The Atlantic and Great Western Railroad began as three separate railroads: the

Erie and New York City Railroad The Erie and New York City Railroad was a railroad that operated in New York state. Among the earliest supporters of the Erie and New York City Railroad were prominent Jamestown, New York residents who lobbied for the railroad to go through their ...

based in

Jamestown, New York Jamestown is a city in southern Chautauqua County, in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 28,712 at the 2020 census. Situated between Lake Erie to the north and the Allegheny National Forest to the south, Jamestown is the largest pop ...

; the Meadville Railroad based in Meadville, Pennsylvania (renamed A&GW in April 1858); and the Franklin and Warren Railroad based in Franklin Mills, Ohio (renamed A&GW in January 1853). The owners of the three railroads had been working closely together since an October 8, 1852, meeting in Cleveland to plan an expansion of the "Great Broad Route", the

Erie Railroad The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Erie ...

, through their respective areas. On March 12, 1862, general control of all three companies was placed under a central board made of two directors from each of the companies. The Ohio Board was represented by Marvin Kent and Worthy S. Streator; the Pennsylvania Board by William Reynolds and John Dick; and the New York Board by A. F. Allen and Thomas W. Kennard. William Reynolds was elected President of the Board. The line reached

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

on November 18, 1863, and was connected to the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad in

Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...

on June 20, 1864; thus linking

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

with

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

via a gauge line. On August 19, 1865, an agreement was drafted to merge the three separate companies, each named Atlantic and Great Western ''Railroad'', into the Atlantic and Great Western ''Railway''. On October 5 of that year the new company issued a $30 million mortgage to pay off the outstanding mortgages on various companies included in the merger. The company went into the hands of a receiver, Robert B. Potter of New York, on April 1, 1867. Potter operated the railroad until December 1868 when it was leased for 12 years by the Erie Railroad.

Jay Gould Jason Gould (; May 27, 1836 – December 2, 1892) was an American railroad magnate and financial speculator who is generally identified as one of the robber barons of the Gilded Age. His sharp and often unscrupulous business practices made hi ...

, then president of the Erie, arranged to have the company again placed into

receivership In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver—a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights"—especially in ca ...

, this time with Gould and W. A. O'Doherty as receivers. This receivership was transferred to Reuben Hitchcock of Cleveland in November 1869. In February 1870, the Erie again leased the company, pending

foreclosure Foreclosure is a legal process in which a lender attempts to recover the balance of a loan from a borrower who has stopped making payments to the lender by forcing the sale of the asset used as the collateral for the loan. Formally, a mortg ...

. The foreclosure took place and the property was purchased on July 26, 1871, by Gen.

George B. McClellan George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American soldier, Civil War Union general, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey. A graduate of West Point, McCl ...

, William Butler Duncan and Allen G. Thurman. A deed for the property was finalized on October 3, 1871. The new company was named the Atlantic and Great Western ''Railway'', the same as the old, but on consolidation of the individual parts (one in each state) in November, the name was changed back to the Atlantic and Great Western ''Railroad''. In May 1874, the Atlantic and Great Western was again leased by the Erie, at terms very generous to the A&GW and its backer James McHenry. On December 10, 1874, the new president of the Erie,

Hugh J. Jewett Hugh Judge Jewett (July 1, 1817 – March 6, 1898) was an American railroader and politician. He served as the United States representative from Ohio's 12th congressional district in the 43rd United States Congress. Early life Jewett was bo ...

, repudiated the lease and the company went into the hands of a new receiver, J. H. Devereaux. This action led to a series of lawsuits between McHenry and Jewett which brought shame to both companies. On January 10, 1880, the property was again sold at foreclosure and was reorganized as the

New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio Railroad Map of the A&GW The Nypano Railroad, earlier the New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio Railroad, was organized from the bankrupt Atlantic and Great Western Railroad in March 1880. The road was owned by five of the English investors in the A&GW and ran ...

External links

Western New York Railroad Archive

References

*Hungerford, Edward. ''Men of Erie: A Story of Human Effort.'' New York: Random House, 1946. *Mott, Edward. ''Between the Ocean and the Lakes - The Story of Erie.'' New York, NY: J.S. Collins. 1899. * Reynolds, William, Peter K. Gifford, and Robert D. Ilisevich. ''European Capital, British Iron, and an American Dream: The Story of the Atlantic & Great Western Railroad'' (The University of Akron Press, 2002). {{DEFAULTSORT:Atlantic Great Western Railroad Defunct New York (state) railroads Defunct Pennsylvania railroads Defunct Ohio railroads History of Kent, Ohio Predecessors of the Erie Railroad Railway companies established in 1853 Railway companies disestablished in 1865 Railway companies established in 1871 Railway companies disestablished in 1880 6 ft gauge railways in the United States American companies disestablished in 1880 American companies established in 1853 American companies disestablished in 1865 American companies established in 1871

See also

External links

References