangor and Aroostook Railroad affiliate

Canadian American Railroad The Canadian American Railroad was a railroad that operated between Brownville Junction, Maine and Lennoxville, Quebec. The railroad later expanded west to Farnham, Quebec and then St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec with running rights on Canadian ...

restores service west of

McAdam, New Brunswick McAdam is a village located in the southwestern corner of York County, New Brunswick, York County, New Brunswick, Canada. The village covers and had a population of 1,151 as of 2016. An independent study was executed early 2018, and the results ...

on January 6, 1995, and the

New Brunswick Southern Railway The New Brunswick Southern Railway Company Limited is a Canadian short line railway owned by the New Brunswick Railway Company Limited, a holding company that is part of "Irving Transportation Services", a division within the industrial conglo ...

begins operations between McAdam and St. Stephen on January 8. NBSR subsidiary Eastern Maine Railway takes over between Brownville Junction, Maine and McAdam on April 10, 1995. ;1995 *February 4: The

New England Central Railroad The New England Central Railroad is a regional railroad in the New England region of the United States. It began operations in 1995, as the successor of the Central Vermont Railway (CV). The company was originally a subsidiary of holding comp ...

begins operating the property of Canadian National Railway subsidiary

(no longer Class I). *September 22: The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation acquires control of the

and Burlington Northern Railroad. *October 1: The

merges into the

. *October 1: The

Portland and Western Railroad The Portland and Western Railroad is a Class II railroad serving the U.S. state of Oregon, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of shortline and regional railroad holding company Genesee & Wyoming Inc. The PNWR includes a subsidiary, the Willamette ...

(not Class I) begins operating a portion of the old

north of Salem, leased from successor Burlington Northern Railroad. In 2003 it will lease the rest of the old main line, from Salem south to Eugene. *November 17: The Canadian National Railway is privatized. ;1996 *February 9: The Illinois and Midland Railroad begins operating the property of the Chicago and Illinois Midland Railway (no longer Class I). *June: The

buys control of the

(not Class I), which it had spun off in 1985. *July 4:

is renamed back to Canadian Pacific Railway, its name until 1971, and a new CP Ltd. takes over as

holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...

. *August: Conrail sells its main line through the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre area, formerly

Lehigh Valley Railroad The Lehigh Valley Railroad was a railroad built in the Northeastern United States to haul anthracite coal from the Coal Region in Pennsylvania. The railroad was authorized on April 21, 1846 for freight and transportation of passengers, goods, ...

and

Central Railroad of New Jersey The Central Railroad of New Jersey, also known as the Jersey Central or Jersey Central Lines , was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s. It was absorbed into Conrail in April 1976 along with several other prominent bankrupt railroads of ...

, to the

(not Class I). *September: The

Connecticut Southern Railroad The Connecticut Southern Railroad is a long short-line railroad operating in Connecticut and Massachusetts. The company was formed in 1996 as a spinoff of Conrail by shortline holding company RailTex and subsequently acquired in 2000 by RailA ...

(not Class I) replaces Conrail as freight operator on

's New Haven-Springfield Line, one of the main lines of the old

. *September 11:

parent

Union Pacific Corporation The Union Pacific Corporation (Union Pacific) is a publicly traded railroad holding company. It was incorporated in Utah in 1969 and is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. It is the parent company of the current, Delaware-registered, form of the ...

takes control of Southern Pacific Rail Corporation subsidiaries Southern Pacific Transportation Company, St. Louis Southwestern Railway, and

. *September 28: Bangor and Aroostook Railroad affiliate Quebec Southern Railway and subsidiary Northern Vermont Railroad replace the Canadian Pacific Railway on several lines east of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu,

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, including the

Newport and Richford Railroad Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia * Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on th ...

to Wells River, Vermont. *October 1: New Canadian Pacific Railway subsidiary St. Lawrence and Hudson Railway begins operating the portion of CP's network east and south of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, including subsidiary Delaware and Hudson Railway. *December 31: The

and Burlington Northern Railroad, both subsidiaries of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation, merge to form the

Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of seven North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 35,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and nearly 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that ...

