The following is a brief history of the North American rail system, mainly through major changes to

Class I railroad Railroad classes are the system by which Rail freight transport, freight railroads are designated in the United States. Railroads are assigned to Class I, II or III according to annual revenue criteria originally set by the Surface Transportatio ...

s, the largest class by operating revenue. ;1977 *The Virginia and Maryland Railroad replaces

Conrail Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busine ...

on most of the old New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad. Operations are transferred to the

Eastern Shore Railroad The Eastern Shore Railroad, Inc. was a Class III railroad, Class III short-line railroad that ran trains on the former New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad line on the Delmarva Peninsula between Pocomoke City, Maryland, and Norfolk, Virgin ...

in 1981 and to the Bay Coast Railroad in 2006. *October 1: The Michigan Interstate Railway (Class I) begins operating the on the former route of the Ann Arbor Railroad. They take over from

on tracks owned by the state of

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

.Lewis, pp. 24, 315-316 *December 1: The number of Class I railroads goes up by one, from 58 to 59, due to the start-up of the Michigan Interstate Railway. ;1978 *April 1:

Crown corporation Crown corporation () is the term used in Canada for organizations that are structured like private companies, but are directly and wholly owned by the government. Crown corporations have a long-standing presence in the country, and have a sign ...

Via Rail Canada takes over operations of

intercity passenger train Inter-city rail services are Express train, express trains that run services that connect cities over longer distances than Commuter rail, commuter or Regional rail, regional trains. They include rail services that are neither short-distance co ...

s from the

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue a ...

and Canadian Pacific Ltd. *October 24: The Penn Central Corporation emerges from reorganization as a real estate company. It has given up its one-sixth share of the

Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad The Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad was a railroad connecting Richmond, Virginia, to Washington, D.C. The track is now the RF&P Subdivision of the CSX Transportation system; the original corporation is no longer a railroad co ...

. *November 1: The Missouri-Illinois Railroad is merged into parent

Missouri Pacific Railroad The Missouri Pacific Railroad , commonly abbreviated as MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers. In 1967, the railroad o ...

. *December 31: The ICC raises the minimum operating revenue from $10 million to $50 million effective January 1, 1978, dropping seventeen railroads to Class II: **

Bangor and Aroostook Railroad The Bangor and Aroostook Railroad was a United States railroad company that brought rail service to Aroostook County, Maine, Aroostook County in northern Maine. Brightly-painted BAR boxcars attracted national attention in the 1950s. First-genera ...

** Canadian Pacific Lines in Maine **

Central Vermont Railway The Central Vermont Railway was a railroad that operated in the U.S. states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, as well as the Canadian province of Quebec. It connected Montreal, Quebec, with New London, Connect ...

(

subsidiary) **

Chicago and Illinois Midland Railway The Illinois and Midland Railroad is a railroad in the U.S. state of Illinois, serving Peoria, Illinois, Peoria, Springfield, Illinois, Springfield and Taylorville, Illinois, Taylorville. Until 1996, when Genesee & Wyoming Inc. bought it, the co ...

Detroit and Toledo Shore Line Railroad The Detroit and Toledo Shore Line Railroad is a historic railroad that operated in northwestern Ohio and southeastern Michigan. The Pleasant Bay Railway was incorporated in Michigan in March 1898 and purchased the Toledo and Ottawa Beach Railwa ...

Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific Railway The Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific Railway is a subsidiary railroad of Canadian National Railway (CN) operating in northern Minnesota, United States. A CN system-wide rebranding beginning in 1995 has seen the DWP logo and name largely replaced b ...

(

subsidiary) ** Georgia Railroad (

Seaboard Coast Line Railroad The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was a Class I railroad company operating in the Southeastern United States beginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak in 1971. Eventually, the railroad was merged with its affiliate lin ...

subsidiary) **

Georgia Southern and Florida Railway The Georgia Southern and Florida Railway , also known as the ''Suwanee River Route'' from its crossing of the Suwanee River, was founded in 1885 as the Georgia Southern and Florida ''Railroad'' and began operations between Macon, GA and Valdo ...

( Southern Railway subsidiary) ** Illinois Terminal Railroad **

Maine Central Railroad The Maine Central Railroad was a United States, U. S. class 1 railroad in central and southern Maine. It was chartered in 1856 and began operations in 1862. By 1884, Maine Central was the longest railroad in New England. Maine Central had expand ...

** Michigan Interstate Railway ** Missouri-Illinois Railroad (

subsidiary) **

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

( Southern Railway subsidiary) **

Northwestern Pacific Railroad The Northwestern Pacific Railroad is a mainline railroad from the former ferry connections in Sausalito, California north to Eureka, with a connection to the national railroad system at Schellville. The railroad has gone through a complex h ...

(

Southern Pacific Transportation Company The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the names ...

subsidiary) **

Texas Mexican Railway The Texas Mexican Railway was a short line railroad in the U.S. state of Texas operating between Corpus Christi and the Texas Mexican Railway International Bridge in Laredo, Texas. It is often referred to as the Tex Mex, or Tex Mex Railway. ...

Toledo, Peoria and Western Railroad The Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway , formerly nicknamed the "Tip-Up", is a shortline railroad that operates of trackage between Mapleton, Illinois, Mapleton and Peoria, Illinois, Peoria in Illinois, and Logansport, Indiana. TP&W also intercha ...

**The Auto-Train Corporation and

National Railroad Passenger Corporation The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. states and three Canadian provi ...

(Amtrak) are also removed from the list, which now only includes freight carriers, reducing the number of Class I railroads from 59 at the end of 1977 to 40 as of December 31, 1978. ;1979 *The

Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway The Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway (SP&S; ) was a railroad in the northwest United States. Incorporated in 1905, it was a joint venture by the Great Northern Railway and the Northern Pacific Railway to build a railroad along the north bank ...

is dissolved, its property going to lessee Burlington Northern Inc. *November 1: The San Diego Metropolitan Transit Development Board purchases control of the

San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway The San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway is a short-line American railroad founded in 1932 as the successor to the San Diego and Arizona Railway (SD&A), which was founded in 1906 by entrepreneur John D. Spreckels. Dubbed "The Impossible Railr ...

(no longer Class I) from parent

, which continues to operate east of Plaster City. Freight service west of Plaster City will be operated by several companies, most recently the Carrizo Gorge Railway and San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad. ;1980 *The Colorado and Wyoming Railway (no longer Class I) abandons its operations in Wyoming. *March 1: The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, in trusteeship since February 13, 1978,Moody's (1980), p. 891 abandons all operations west of

Miles City, Montana Miles City is a city in and the county seat of Custer County, Montana, United States. The population was 8,354 at the 2020 census. History After the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, the U.S. Army created forts in eastern Montana, inclu ...

. Very little of this trackage is taken over by other railroads. *March 31: After a bankruptcy that started on March 17, 1975, and directed operation by the

Kansas City Terminal Railway The Kansas City Terminal Railway is a Class III terminal railroad that serves as a joint operation of the trunk railroads that serve the Kansas City metropolitan area, the United States' second largest rail hub after Chicago. It is operated b ...

since October 5, 1979, the

Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad The original Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock. At ...

shuts down entirely. Over the next few years, other railroads will buy large portions of the Rock Island's system, most notably the

Iowa Interstate Railroad The Iowa Interstate Railroad is a Class II railroad, Class II regional railroad operating in the central United States. The railroad is owned by Railroad Development Corporation of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. History The railroad was formed on N ...

