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Toledo West Toledo to Elkhart Indiana NYC Conrail NS
Home of Toledo West
Toledo Division/Lake Region/Dearborn Division
Toledo, Ohio to Elkhart, Indiana
A website dedicated to preserving the memory of the old New York Central Lake Shore Line, Toledo West Air Line, with a focus on operations in the transition era to the end of the Central, 1948-1968. Fans of New York Central, Penn Central, Conrail, Norfolk Southern, and Amtrak are all welcome here!!
New York Central- 1915-1968
Penn Central-1968-1976
Conrail-1976-1999
Norfolk Southern- 1999-present
Amtrak-1971-present
Author's Collection
The bustling Air Line Yards of south Toledo in a view taken from the Junction Avenue footbridge in 1895. The oldest part of Air Line Yards,Walla Walla Yard, dating from the early 1870s is shown here. Air Line Yard was composed of several seperate yards and remained in use as an active yard until Conrail closed it in 1981.

The third-leading rail center in the United States, Toledo was served by 11 railroads and home to numerous large-scale manufacturing plants; the three major industries being glass, autos, and auto parts. Toledo’s port shipped immense quantities of coal, grain and iron ore. New York Central in the 1950s was the largest railroad employer in the city, with nearly 5,000 employees and a monthly payroll of $1,900,000.

Less-than carload freight was handled at the Middlegrounds, which was built up on marsh in the late 1800s and sometimes referred to as the Piling Yard. The Middlegrounds was a busy place throughout its life. In 1952 alone, the Middlegrounds unloaded more than 25,000 cars and loaded another 26,000! However, with the growth of the trucking industry, LCL became increasingly scarce and by the early 1970s, the Middlegrounds were an abandoned ruin.
SITE TERMINAL:
New York Central:

Maps:
Penn Central

Conrail

Norfolk Southern

Lake Shore Line Stories:
Penn Central Years 1968-1976
Special thanks go out to Terry Miliczky for his generous sharing of Toledo West materials and to Seth Lakin for sending me information detailing the NYC's CTC conversion program on Toledo West, 1957-1963. This page would never be what it is today without you guys!
While this site is primarily focused on New York Central operations in the transition era, it also is meant to serve as a tribute to one of the finest stretches of road in the entire nation. Regardless of whether owned by Lake Shore and Michigan Southern, New York Central, Penn Central, Conrail, or now Norfolk Southern, the Lake Shore Line has delivered on its builders’ promise as a crucial avenue of commerce for over 150 years. This website is dedicated to all the hard working men and women, past and present, whose efforts have made this line what it is today.

Please contribute your stories about the Lake Shore Line-no matter which era- anything from simple memories of watching the trains fly by to humorous stories, to what is was (and is) like to operate along the Lake Shore Line. Your contributions will be posted on the stories section of the site. Let’s work together to preserve the memories of the Lake Shore Line.  Please email me.
This site is dedicated to Herman J. "Babe" Dowe, February 16, 1937-December 30, 2004
Fireman and engineer for New York Central, Penn Central, and Conrail
Proud member of the NYC-RR and NYC-Railroad email lists!
Proud member of the Conrail Email list! Check us out at Conrail Cyclopedia!!!
        2007

 

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