. ;1997 *January 1: The

merges into parent

. *April 5: Montana Rail Link affiliate I&M Rail Link (not Class I) begins operating former

lines bought from Canadian Pacific Railway subsidiary Soo Line Railroad, with main lines stretching west from

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

to Minneapolis-St. Paul,

Sheldon, Iowa Sheldon is a city in O'Brien and Sioux counties in the U.S. state of Iowa, along the Floyd River. The population was 5,512 at the time of the 2020 census; it is the largest city in O'Brien County. History and culture Sheldon got its start i ...

, and Kansas City. *May 5: The

acquires control of the Gateway Western Railway (not Class I), which operates the west half of the former

. *May 11: The

New York and Atlantic Railway The New York and Atlantic Railway (NY&A) is a short line railroad formed in 1997 to provide freight service over the tracks of the Long Island Rail Road, a public commuter rail agency which had decided to privatize its freight operations. An af ...

takes over freight operations on the primarily passenger-serving Long Island Rail Road (no longer Class I). *June: Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana, which would be Class I by U.S. standards, begins operating a portion of the government-owned

Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México (better known as N de M and especially in its final years as FNM) was Mexico's state owned railroad company from 1938 to 1998, and prior to 1938 (dating from the regime of Porfirio Díaz), a major railroad con ...

. *June 30: The

and

merge into parent

. *September 30: The St. Louis Southwestern Railway merges into parent

. ;1998 *February: The Canadian National Railway buys control of the

. *February 1: The Southern Pacific Transportation Company merges into parent

. *February 19: Ferrocarril Mexicano, which would be Class I by U.S. standards, begins operating a large portion of the government-owned

. *August 22: CSX Transportation and the Norfolk Southern Railway acquire control of Conrail, owning respectively 42% and 58%, with equal voting rights. *September 1: The Norfolk and Western Railway merges into parent Norfolk Southern Railway. ;1999 *June 1: Most Conrail lines are sold to two new subsidiaries,

New York Central Lines LLC New York Central Lines LLC was a limited liability company that owned railroad lines in the United States that are owned and operated by CSX Transportation. The company was formed in 1998 to own Conrail lines assigned to CSX in the split of Conr ...

and Pennsylvania Lines LLC, which are leased to CSX Transportation and the Norfolk Southern Railway respectively. In three Shared Assets Areas, Conrail retains ownership, and operates as a contract carrier on behalf of CSX and NS. ;2000 ;2001 *January 1: The St. Lawrence and Hudson Railway merges into parent Canadian Pacific Railway, from which it was split in 1996, making the Delaware and Hudson Railway again a direct CP subsidiary. *April 23: The Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad (not Class I) begins operating the old

Erie Railroad The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Er ...

main line between Hornell, New York and Corry, Pennsylvania, sold by the Norfolk Southern Railway. In January 2002 it extends operations on the ex-Erie from Corry to Meadville, on which Oil Creek and Titusville Lines, Inc. had replaced Conrail in 1995. *October 1: The Gateway Western Railway is merged into the

, its parent since 1997. *October 9: The Canadian National Railway acquires control of

(not Class I) and subsidiaries, including Fox Valley and Western Ltd., successor to the

. ;2002 *July 31:

subsidiary

Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroad The Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroad (IC&E) was a Class II railroad operating in the north central United States. It has been controlled by the Canadian Pacific Railway and operated as a part of its system since October 30, 2008. Formerly, the ...

(not Class I) begins operations after buying the I&M Rail Link's property. *December 3: The

merges into parent CSX Transportation. ;2003 *January 9: The

Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway The Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway was a Class II freight railroad that operated in the U.S. states of Maine and Vermont and the Canadian province of Quebec between 2002 and 2014. It was headquartered in Hermon, Maine. Its Canadian subsid ...

begins operating the former Bangor and Aroostook Railroad (no longer Class I) and affiliates

(ex-

west of Brownville Junction), Quebec Southern Railway, and Northern Vermont Railroad (

) north of Newport. South of Newport, the Washington County Railroad takes over. ;2004 *January 1: The Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad (not Class I) leases the Pittsburg and Shawmut Railroad (no longer Class I). *May: The Canadian National Railway takes control of the

and

, both former Class I railroads. *August: The

Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad The Chicago, Fort Wayne and 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 div ...

leases from CSX Transportation the old

Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway The Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway was a major part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system, extending the PRR west from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, via Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Chicago, Illinois. It included the current Norfolk Southern-own ...