(

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Council Bluffs Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 62,799 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, te ...

Chicago and North Western Transportation Company The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befor ...

( Spine Line), Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad subsidiary

Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad The Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad (OKT) was a railroad operating in its namesake states in the 1980s. OKT I The Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad was originally created on May 29, 1980, after the demise of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pa ...

( OKT Line), and

subsidiary

St. Louis Southwestern Railway The St. Louis Southwestern Railway Company , known by its nickname of "The Cotton Belt Route" or simply "Cotton Belt", was a Class I railroad that operated between St. Louis, Missouri, and various points in the U.S. states of Arkansas, Tennessee ...

( Tucumcari Line). The

Fort Worth and Denver Railway The Fort Worth and Denver Railway , nicknamed "the Denver Road," was a Class I railroad, class I Rail transport in the United States, American railroad company that operated in the northern part of Texas from 1881 to 1982, and had a profound infl ...

(

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwest, Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, CB&Q, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of ...

system) becomes sole owner of the Joint Texas Division, formerly owned by the

Burlington-Rock Island Railroad The Burlington-Rock Island Railroad was a joint railroad in Texas, United States. It came into existence on July 7, 1930, through the reorganization of its predecessor, the Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway Company (T&BV), nicknamed the "Boll W ...

until 1964 and then equally by the two companies. *June 24: The

Grand Trunk Western Railroad The Grand Trunk Western Railroad Company was an American subsidiary of the Grand Trunk Railway, later of the Canadian National Railway operating in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Since a corporate restructuring in 1971, the railroad ha ...

buys control of the

Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad The Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad operated from 1905 to 1983 between its namesake cities of Detroit, Michigan, and Ironton, Ohio, via Toledo, Ohio, Toledo. At the end of 1970, it operated 478 miles of road on 762 miles of track; that year ...

from the Penn Central Corporation. *September 2: The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway begins operating the former New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad (no longer Class I), which filed for bankruptcy in January 1976.Moody's (1992), p. 442 *November 1: Chessie System, Inc. and

Seaboard Coast Line Industries Seaboard Coast Line Industries, Inc., incorporated in Delaware on May 9, 1969, was a railroad holding company that owned the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, its subsidiary Louisville and Nashville Railroad, and several smaller carriers. Its railr ...

merge to form the

CSX Corporation CSX Corporation is an American holding company focused on rail transportation and real estate in North America, among other industries. The company was established in 1980 as part of the Chessie System and Seaboard Coast Line Industries merge ...

,Moody's (1992), p. 421 parent of the Atlanta and West Point Railroad (no longer Class I),

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the oldest railroads in North America, oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam engine, steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 ...

Chesapeake and Ohio Railway The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis Potter Huntington, it reached from Virginia's capital city of Rich ...

Clinchfield Railroad The Clinchfield Railroad was an operating and holding company for the Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway . The line ran from the coalfields of Virginia and Elkhorn City, Kentucky, to the textile mills of South Carolina. The 35-mile segmen ...

, Georgia Railroad,

Louisville and Nashville Railroad The Louisville and Nashville Railroad , commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States. Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of ...

, Staten Island Railroad (no longer Class I), Western Railway of Alabama (no longer Class I), and

Western Maryland Railway The Western Maryland Railway was a small American Class I railroad (1852–1983) that operated in 3 Southern United States, Southern US States, Maryland (Western Maryland, Western Region), West Virginia (Potomac Highlands of West Virginia, Easte ...

. *November 21: The St. Louis-San Francisco Railway merges into Burlington Northern Inc.Moody's (1992), p. 12 ;1981 * Burlington Northern Inc. merges subsidiaries

Oregon Electric Railway The Oregon Electric Railway (OE) was an interurban streetcar, interurban railroad line in the U.S. state of Oregon that linked Portland, Oregon, Portland to Eugene, Oregon, Eugene. History Service from Portland to Salem, Oregon, Salem began in ...

(no longer Class I) and Oregon Trunk Railway (never Class I) into a new subsidiary, Burlington Northern (Oregon-Washington), Inc. *January 12: The

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at vario ...

acquires full control of the

(no longer Class I) by buying the Penn Central Corporation's 50% share.Moody's (1992), p. 403 *April 13: The

gains control of the

(no longer Class I) by buying the 50% share owned by the

Norfolk and Western Railway The Norfolk and Western Railway , commonly called the N&W, was a US class I railroad, formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It was headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, for most of its existence. Its motto was "Precisio ...

.Moody's (1992), p. 237 *April 30: The Auto-Train Corporation (no longer Class I) ceases operations.

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

's ''

Auto Train ''Auto Train'' is an scheduled daily train service for passengers and their automobiles operated by Amtrak between Lorton, Virginia (near Washington, D.C.), and Sanford, Florida (near Orlando, Florida, Orlando). ''Auto Train'' is the only mot ...

'' replacement will begin on October 30, 1983. *May 14: Burlington Northern Inc. is renamed

Burlington Northern Railroad The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States–based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1995. Its historical lineage begins in the earliest days of railroad ...

. *June 8: The Quanah, Acme and Pacific Railway (no longer Class I) merges into parent

. *June 16: Guilford Transportation Industries purchases the

(no longer Class I). *August: The Hooper-Myron Corporation, an affiliate of the

Kankakee, Beaverville and Southern Railroad The Kankakee, Beaverville and Southern Railroad Company is a Class III railroad serving agricultural communities in east-central Illinois and west-central Indiana. History In December 1977, Conrail was set to abandon of their ex-New York Centr ...

(not Class I), buys a portion of the old Chicago, Terre Haute and Southeastern Railway (ex- Chicago Southern Railway) between

Hooper ''Hooper'' may refer to: Place names in the United States: * Hooper, Colorado, town in Alamosa County, Colorado * Hooper, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Hooper, Nebraska, town in Dodge County, Nebraska * Hooper, Utah, place in Weber Cou ...

and

Danville, Illinois Danville is a city in Vermilion County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The populations was 29,204 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Danville micropolitan area. History The area that is now Danville was on ...

from the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. The rest of the old Chicago Southern has been abandoned, while the remnant of the CTH&SE in Indiana was sold in 2006 to the

Indiana Rail Road The Indiana Rail Road is a United States Class II railroad, originally operating over former Illinois Central Railroad trackage from Newton, Illinois, to Indianapolis, Indiana, a distance of . This line, now known as the Indiana Rail Road's Ind ...

. *September 1: The

acquires the property of the Illinois Terminal Railroad (no longer Class I), formerly controlled jointly by 11 railroads (two of which were part of the N&W system). *October 1: The

(no longer Class I) is merged into parent

. *December 31: The

Colorado and Southern Railway The Colorado and Southern Railway was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I railroad in the western United States that operated independently from 1898 to 1908, then as part of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad until it was ...

is merged into parent

. ;1982 *In preparation for common control with the

by the

Norfolk Southern Corporation The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

, Southern Railway subsidiary

(no longer Class I) is renamed

Carolina and Northwestern Railway The Carolina & Northwestern Railway (Ca&NW) was a railroad that served South Carolina and North Carolina from 1897 until January 1, 1974. The original line was operated by the Ca&NW as a separate railroad controlled by the Southern Railway (U.S.), ...

, a company it had merged with in 1974. *The

Providence and Worcester Railroad The Providence and Worcester Railroad (P&W; ) is a Class II railroad operating of tracks in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, as well as New York (state), New York via trackage rights. The company was founded in 1844 to build ...

