Panhandle Route
| Locale | Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania & West Virginia |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | January 1, 1917–April 1, 1956 |
| Predecessor | Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway; Vandalia Railroad; Pittsburgh, Wheeling and Kentucky Railroad; Anderson Belt Railway; & Chicago, Indiana and Eastern Railway |
| Successor | Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Locale | Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania & West Virginia |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | December 22, 1853 (oldest predecessor line) September 20, 1890–December 31, 1916 |
| Predecessor | Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railway; Chicago, St. Louis and Pittsburgh Railroad; Cincinnati and Richmond Railroad; & Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad |
| Successor | Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
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, which began at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, crossed the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, and continued west to Bradford, Ohio, where it split into a northern line to Chicago and a southern one through Indianapolis, Indiana, to East St. Louis, Illinois.
The Steubenville and Indiana Railroad was chartered February 24, 1848, in Ohio to build west from the Ohio River at Steubenville to the Indiana state line between Willshire and Fort Recovery, via Mt. Vernon. On March 12, 1849, it was authorized to build a bridge at Steubenville and a branch to Columbus.
The first section opened December 22, 1853, from Steubenville west to Unionport. On February 2, 1854, an extension from Unionport west to Cadiz Junction opened; the branch to Cadiz opened June 12. Further extensions west from Cadiz Junction opened June 22 to Masterville, July 12 to Bowerston, and April 11, 1855, the rest of the way to Newark. However, it did not yet connect to any other railroads in Newark.
On December 25, 1854, the S&I came to an agreement with the Central Ohio Railroad to use its tracks from Newark west to Columbus. Some surveying had been done for a separate route via Granville. The connection at Newark opened April 16, 1857, and was built with funds provided by the Columbus and Xenia Railroad, which helped provide a through route to Cincinnati from the S&I. In 1864, the S&I outright bought a half interest in the Newark-Columbus track.
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Wikipedia