( Pennsylvania Company lessor) main line west of

Crestline, Ohio Crestline is a village in Crawford and Richland Counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. Crestline's population was 4,630 at the 2010 census. It is the third largest municipality in Crawford County. The Crawford County portion of Crestline is part ...

. *August 27: Conrail subsidiaries

and Pennsylvania Lines LLC are merged into their lessees (and parents of Conrail), CSX Transportation and the Norfolk Southern Railway respectively. ;2005 *January 1: The

takes control of the

(no longer Class I). *January 24: The

is renamed BNSF Railway. *March 25: The Appalachian and Ohio Railroad (not Class I) leases ex- Baltimore and Ohio Railroad trackage from CSX Transportation, including a portion of the old Coal and Coke Railway. *September 25: The

leases the remaining pieces of the original

(i.e. not the

Louisiana Railway and Navigation Company Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is border ...

) to the Louisiana Southern Railroad. *December: The

takes control of Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana and renames it

Kansas City Southern de México Kansas City Southern de México (KCSM), formerly Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM), is a company dedicated to freight transportation using rail in the northeastern part of Mexico. KCSM is fully owned and operated by Kansas City Southern ...

. ;2006 *May 27: The

(not Class I) takes over the remaining portion of the old Chicago, Terre Haute and Southeastern Railway (ex- Southern Indiana Railway) still owned by Canadian Pacific Railway subsidiary Soo Line Railroad, between

and

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

. ;2007 *June: The Carolina Coastal Railway (not Class I) leases the former Norfolk Southern Railway between

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

and

Plymouth, North Carolina Plymouth is the largest town in Washington County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,878 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Washington County. Plymouth is located on the Roanoke River about seven miles (11 km) upr ...

from the current Norfolk Southern Railway. ;2008 *March: The Arizona Eastern Railway (not Class I) buys the former Arizona and New Mexico Railway from successor

. *October 30: The Canadian Pacific Railway takes control of the

and subsidiary

, the latter consisting of trackage spun off by the CP in 1997. ;2009 *February 1: The Canadian National Railway takes control of the

(no longer Class I). *March 8: The

Grand Elk Railroad The Grand Elk Railroad is a Class III railroad which operates in the states of Indiana and Michigan. It is one of 40+ short-line railroads owned by Watco. The company leases a line from the Norfolk Southern running south from Grand Rapids, Mich ...

(not Class I) leases the old Grand Rapids and Indiana Railway between Grand Rapids and

Kalamazoo Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropoli ...

from the Norfolk Southern Railway. 2021 *March 21: The Canadian Pacific Railway announces intentions to purchase Kansas City Southern for US$29 billion. This was followed by a counter-offer from the Canadian National Railway for US$33.7 billion, which the Surface Transportation Board (STB) blocked in August of that year due to concerns about competition, owing to Canadian National's ownership of the Illinois Central.

References

* Interstate Commerce Commission, Annual Report on the Statistics of Railways in the United States, 1910- *Edward A. Lewis, American Shortline Railway Guide, 5th Edition,

Kalmbach Publishing Kalmbach Media (formerly Kalmbach Publishing Co.) is an American publisher of books and magazines, many of them railroad-related, located in Waukesha, Wisconsin. History The company's first publication was ''The Model Railroader'', which be ...

, 1996 * Moody's Transportation Manual {{DEFAULTSORT:Timeline of Class I railroads (1977-present) Timeline 1977

Class I railroads In the United States, railroad carriers are designated as Class I, II, or III, according to annual revenue criteria originally set by the Surface Transportation Board in 1992. With annual adjustments for inflation, the 2019 thresholds were US$5 ...