(not Class I) expands its operations to include

Northeast Corridor The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston in the north to Washington, D.C., in the south, with major stops in Providence, Rhod ...

between

Pawtucket, Rhode Island Pawtucket ( ) is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 75,604 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence, Rhode Island, Prov ...

and

Old Saybrook, Connecticut Old Saybrook is a New England town, town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut, Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 10, ...

, a former main line of the

New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated principally in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to 1968. Founded by the merger of ...

and most recently

. In 1991 these freight rights are extended from Old Saybrook to East Haven.Lewis, p. 257 *The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (no longer Class I) buys several lines from

. This includes most of the old Syracuse, Binghamton and New York Railroad and a piece of the old

Lehigh and Hudson River Railway The Lehigh and Hudson River Railway (L&HR) was the smallest of the six railroads that were merged into Conrail in 1976. It was a bridge line running northeast–southwest across northwestern New Jersey, connecting the line to the Poughkeepsie Br ...

between

Sparta, New Jersey Sparta is a township in Sussex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 19,600, a decrease of 122 (−0.6%) from the 2010 census count of 19,722, which in turn reflected an in ...

and

Warwick, New York Warwick is a town in the southwestern part of Orange County, New York, United States. Its population was 32,027 at the 2020 census. The town contains three villages (Florida, Greenwood Lake, and Warwick) and eight hamlets ( Amity, Bellvale, E ...

. After the NYS&W rehabilitates its trackage between

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments, with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantr ...

and Sparta, the latter becomes part of its main line in 1986. *January 1: The Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad (no longer Class I) is merged into the

, its owner since 1964. *February 20:

(C&O) ceased operations and abandoned the railroad line connecting Manistee, Traverse City, and Petoskey. The segments from Grawn to Williamsburg and Charlevoix to Petoskey were subsequently acquired by the state of Michigan and operated under the

Michigan Northern Railway The Michigan Northern Railway was a railroad that provided service to the northern part of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan from 1976 to 1986. At the beginning of service on April 1, 1976, the MIGN operated the former Grand Rapids and Indiana Rail ...

(MIGN). The MIGN was later absorbed by the Tuscola and Saginaw Railway, which assumed responsibility for the aforementioned sections. *March 31: The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, in trusteeship since February 13, 1978, abandons all operations west of Ortonville, Minnesota. The

takes over operations on much of this trackage. *June 1: The

takes control of the

and Southern Railway.Moody's (1992), p. 94 *June: The

Soo Line Railroad The Soo Line Railroad is one of the primary United States railroad subsidiaries for the CPKC Railway , one of six U.S. Class I railroads, controlled through the Soo Line Corporation. Although it is named for the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Saul ...

gains control of the

Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway The Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway was an long American shortline railroad connecting Minneapolis and Northfield, Minnesota. It was incorporated in 1918 to take over the trackage of the former Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester and ...

(no longer Class I).Moody's (1992), p. 223 *October: The Michigan Interstate Railway (no longer Class I) discontinues operations on the former Ann Arbor Railroad north of

Ann Arbor Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

. The

Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway The Great Lakes Central Railroad is an American regional railroad operating in the state of Michigan. It was originally called the Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway , which was formed on August 26, 1977, to operate over former Penn Central lines ...

takes over from Ann Arbor north to

Alma Alma or ALMA may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Alma'' (film), a 2009 Spanish short animated film * ''Alma'', an upcoming film by Sally Potter * ''Alma'' (Oswald de Andrade novel), 1922 * ''Alma'' (Le Clézio novel), 2017 * ''Alma'' ( ...

, and the

operates the remainder to Frankfort until 1983, when it too goes to the T&SB. The latter company is renamed

Great Lakes Central Railroad The Great Lakes Central Railroad is an American regional railroad operating in the state of Michigan. It was originally called the Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway , which was formed on August 26, 1977, to operate over former Penn Central lines ...

in 2006. *November 4: The

acquires the rail assets of the

Georgia Railroad and Banking Company The Georgia Railroad and Banking Company also seen as "GARR", was a historic railroad and banking company that operated in the U.S. state of Georgia. In 1967 it reported 833 million revenue-ton-miles of freight and 3 million passenger-miles; at ...

, and absorbs lessee Georgia Railroad (no longer Class I), jointly controlled by the SCL and subsidiary

. *December 22: The

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

gains control of the

and

Western Pacific Railroad The Western Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was formed in 1903 as an attempt to break the near-monopoly the Southern Pacific Railroad had on rail service into northern California. WP's Feather River Route dire ...

. *December 31: The

is merged into parent

. ;1983 *The

(renamed

in 2006), which operates the old Ann Arbor Railroad between

and

, expands its operations north to Frankfort and on ex-

Grand Rapids and Indiana Railway The Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad at its height provided passenger and freight railroad services between Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Straits of Mackinac in Michigan, USA. The company was formed on January 18, 1854. Beginnings After grappl ...

trackage north of

Cadillac Cadillac Motor Car Division, or simply Cadillac (), is the luxury vehicle division (business), division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Its major markets are the United States, Canada and China; Cadillac models are ...

, replacing the

. *The

Montour Railroad The Montour Railroad was a short line railroad company operating passenger and freight service in southwestern Pennsylvania. At its height in the 1930s, the railroad served 27 mines transporting nearly seven million tons of coal annually in Al ...

(no longer Class I) ceases operations.Lewis, p. 359 *The

Nevada Northern Railway The Nevada Northern Railway was a railroad in the U.S. state of Nevada, built primarily to reach a major copper producing area in White Pine County, Nevada. The railway, constructed in 1905–06, extended northward about from Ely, Nevada, Ely to ...

(no longer Class I) ceases operations. The Northern Nevada Railroad will resume freight service in January 1995, but in June 1996 the BHP Nevada Railroad will take over until July 1999, when freight is again discontinued. *January 1: The

merges subsidiaries

and

to form the

Seaboard System Railroad The Seaboard System Railroad, Inc. was a US Class I railroad that operated from 1982 to 1986. Since the late 1960s, Seaboard Coast Line Industries had operated the Seaboard Coast Line and its sister railroads—notably the Louisville & Nashvi ...

. *February 11: The

, an unincorporated entity organized jointly by the

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967, it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast ...

and subsidiary

to operate the Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway under lease, is dissolved, as both lessees have merged into the

.Moody's (1983), p. 725 *May 1: The

begins operating the lines of subsidiary

. *May 31: The New Orleans Great Northern Railway merges into lessee

Illinois Central Gulf Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the Central United States. Its primary routes connected Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, and thus, ...

.Moody's (1992), p. 32 *July 1: Guilford Transportation Industries purchases the

Boston and Maine Corporation The Boston and Maine Railroad was a United States, U.S. Class I railroad in northern New England. It was chartered in 1835, and became part of what was the Pan Am Railways network in 1983 (most of which was purchased by CSX in 2022). At the e ...

, bankrupt since March 1970. *August 1: The Anthracite Railway replaces

as operator of the former

Reading Company The Reading Company ( ) was a Philadelphia-headquartered railroad that provided passenger and freight transport in eastern Pennsylvania and neighboring states from 1924 until its acquisition by Conrail in 1976. Commonly called the Reading Railro ...

