| Natural Gas Route | |
 Lake Erie and Western Railroad as of 1918, including the leased Northern Ohio Railway | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Peoria, Illinois |
| Locale | Midwestern United States |
| Dates of operation | 1887–1923 |
| Predecessor | Lake Erie & Western Railway |
| Successor | New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge |
| Length | 709.91 miles (1,142.49 km) |
TheLake Erie and Western Railroad was a railroad that operated inOhio,Indiana andIllinois.[1] The Lake Erie and Western main line extended fromSandusky, Ohio, 412 miles (663 km) westward toPeoria, Illinois, passing throughFremont andFostoria, Ohio,Muncie andLafayette, Indiana, andBloomington, Illinois. It also had main lines extending fromIndianapolis toMichigan City, Indiana and fromFort Wayne toConnersville, Indiana. Principal branch lines extended fromSt. Marys' toMinster, Ohio and fromNew Castle toRushville, Indiana.
TheLake Erie and Western Depot Historic District atKokomo, Indiana, was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 2008.[2]
The Lake Erie and Western Railroad was incorporated in Illinois, February 10, 1887. The "Natural Gas Route"[3]: 4 had its beginnings in several railroads dating back to the mid-1850s,[3]: 5 the oldest being thePeru and Indianapolis Railroad, incorporated in Indiana, January 19, 1846.[1] TheSeney Syndicate linked several short railroads in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois along with the first "The Lake Erie and Western Railway Company" of 1879. Subsequentconsolidations andforeclosure sales resulted in variations of the Lake Erie and Western name, culminating in the Lake Erie and Western Railroad.[1][4]
The Lake Erie and Western itself controlled and leased theNorthern Ohio Railway and jointly controlled 10% of thePeoria and Pekin Union Railway.[1]
In 1900, the Lake Erie and Western came under the control of theNew York Central Railroad.[1] After operating it as a separate entity for two decades, the New York Central sold the Lake Erie and Western to theNickel Plate in 1922.[4]
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