The New Castle Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in the U.S. states of Pennsylvania and Ohio. The line runs from New Castle, Pennsylvania west through Youngstown and Akron to Greenwich, Ohio[2][3] along a former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad line.[4][5] Its east end is near Mahoningtown, at the west end of the New Castle Terminal Subdivision.[6] Its west end is at the Willard Terminal Subdivision, just east of the Greenwich Subdivision junction at Greenwich. It junctions with the Newton Falls Subdivision at Newton Falls, Ohio, and the CL&W Subdivision at Sterling, Ohio.

New Castle Subdivision
Looking westbound on the New Castle Subdivision in Mahoning Township, Lawrence County, PA
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerCSX Transportation
LocalePennsylvania and Ohio
Termini
Service
TypeFreight rail
SystemCSX Transportation
Operator(s)CSX Transportation
Technical
Line length134.5 miles
Number of tracks1-2
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Operating speed55–60 mph (89–97 km/h)
Route map

[1]
192.2
CP 54
184.3
181.1
176.73
169.2
166.8
Lodi
165.6
159.0
155.7
west storage
155.6
154.0
Sterling East siding
148.0
146.6
Not
145.7
Coal
145.6
eastbound siding
144.0
RJC RR CLE line
JCI Jones Chemicals Inc.
138.3
Wolf Creek
137.3
135.3
W&LE Connection
135.0
W. Waterloo Rd. (Lambert)
Associated Concrete supply Inc.
128.9
128.65
128.4
128.15
CSX Akron Yard
127.5
BD Tower
121.9
119.9
CP 120
Crossover to ABC Railway (Erie)
118.4
117.6
115.7
110.8
Crossing w/ Cleveland Line
B&O line
to ABC Railway
105.2
FS siding
103.9
FS Tower
103.0
FS siding
102.5
East FS Switch
102.0
98.2
W/E HN
98.0
Westbound siding
96.2
E/E HN
94.2
92.2
controlled siding
92.2
Lafarge siding
91.3
91.0
Lordstown Industrial Track
CSX Lordstown Yard
Anderson-DuBose Distribution
89.6
87.0
Niles Jct.
McDonald Steel Corporation
81.3
Liberty St. defect detector
Midwest Steel & Alloy
78.5
Ohio siding
77.8
77.7
77.25
76.9
74.5
73.9
67.35
State line
62.6
I-376.svg I-376 (Toll)
58.2
57.8
CSX New Castle Yard
55.4
P&W Junction

History

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The first tracks along this route were opened in 1879 by the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, connecting Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Youngstown, Ohio via New Castle. The Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Toledo Railroad opened tracks from New Castle to Youngstown and a line continuing west to Valley Junction (near Akron, Ohio) in 1884. On August 1, 1887, much of PC&T's railway was leased by the Pittsburgh and Western Railway Company for passenger service directly between Chicago, Illinois to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[7] Soon thereafter, the PC&T Railroad would be absorbed into the P&W Railroad. By 1902, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad took over the Pittsburgh & Western Railroad and converted all of its tracks to standard gauge.[8]

As the P&LE improved their single-track line, B&O's route followed a similar path between Pittsburgh and Youngstown. B&O's route, however had high grades and curves throughout Pittsburgh. By 1934, the B&O opted to instead purchase trackage rights between McKeesport and New Castle. It would prove to be a major rail line through the region, connecting major industrial cities such as Youngstown, Akron, and Pittsburgh. B&O eventually merged with other railroads to form the Chessie System in 1973, which would own the tracks on the current New Castle Subdivision between New Castle and Greenwich.

Chessie System later merged with Seaboard Coast Line Industries to form CSX in 1980. By 1993, the P&LE was purchased by CSX, giving the company full control over the New Castle Subdivision and the New Castle Terminal Subdivision.[9]

New Castle Terminal Subdivision

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The New Castle Terminal Subdivision runs for 14.7 miles northwest from the terminus of the Pittsburgh Subdivision in West Pittsburg, Pennsylvania to the terminus of the New Castle Subdivision near New Castle. Much of the line coexists with the CSX New Castle yard. It junctions with the P&W Subdivision near Mahoningtown.[10]

References

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  1. ^ https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/AK-New_Castle_Sub
  2. ^ "CSX Timetables: New Castle Subdivision". Trainweb. Archived from the original on January 20, 2003.
  3. ^ "CSX Timetables: New Castle Terminal Subdivision". Trainweb. Archived from the original on January 20, 2003.
  4. ^ "CSX Great Lakes Division Timetable" (PDF). Multimodalways.
  5. ^ "New Castle Subdivision". RadioReference.com. [unreliable source?]
  6. ^ "New Castle Terminal Sub Railfan Guide". RadioReference.com. [unreliable source?]
  7. ^ "Map Pittsburgh & Western Railway Co". www.davidrumsey.com. Retrieved 2022-10-08.
  8. ^ Burns, Robert W. Ex-Baltimore & Ohio Lines in Northwestern Pennsylvania. pp. 2–5.
  9. ^ digital.library.pitt.edu https://digital.library.pitt.edu/islandora/object/pitt:US-PPiU-ais198223/viewer. Retrieved 2022-10-08. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ^ "New Castle Terminal Subdivision". www.botecomm.com. Retrieved 2022-10-07.