(ex- Perkiomen Railroad) line between

Emmaus Emmaus ( ; ; ; ) is a town mentioned in the Gospel of Luke of the New Testament. Luke reports that Jesus appeared, after his death and resurrection, before two of his disciples while they were walking on the road to Emmaus. Although its geograp ...

and Pennsburg. The lines will be taken over by the Blue Mountain and Reading Railroad in mid-1988 and

East Penn Railways The East Penn Railroad is a short-line railroad that operates a number of mostly-unconnected lines in Pennsylvania and Delaware. Except for two industrial park switching operations, all are former Pennsylvania Railroad or Reading Company lines ...

(now

East Penn Railroad The East Penn Railroad is a short-line railroad that operates a number of mostly-unconnected lines in Pennsylvania and Delaware. Except for two industrial park switching railroad, switching operations, all are former Pennsylvania Railroad or Re ...

) on July 1, 1995. *December: The

merges into parent

. *December 30: The

Norfolk, Franklin and Danville Railway The Atlantic and Danville Railway was a Class I railroad which operated in Virginia and North Carolina. The company was founded in 1882 and opened its mainline between Portsmouth, Virginia and Danville, Virginia in 1890. The Southern Railway le ...

(not Class I), successor to the

Atlantic and Danville Railway The Atlantic and Danville Railway was a Class I railroad which operated in Virginia and North Carolina. The company was founded in 1882 and opened its mainline between Portsmouth, Virginia and Danville, Virginia in 1890. The Southern Railway le ...

, merges into parent

.Moody's (1992), p. xxiii *December 31: The

(no longer Class I) merges into parent

. ;1984 *January 4: Guilford Transportation Industries purchases the

Delaware and Hudson Railway The Delaware and Hudson Railway (D&H) is a railroad that operates in the Northeastern United States. In 1991, after more than 150 years as an independent railroad, the D&H was purchased by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP). CP, which would it ...

from

subsidiary Dereco, Inc.Moody's (1990), p. 277 *January 19: The St. Louis Southwestern Railway of Texas merges into lessee

. *March: The Fonda, Johnstown and Gloversville Railroad, not Class I since 1919, ceases operations. *July: The Louisville, Henderson and St. Louis Railway merges into lessee

. *November 1:

subsidiary

(no longer Class I) sells its lines north of Willits to the Eureka Southern Railroad; the North Coast Rail Authority will buy that company's property on April 1, 1992. *December 31: The

Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad The Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad was a class II railroad that operated in northwestern Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio. The railroad's main route runs from the Lake Erie port of Conneaut, Ohio, to the Pittsburgh suburb of Penn Hills, Penn ...

Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway The Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway (DM&IR) , informally known as the Missabe Road, was a railroad operating in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin that used to haul iron ore and later taconite to the Great Lakes ports of Duluth, Minnesota, D ...

, and

Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad The Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad (P&LE; ), also known as the "Little Giant", was formed on May 11, 1875. Company headquarters were located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The line connected Pittsburgh in the east with Youngstown, Ohio, in the ...

are demoted to Class II, leaving 28 Class I railroads. ;1985 * Burlington Northern (Oregon-Washington), Inc. merges into parent

. *February 19:

subsidiary The Milwaukee Road, Inc. acquires the property of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad,Moody's (1992), p. 221 in trusteeship since February 13, 1978. *March 1: The

Indiana and Ohio Railway The Indiana & Ohio Railway is an American railroad that operates of track in Ohio, southern Michigan, and parts of southeastern Indiana. It is owned and operated by Genesee & Wyoming, who acquired the railroad in the 2012 purchase of RailAmerica ...

(not Class I) takes over from

on a piece of the former Cincinnati, Lebanon and Northern Railway; another segment will be transferred on December 19, 1986. *May 1: The Rarus Railway begins operating the former

Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway The Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway is a shortline railroad in the U.S. state of Montana. Founded in 1891, it was the main conduit for ore transport between Butte, Montana, Butte and Anaconda, Montana, Anaconda. The railroad operated as the ...

(no longer Class I). The name will be changed back to BA&P on July 19, 2007. *July: The

Gulf and Mississippi Railroad The Gulf and Mississippi Railroad was the first regional railroad in the United States upon its creation in 1985. With over of track in the states of Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama it was among the largest spin-off railroads in the post-S ...

(not Class I) buys a number of lines from the

, including most of the old

Gulf, Mobile and Northern Railroad The Gulf, Mobile and Northern Railroad was a railroad in the Southern United States. The first World War had forced government operation upon the company; and in 1919, when it became once more a free agent, it chose Isaac B. Tigrett to chart its ...

(ICG retains Mobile-

Hattiesburg Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County (where it is the county seat and most populous city) and extending west into Lamar County. The city population was 48,730 in 2020, making it the 5th m ...

) and the former

Mobile and Ohio Railroad Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ...

south of

Corinth Corinth ( ; , ) is a municipality in Corinthia in Greece. The successor to the ancient Corinth, ancient city of Corinth, it is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Sin ...

(including a branch to

Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal Plain, Gulf Coastal and Piedmont (United States), Piedm ...

MidSouth Rail Corporation The MidSouth Rail Corporation is a railroad line operated by Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS) as a result of the January 1, 1994, acquisition; KCS began operating over MidSouth's line on January 11, 1994. The line ran from Shreveport, Louisian ...

subsidiary SouthRail Corporation will take over in April 1988. After the

Kansas City Southern Railway The Kansas City Southern Railway Company is an American Class I railroad. Founded in 1887, it operated in 10 Midwestern United States, Midwestern and Southeastern United States, Southeastern U.S. states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Ark ...

takes control in 1993, it will dispose of portions, including the ex-M&O Tuscaloosa branch (to the Alabama Southern Railroad), ex-M&O Meridian- Waynesboro (to the

Meridian Southern Railway Founded in 2001, Meridian Southern Railway , in east Mississippi, USA, is a short line freight railroad linking Meridian, and Waynesboro, Mississippi and intermediate stations. The railroad is connected to the national rail network by its connec ...

), and ex-GM&N

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

- Middleton (to the Mississippi and Tennessee RailNet). *October: Washouts west of Petoskey on former C&O line between Petoskey and Charlevoix, Which cause Michigan Northern Railway to abandon the line *December: The

Chicago Central and Pacific Railroad The Chicago Central and Pacific Railroad is part of the Illinois Central Railroad (IC), which is owned by the Canadian National Railway (CN) through the Grand Trunk Corporation. Operationally, the Chicago Central & Pacific is designated as the Io ...

(not Class I) buys the

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

main line and branches. *December 31: With the demise of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, and the Southern Railway's decision to combine its subsidiaries in its report to the ICC (including Class I

Alabama Great Southern Railroad The Alabama Great Southern Railroad is a railroad in the U.S. states of Alabama, Georgia (U.S.), Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It is an operating subsidiary of the Norfolk Southern Corporation (NS), running southwest from Chatt ...

Central of Georgia Railroad The Central of Georgia Railway started as the Central Rail Road and Canal Company in 1833. As a way to better attract investment capital, the railroad changed its name to Central Rail Road and Banking Company of Georgia. This railroad was constr ...

, and

Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway The Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway (abbreviated: CNO&TP; ) is a railroad that owns the Cincinnati Southern Railway from Cincinnati, Ohio, south to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and leases it to the Norfolk Southern Railway system. T ...

