Former American holding company
ThePennsylvania Company was a majorholding company . It included thePittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway , the PRR's main route toChicago . Together with thePittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad andVandalia Railroad , the three railroads were branded by the PRR asPennsylvania Lines West of Pittsburgh . All lines west merged into thePennsylvania Railroad in 1921.
The Pennsylvania Company was incorporated April 7, 1870 inPennsylvania as aholding company with a broadcharter .[ 1] William Thaw of the PRR.Tom Scott replaced Thaw as the president January 20, 1871. On April 1 of that year the company began operating several railroads; others were acquired later.
April 1, 1871:Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway – main line direct fromPittsburgh, Pennsylvania , toChicago April 1, 1871:Erie and Pittsburgh Railroad – main line from Pittsburgh north toErie, Pennsylvania April 1, 1871:Indianapolis and Vincennes Railroad (merged into theVandalia Railroad , PRR-owned, PCC&St.L operated, January 1, 1905) April 1, 1871:Lawrence Railroad (merged into theYL&P June 1, 1887) April 1, 1871:New Castle and Beaver Valley Railroad (merged into thePY&A January 1, 1906) December 1, 1871:Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad – Acquired fromJay Gould control, previously a joint operation withPFW&C betweenRochester, PA andPittsburgh . January 1, 1873:Columbus and Shelby Railroad (merged into theJM&I November 18, 1881) January 1, 1873:Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad (merged into thePittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway , PRR-owned but not Pennsylvania Company operated, October 1, 1890) January 1, 1873:Lake Erie and Louisville Railroad (merged into theJM&I June 26, 1890) January 1, 1873:Louisville Bridge Company (began operating itself October 1, 1890) January 1, 1873:Shelby and Rush Railroad (merged into theJM&I April 10, 1882) May 1, 1873:Ashtabula, Youngstown and Pittsburg Rail Road ;Ashtabula and Pittsburgh Railway (merged into theAN&Y June 16, 1887) May 1, 1873:Mansfield, Coldwater and Lake Michigan Rail Road (merged into theNWO November 28, 1877) May 1, 1873:Toledo, Tiffin and Eastern Rail Road ;Toledo and Woodville Railroad ;Northwestern Ohio Railway (merged into theTWV&O May 23, 1891) November 10, 1873:Toledo and State Line Railroad (merged into theTT&E May 1, 1878?) September 28, 1880:Massillon and Cleveland Railroad October 3, 1881:Meadville Railway (reorganized February 1, 1884 as the non-PRRMeadville and Linesville Railroad ) August 7, 1882:Alliance, Niles and Ashtabula Railroad (merged into theAN&Y June 16, 1887) January 8, 1884:Ohio Valley Railway ;Pittsburgh, Ohio Valley and Cincinnati Railroad August 18, 1884:New Brighton and New Castle Rail Road (merged into theYL&P June 1, 1887) June 1, 1887:Youngstown, Lawrence and Pittsburgh Railroad (merged into thePY&A August 1, 1887) June 16, 1887:Ashtabula, Niles and Youngstown Railroad (merged into thePY&A August 1, 1887) August 1, 1887:Pittsburgh, Youngstown and Ashtabula Railroad ;Pittsburgh, Youngstown and Ashtabula Railway October 15, 1887:South Chicago and Southern Railroad October 15, 1888:State Line and Indiana City Railway (merged into theSC&S February 5, 1901) May 23, 1891:Toledo, Walhonding Valley and Ohio Railroad (merged into theTC&OR July 1, 1911) January 1892:Rolling Mill Railroad (merged into theTWV&O January 1, 1904) January 8, 1892:Salineville Railroad (merged into theC&P January 1, 1899) September 16, 1895:Calumet River Railway (merged into theSC&S February 5, 1901) January 1, 1900:Cleveland and Marietta Railway (merged into theTC&OR July 1, 1911) August 1, 1900:Western New York and Pennsylvania Railway (only 51.492 miles (83 km), formerly theNew Castle and Franklin Railroad fromNew Castle, Pennsylvania toStoneboro, Pennsylvania plus branches) July 1, 1910:Youngstown and Ravenna Railroad July 1, 1911:Toledo, Columbus and Ohio River Railroad July 1, 1912:Cleveland, Akron and Cincinnati Railway (company control regained in 1899, previously under control as theCleveland, Mount Vernon and Delaware Railroad before 1885) The Pennsylvania Company operated theErie Canal of Pennsylvania from September 16, 1870, to February 4, 1871.
On January 1, 1918, soon after theUnited States Railroad Administration took over all U.S. railroads, all Pennsylvania Company leases were transferred to the PRR. On March 1, 1920, when the lines were returned to the PRR, they were separated into four regions – theEastern Region ,Central Region ,Northwestern Region andSouthwestern Region .
The Pennsylvania Company, however, stayed around as aholding company , and was reincorporated in Delaware on December 12, 1958, and reorganized on December 16. Its new purpose was to diversify intoreal estate and other fields, and the company lasted through the 1968 PRR merger intoPenn Central Transportation .
In 1973 or 1974 several subsidiaries were created – thePennrec Company fortheme park investments (includingSix Flags Great Adventure andStars Hall of Fame ), thePenn Orlando Company , andPenn Arlington, Inc. (which boughtSix Flags Over Texas from theGreat Southwest Corporation ).
Current
Former
Timeline Railroads initalics meet the revenue specifications for Class I status, but are not technically Class I railroads due to being passenger-only railroads with no freight component.