), the number of Class I railroads drops to 24. ;1986 *January 1: The Milwaukee Road, Inc. and

merge into parent

. *March 18: The

(not Class I) begins operating most of the former Indianapolis Southern Railroad, purchased from successor

. *March 31: The

(not Class I) acquires lines from the

, including the former Alabama and Vicksburg Railway and Vicksburg, Shreveport and Pacific Railway between Meridian and

Shreveport Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

, and a portion of the old

Gulf and Ship Island Railroad The Gulf and Ship Island Railroad (G&SI) was constructed in the state of Mississippi, USA, at the turn of the 20th century to open a vast expanse of southern yellow pine forests for commercial harvest. In spite of economic uncertainty, entrepren ...

between Gulfport and

. *June: The Atlanta and West Point Railroad (no longer Class I) merges into the

, whose predecessors have controlled it since 1920. *July 1:

subsidiary

is renamed

CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of track, it is the lead ...

. *July 21: The

Rochester and Southern Railroad The Rochester and Southern Railroad , a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc., is a class III shortline that runs from the city of Rochester in Monroe County to Silver Springs, NY. The RSR started in 1986, when the B&O sold off its Buffalo a ...

begins operations on a portion of

lessor

Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway The Buffalo, Rochester, and Pittsburgh Railway was one of the more than ten thousand Railway company, railroad companies founded in North America. It lasted much longer than most, serving communities from the Charlotte, Rochester, New York, shor ...

's line to Rochester. *August 27: The

Paducah and Louisville Railway The Paducah & Louisville Railway is a Class II railroad that operates freight service between Paducah and Louisville, Kentucky. The line is located entirely within the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The line was purchased from Illinois Central ...

(not Class I) begins operations on a line in

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

bought from the

. *September: The

Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad The Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad is a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Kansas City. Before its purchase, it was the largest Class II railroad in the United States, operating across South Dakota and southern Minnesot ...

(not Class I) buys the

's line between

Rapid City, South Dakota Rapid City is the county seat of Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. It is located on the eastern slope of the Black Hills in western South Dakota and was named after Rapid Creek (South Dakota), Rapid Creek, where the settlement deve ...

and

Winona, Minnesota Winona ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, Minnesota, United States. Located in bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf (Winona, Minnesota), Sugar Loaf. The population was 2 ...

. *September 15: The

Nashville and Eastern Railroad The Nashville and Eastern Railroad is a shortline railroad which administers of track between Nashville and Monterey, Tennessee, of which are currently operational. The company is based in Lebanon, Tennessee. The Nashville and Eastern was form ...

(not Class I) replaces

on the remaining piece of the

Tennessee Central Railway The Tennessee Central Railway was founded in 1884 as the Nashville and Knoxville Railroad by Alexander S. Crawford. It was an attempt to open up a rail route from the coal and minerals of East Tennessee to the markets of the midstate, a service ...

sold to the

in 1968, from

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

Monterey Monterey ( ; ) is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, the city occupies a land area of and recorded a population of 30,218 in the 2020 census. The city was fou ...

. *December 8: The

Winchester and Western Railroad The Winchester and Western Railroad is a shortline railroad operating from Gore, Virginia to Hagerstown, Maryland. It also operates several lines in southern New Jersey, connecting to Conrail Shared Assets Operations at Millville and Vinelan ...

(not Class I) takes over the old Cumberland Valley and Martinsburg Railroad from

. *December 31: The

Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway The Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway was a Class II railroad, making a roughly circular path between Waukegan, Illinois and Gary, Indiana. The railroad served as a link between Class I railroads traveling to and from Chicago, although it operat ...

drops to Class II.

, the

, and the

begin submitting combined reports for all subsidiaries, thus removing the

, Southern Railway,

, and

from the list of Class I railroads, now numbering 18. ;1987 *March 26: The stock of government-owned

is sold to private investors. *April 28: The Chicago, Missouri and Western Railway (not Class I) acquires almost all of the former

Alton Railroad The Alton Railroad was the final name of a railroad linking Chicago to Alton, Illinois; St. Louis, Missouri; and Kansas City, Missouri. Its predecessor, the Chicago and Alton Railroad , was purchased by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1931 an ...

from the

. It will declare bankruptcy in less than a year. *April 30: The

merges into the

, which has controlled it since 1963. *June 15: The

Sacramento Northern Railway The Sacramento Northern Railway (reporting mark SN) was a electric interurban railway that connected Chico, California, Chico in northern California with Oakland, California, Oakland via the state capital, Sacramento, California, Sacramento. In ...

is merged into parent

. *June 16: The

merges into parent

.Moody's (1992), p. xxiv *August 31: The

merges into

. *October 11:

Wisconsin Central Ltd. Wisconsin Central Ltd. is a railroad subsidiary of Canadian National. At one time, its parent Wisconsin Central Transportation Corporation owned or operated railroads in the United States, Canada (Algoma Central Railway), the United Kingdom (DB ...

(not Class I) acquires Canadian Pacific Ltd. subsidiary

's Lake States Transportation Division, including most of the remaining trackage east of Minneapolis-St. Paul formerly belonging to the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railroad,

Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad The Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad (MStP&SSM; ) was a Class I railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the Midwestern United States. Commonly known since its opening in 1884 as the Soo Line after the phonetic sp ...

, and Wisconsin Central Railroad, which merged in 1961 to form the Soo. (The Soo had acquired the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad in 1985, and chose to retain those lines east of the Twin Cities. Several Milwaukee Road branches were also included in the WC sale.) *October 31: The

Montana Rail Link Montana Rail Link (now operated by BNSF as the MRL Subdivision) was a privately held Class II railroad in the United States. It operated on trackage originally built by the Northern Pacific Railway and leased from its successor BNSF Railway. ...

leases the former

Northern Pacific Railway The Northern Pacific Railway was an important American transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the Western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest between 1864 and 1970. It was approved and chartered b ...

main line across

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

from the

. *December 31: The

Oregon Short Line Railroad The Oregon Short Line Railroad was a railroad in Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Montana and Oregon in the United States. The line was organized as the Oregon Short Line Railway in 1881 as a subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railway. The Union Pacific int ...

Oregon-Washington Railroad and Navigation Company The Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company (OR&N) was a rail and steamboat transport company that operated a rail network of running east from Portland, Oregon, United States, to northeastern Oregon, northeastern Washington, and northern Id ...

, and

Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad The Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad was a rail company in California, Nevada, and Utah in the United States, that completed and operated a railway line between its namesake cities (Salt Lake City, Utah, and Los Angeles, California), via Las ...

are merged into lessee

, as is subsidiary

Spokane International Railroad The Spokane International Railroad was a short line railroad between Spokane, Washington, and the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) at Kingsgate, British Columbia. The line became an important one for the CP with its connections to the Union Paci ...

(no longer Class I). ;1988 *February 23: The

, which has sold off most of the former

Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad The Gulf, Mobile and Ohio was a Class I railroad in the central United States whose primary routes extended from Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans, Louisiana, to St. Louis, Missouri, St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, as well as Chicago, Illin ...

, is renamed

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the Central United States. Its primary routes connected Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, and thus, ...

. *June 1: The

is merged into parent Southern Railway. *June 20: Guilford Transportation Industries subsidiary

files for bankruptcy. The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (formerly Class I) assumes temporary operation of the D&H. *June 27: The Southern Railway acquires the

's line between

Fulton, Kentucky Fulton is a home rule-class city in Fulton County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,357 at the 2020 census, down from 2,445 at the 2010 census. It was once known as the "Banana Capital of the World", because 70% of imported ban ...

and

Haleyville, Alabama Haleyville is a city in Winston County, Alabama, Winston and Marion County, Alabama, Marion counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. It incorporated on February 28, 1889. Most of the city is located in Winston County, with a small portion of the w ...

, including a piece of the old

between

Jackson Jackson may refer to: Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson South, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson oil field in Durham, ...

and

. The Redmont Railway will take over south of Corinth in 1995, and the

West Tennessee Railroad The West Tennessee Railroad is a shortline railroad in the Southern U.S., connecting Corinth, Mississippi, to Fulton, Kentucky, via western Tennessee. The company began operating in 1984 on a portion of the former Mobile and Ohio Railroad (M&O ...

, which already operates the ex-M&O north of Jackson, will lease the line from Fulton via Jackson to Corinth in 2001. *July 19: The

Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad The Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad is a Class II railroad operating in New York and Pennsylvania. The BPRR is owned by Genesee & Wyoming. Its main line runs between Buffalo, New York, and Eidenau, Pennsylvania, north of Pittsburgh. Here, conn ...

(not Class I) acquires much of the former

, then leased to

, as well as the remnants of the former

Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad The Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad was a railroad company that formerly operated in western and north central Pennsylvania and western New York (state), New York. It was created in 1893 by the merger and consolidation of several smaller loggi ...

near DuBois. The BR&P remains a CSX subsidiary, though none of its lines have been operated by CSX since then. *August 12:

subsidiary

acquires control of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. *September: New Canadian Pacific Ltd. subsidiary

Canadian Atlantic Railway The Canadian Atlantic Railway (CAR) was a Canadian and U.S. railway that existed from 1988 to 1994. The CAR was created in September 1988 as a business unit of CP Rail (CPR) to serve the Maritime Provinces and the state of Maine. Its creation ...

takes over all CP operations east of Megantic, Quebec, including the former

International Railway of Maine The International Railway of Maine was a historic railroad constructed by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) between Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, and Mattawamkeag, Maine, closing a key gap in the railway's transcontinental main line to the port of Sai ...

. *September 20: The Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway merges into lessee

. *October 7: The new Ann Arbor Railroad (not Class I) begins operating the former Michigan Interstate Railway (pre-1976 Ann Arbor Railroad) south of

; that company had been bankrupt since January 1983. *October 11: The

Arizona Eastern Railway The Arizona Eastern Railway is a Class III railroad that operates of railroad between Clifton, Arizona, and Miami, Arizona, in the United States. This includes trackage rights over the Union Pacific Railroad between Lordsburg, New Mexico, and ...

(not Class I) begins operations on the Bowie-

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

line of the former Arizona Eastern Railroad, purchased from successor

. *October 13:

Rio Grande Industries Rio Grande Industries, Inc. (RGI) was a name of two holding companies that were involved in the railroading industry. The original and second company took part in the operations of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad and the Southern P ...

, parent of the

Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to ''Rio Grande'', D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow-gauge line running south fr ...

, buys control of the

, including subsidiaries

and

(the latter no longer Class I). The Southern Pacific name is retained for the combined system. ;1989 *January 9: The

is merged into lessee

, whose predecessors have controlled it since 1967. *February 1: The

sells the former

to a new Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway (not Class I). *May 1: The Aberdeen, Carolina and Western Railway (not Class I) leases the former

west of Gulf, North Carolina from the Southern Railway. *May 19: The

St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad The St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad , known as St-Laurent et Atlantique Quebec in Canada, is a short-line railway operating between Portland, Maine, on the Atlantic Ocean, and Montreal, Quebec, on the St. Lawrence River. It crosses the Ca ...

buys the former

Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad The St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad , known as St-Laurent et Atlantique Quebec in Canada, is a short-line railway operating between Portland, Maine, on the Atlantic Ocean, and Montreal, Quebec, on the St. Lawrence River. It crosses the Ca ...

from the

. In 1998, affiliate St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad (Quebec) will replace CN on the portion of the line in Canada. *August: The Elk River Railroad (not Class I) buys an out-of service portion of the former Coal and Coke Railway from

. *November 8:

subsidiary SPCSL Corporation acquires the east half of the old

from the bankrupt (since April 1, 1988Lewis, p. 355) Chicago, Missouri and Western Railway (not Class I). *December 1: The Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad merges into parent

. *December 31: The

and

are demoted from Class I; combined with the demise of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, this drops the number of Class I railroads to 15. ;1990 *

subsidiary Staten Island Railroad ends freight service.

will reactivate the line in 2007. *January: The

Gateway Western Railway The Gateway Western Railway was a Class II railroad that operated 408 miles of former Chicago and Alton Railroad track between Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri. It also operated between Kansas City, Missouri, and Springfield, Illinois on the ...

(not Class I) acquires the remainder of the old

from the bankrupt (since April 1, 1988) Chicago, Missouri and Western Railway (not Class I). Through a haulage agreement, it gives the

access to

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

. *April 2: The Chesapeake and Albemarle Railroad (not Class I) leases the former

east of

Edenton, North Carolina The town of Edenton is located on the Albemarle Sound in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. It is the county seat of Chowan County. The population was 4,397 at the 2020 census. Edenton served as the second official capital of North Carol ...

from the Southern Railway. *May 17: The new Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway (not Class I) acquires lines from the

, including most of the former Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad (merged 1982) and Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway (merged 1988), as well as the lease of the Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railroad. *June 29: The Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway is merged into lessee

. *October: The

Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Western Railroad The Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Western Railroad was established in 1915 as a reorganization of the Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Western Railway, which in turn had been created in 1902 as a merger of the Indiana, Decatur and Western Railway (I ...

is merged into lessee

. *October: The Indiana and Ohio Central Railroad (not Class I) begins operating a portion of the old

between Washington Court House and

Springfield, Ohio Springfield is a city in Clark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located in southwestern Ohio along the Mad River (Ohio), Mad River, Buck Creek, and Beaver Creek, about west of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus and northeast of ...

, purchased from

subsidiary

. Affiliated

will acquire most of the remainder, from Springfield north to Diann, Michigan, in 1997; GTW retains ownership between Diann and

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. *November:

acquires full control of the

Monongahela Railway The Monongahela Railway was a coal-hauling Class II railroad in Pennsylvania and West Virginia in the United States. It was jointly controlled originally by the Pennsylvania Railroad, New York Central subsidiary Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railr ...

(no longer Class I) by buying the one-third shares owned by

and the

. *December 15: The

Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad The Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad , sometimes shortened to Reading and Northern Railroad, is a regional railroad in eastern Pennsylvania. With a headquarters in Port Clinton, the RBMN provides freight service on over of track. Its ...

(not Class I) begins operations over most of the remaining

lines north of

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

, which they bought from

. *December 31: The Southern Railway acquires direct control of the

from parent

, and is renamed

.Moody's (1992), p. 68 ;1991 *January: Canadian Pacific Ltd. purchases the bankrupt

. *January 14: The

Wichita, Tillman and Jackson Railway The Wichita, Tillman and Jackson Railway is a shortline railroad subsidiary of the Rio Grande Pacific Corporation that operates in Oklahoma and Texas. The line for which it is named extends from Wichita Falls, Texas to just north of Altus, Okla ...

begins operations on the remaining piece of the old Wichita Falls and Northwestern Railway between

Wichita Falls Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay, and Wichita Counties. According to ...

and

Altus Altus or ALTUS may refer to: Music *Alto, a musical term meaning second highest musical or vocal type * Altus (voice type), a vocal type also known as countertenor Places * Altus, Arkansas, US ** Altus AVA, a wine-growing region near Altus, Ark ...

, bought from successor Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. *June 1: The Texas and Oklahoma Railroad (not Class I) buys the old

Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway The Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway, started in 1900 by American railroad entrepreneur Arthur Edward Stilwell, was the predecessor of the Chihuahua al Pacífico railroad in Mexico. It was intended to reach the Pacific Ocean at Topolob ...

and Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway of Texas between

Thomas, Oklahoma Thomas is a city in Custer County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,181 at the 2010 census. History Thomas was named for William Thomas, who owned a general store and served as postmaster, when the first post office was establishe ...

and Maryneal, Texas from successor

. Farmrail will take over the portion in Oklahoma in January 1993, and the T&O will later abandon all but Sweetwater-Maryneal. *October 10: The railroad properties of the

(no longer Class I) are conveyed to new

subsidiary Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railway. CSX had owned an 80% share in the RF&P, the other 20% being the

's. *November 12: The

Wabash Railroad The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including track in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Missouri and the province of Ontario. Its primary con ...

merges into lessee

. ;1992 *January 2: The South Orient Railroad (not Class I) begins operating portions of the former

Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway The Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway, chartered under the laws of Texas on June 1, 1885, was part of a plan conceived by Buckley Burton Paddock and other Fort Worth civic leaders to create a transcontinental route linking New York, Fort Worth, ...

and Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway of Texas, bought from successor

, between

Santa Anna, Texas Santa Anna is a town in Coleman County in Central Texas, United States. Its population was 1,014 at the 2020 census. Geography Santa Anna is located in east central Coleman County. Three U.S. highways pass through the center of town. U.S. Ro ...

and the

Mexican border Mexico shares international borders with three nations: *To the north the United States–Mexico border, which extends for a length of through the states of Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas. *To the sou ...

. Texas Pacifico Transportation will replace the South Orient in 2000. *February 17: The

Lake State Railway Lake State Railway is a railroad operating in the Saginaw River, Saginaw Valley and northeastern quadrant of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The railroad moves large quantities of aggregate and limestone, as well as coal, grain, and chemical p ...

takes over operation of the

Detroit and Mackinac Railway The Detroit and Mackinac Railway , informally known as the "Turtle Line", was a railroad in the northeastern part of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The railroad had its main offices and shops in Tawas City, Michigan, Tawas Cit ...

(no longer Class I). *April 11:

sells the remnants of the Evansville, Indianapolis and Terre Haute Railway (except at

Terre Haute Terre Haute ( ) is a city in Vigo County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 58,389 and its metropolitan area had a population of 168,716. Located along the Wabash River about e ...

), and a former Vandalia Railroad branch, to the

Indiana Southern Railroad The Indiana Southern Railroad is a Class III, short line railroad operating in the United States state of Indiana. It began operations in 1992 as a RailTex property and was acquired by RailAmerica in 2000. RailAmerica was itself acquired by Gen ...

(not Class I). *April 17: The Columbus and Ohio River Rail Road (not Class I) begins operations on the former Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad main line between Columbus and

Steubenville, Ohio Steubenville ( ) is a city in Jefferson County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Ohio River west of Pittsburgh, it had a population of 18,161 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Weirton–Steubenville m ...

, sold by

. *July 6: The Louisiana and Arkansas Railway (no longer Class I) and Fort Smith and Van Buren Railway (never Class I, but successor to the

Fort Smith and Western Railway The Fort Smith and Western Railway was a rail transport, railroad that operated in the states of Arkansas and Oklahoma. The railroad's main line extended from Coal Creek, Oklahoma (about 7 miles east of Bokoshe, Oklahoma) to Guthrie, Oklahoma, ...

) merge into parent

. *September 13:

subsidiary

Three Rivers Railway The Three Rivers Railway was a railroad that was owned by CSX Transportation. CSX created the Three River Railway to take control of lines that the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad were selling. The Pittsburgh and Lake Erie sold lines to the Thre ...

takes over the remaining trackage of the

(no longer Class I). *October 1: The

(no longer Class I) merges into parent

. *December 21:

San Joaquin Valley Railroad The San Joaquin Valley Railroad is a short line railroad, among several in the Western Region Division of parent company, Genesee & Wyoming Inc. It operates over about of owned or leased track primarily on several lines in California's Centr ...

lessor Tulare Valley Railroad leases a portion of the property of the Sunset Railway (only Class I in 1911), a joint subsidiary of the

and

; the rest is abandoned.Lewis, p. 361 *December 31: The Colorado and Wyoming Railway (no longer Class I) sells its Southern Division at

Trinidad, Colorado Trinidad is the List of cities and towns in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality that is the county seat of and the List of cities and towns in Colorado, most populous municipality in Las Animas County, Colorado, United Stat ...

to the Trinidad Railway (operated by the

and

), leaving only the Middle Division at

Pueblo Pueblo refers to the settlements of the Pueblo peoples, Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, currently in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. The permanent communities, including some of the oldest continually occupied settlement ...

. ;1993 *May 1: The

(no longer Class I) merges into parent

. *May 4:

, parent of the

, and

, is renamed Southern Pacific Rail Corporation. *June:

Kansas City Southern Industries Kansas City Southern (KCS) was a transportation holding company with railroad investments in the United States, Mexico, and Panama and operated from 1887 to 2023. The KCS rail network included about of track in the U.S. and Mexico. Its primar ...

, parent of the

, acquires control of the MidSouth Corporation, parent of several non-Class I railroads:

(former Alabama and Vicksburg Railway and Vicksburg, Shreveport and Pacific Railway), MidLouisiana Rail Corporation, SouthRail Corporation (former

and

), and TennRail Corporation. *August 27:

(not Class I) subsidiary Fox Valley and Western Ltd. acquires the properties of the

Green Bay and Western Railroad The Green Bay and Western Railroad served central Wisconsin for almost 100 years before it was absorbed into the Wisconsin Central Ltd., Wisconsin Central in 1993. For much of its history the railroad was also known as the Green Bay Route. At t ...

(formerly Class I), Fox River Valley Railroad (a 1988

shortline spin-off), and

Ahnapee and Western Railway The Ahnapee and Western Railway (A&W) was a common carrier shortline railroad located in northeastern Wisconsin. The railroad ran from a connection with the Kewaunee, Green Bay and Western Railroad at Casco Junction to the lakeshore terminals of ...

(never Class I). *September 17:

takes over the operations of subsidiary

(ex-

). *September 26: Shortline

California Northern Railroad The California Northern Railroad is one of several Class III short-line railroad companies owned by Genesee & Wyoming, Inc. It operates over Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) tracks (now Union Pacific Railroad) under a long-term lease. The CFN ...

replaces the

as operator of the former

. ;1994 *January 1: The

is merged into the

, its parent since June 1993. *January 1: The

Bay Line Railroad The Bay Line Railroad is one of several short line railroad companies owned by Genesee & Wyoming Inc. It operates between Panama City, Florida, and Dothan, Alabama, including a branch from Grimes to Abbeville, Alabama, reached via trackage right ...

begins operating the former

Atlanta and St. Andrews Bay Railway The Atlanta and St. Andrews Bay Railway , also known as the Bay Line, was a Class I railroad which operated in Alabama and Florida. The company was founded in 1906 and opened its mainline between Dothan, Alabama, and Panama City, Florida, in 1908. ...

(no longer Class I). *March 12: The Louisville and Indiana Railroad (not Class I) begins operating a former major branch of the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad between

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

and

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

, sold by

. *May 20: South Orient Railroad affiliate Cen-Tex Rail Link (not Class I) begins operating most of the former

, bought from successor

, between

Fort Worth Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

and Ricker, Texas. The

Fort Worth and Western Railroad The Fort Worth and Western Railroad is a Class III short-line railroad headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. Operating only within the state of Texas, its main freight service route is between Carrollton, Fort Worth and Brownwood. History Much ...

will take over in 1998. *July 15: Service ends on the

Cambria and Indiana Railroad The Cambria and Indiana Railroad (C&I) is a railway company that is located in the southeastern part of Indiana County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Incorporated in 1904 and built in 1910 with the intention of carrying lumber, coal was d ...

(no longer Class I). *December 31: Canadian Pacific Ltd. subsidiary Canadian American Railway, including the former

, shuts down.

affiliate

Canadian American Railroad The Canadian American Railroad was a railroad that operated between Brownville Junction, Maine and Lennoxville, Quebec. The railroad later expanded west to Farnham, Quebec and then St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec with running rights on Canadian ...

restores service west of McAdam, New Brunswick on January 6, 1995, and the

New Brunswick Southern Railway The New Brunswick Southern Railway Company Limited is a Canadian short line railway owned by the New Brunswick Railway Company Limited, a holding company that is part of "Irving Transportation Services", a division within the industrial conglo ...

begins operations between McAdam and St. Stephen on January 8. NBSR subsidiary Eastern Maine Railway takes over between Brownville Junction, Maine and McAdam on April 10, 1995. ;1995 *February 4: The

New England Central Railroad The New England Central Railroad is a regional railroad in the New England region of the United States. It began operations in 1995, as the successor of the Central Vermont Railway (CV). The company was originally a subsidiary of holding comp ...

begins operating the property of

subsidiary

(no longer Class I). *September 22: The

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that provide ...

acquires control of the

and

. *October 1: The

merges into the

. *October 1: The

Portland and Western Railroad The Portland and Western Railroad is a Class II railroad serving the U.S. state of Oregon, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of shortline and regional railroad holding company Genesee & Wyoming Inc. The PNWR includes a subsidiary, the Willamett ...

(not Class I) begins operating a portion of the old

north of Salem, leased from successor

. In 2003 it will lease the rest of the old main line, from Salem south to

Eugene Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Gene Eugene, stage name of Canadian born actor, record producer, engineer, composer and musi ...

. *November 17: The

is privatized. ;1996 *February 9: The Illinois and Midland Railroad begins operating the property of the

(no longer Class I). *June: The

buys control of the

(not Class I), which it had spun off in 1985. *July 4: Canadian Pacific Ltd. is renamed back to

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

, its name until 1971, and a new CP Ltd. takes over as

holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the Security (finance), securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own Share ...

. *August:

sells its main line through the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre area, formerly

Lehigh Valley Railroad The Lehigh Valley Railroad was a railroad in the Northeastern United States built predominantly to haul anthracite, anthracite coal from the Coal Region in Northeastern Pennsylvania to major consumer markets in Philadelphia, New York City, and ...

and

Central Railroad of New Jersey Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

, to the

(not Class I). *September: The Connecticut Southern Railroad (not Class I) replaces

as freight operator on

New Haven-Springfield Line New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

, one of the main lines of the old

. *September 11:

parent

Union Pacific Corporation Union Pacific Corporation is a publicly traded railroad holding company. It is incorporated in Utah and is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Its only operating subsidiary is Union Pacific Railroad. Along with BNSF Railway, owned by Berkshire Hatha ...

takes control of Southern Pacific Rail Corporation subsidiaries

, and

. *September 28:

affiliate Quebec Southern Railway and subsidiary

Northern Vermont Railroad Northern Vermont Railroad (Northern Vermont Railroad Company Incorporated) (reporting remark NVR) was a former class III railroad that operated in Vermont from 1996 to 2002. NVR was based in Newport, Vermont. The Northern Vermont Railroad was ...

replace the

on several lines east of

Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu () is a city in eastern Montérégie in the Canadian province of Quebec, about southeast of Montreal, located roughly halfway between Montreal and the Canada–United States border with the state of Vermont. It is sit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, including the Newport and Richford Railroad to Wells River, Vermont. *October 1: New

subsidiary St. Lawrence and Hudson Railway begins operating the portion of CP's network east and south of

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, including subsidiary

. *December 31: The

and

, both subsidiaries of the

, merge to form the

Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that provide ra ...

. ;1997 *January 1: The

merges into parent

. *April 5:

affiliate

I&M Rail Link The I&M Rail Link was a railroad operating in the north central portion of the United States. The company commenced operations on April 5, 1997, acquiring lines from the Canadian Pacific Railway and Soo Line Railroad. On July 31, 2002, the Iowa ...

(not Class I) begins operating former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad lines bought from

subsidiary

, with main lines stretching west from

to Minneapolis-St. Paul,

Sheldon, Iowa Sheldon is a city in O'Brien County, Iowa, O'Brien and Sioux County, Iowa, Sioux counties in the U.S. state of Iowa, along the Floyd River. The population was 5,512 at the time of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census; it is the largest city ...

, and

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

. *May 5: The

acquires control of the

(not Class I), which operates the west half of the former

. *May 11: The

New York and Atlantic Railway The New York and Atlantic Railway (NY&A) is a short line railroad on Long Island, within the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York. It was formed in 1997 to provide freight service over the tracks of the Long Island Rail Road, a ...

takes over freight operations on the primarily passenger-serving

Long Island Rail Road The Long Island Rail Road , or LIRR, is a Rail transport, railroad in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County on Long Islan ...

(no longer Class I). *June: Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana, which would be Class I by U.S. standards, begins operating a portion of the government-owned

Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México ''Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México'' (better known as N de M and after 1987 as Ferronales or FNM) or ''National Railways of Mexico'' was Mexico's state owned railroad company from 1938 to 1998, and prior to 1938 (dating from the regime of P ...

. *June 30: The

and SPCSL Corporation merge into parent

. *September 30: The

merges into parent

. ;1998 *February: The

buys control of the

. *February 1: The Union Pacific is merged into the

and then renamed to

. *February 19: Ferrocarril Mexicano, which would be Class I by U.S. standards, begins operating a large portion of the government-owned

. *August 22:

and the

acquire control of

, owning respectively 42% and 58%, with equal voting rights. *September 1: The

merges into parent

. ;1999 *June 1: Most

lines are sold to two new subsidiaries, New York Central Lines LLC and Pennsylvania Lines LLC, which are leased to

and the

respectively. In three Shared Assets Areas, Conrail retains ownership, and operates as a contract carrier on behalf of CSX and NS. ;2000 ;2001 *January 1: The St. Lawrence and Hudson Railway merges into parent

, from which it was split in 1996, making the

again a direct CP subsidiary. *April 23: The Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad (not Class I) begins operating the old

Erie Railroad The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Northeastern United States, originally connecting Pavonia Terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey, with Lake Erie at Dunkirk, New York. The railroad expanded west to Chicago following its 1865 ...

main line between

Hornell, New York Hornell is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in Steuben County, New York, Steuben County, New York, United States. The population was 8,259 at the 2020 census. The city is named after the Hornell family, early settlers. The City ...

and

Corry, Pennsylvania Corry is a city in northwestern Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 6,217 at the 2020 United States Census, it is the second largest city in Erie County. Corry is a part of the Erie, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city be ...

, sold by the

. In January 2002 it extends operations on the ex-Erie from Corry to Meadville, on which Oil Creek and Titusville Lines, Inc. had replaced

in 1995. *October 1: The

is merged into the

, its parent since 1997. *October 9: The

acquires control of

(not Class I) and subsidiaries, including Fox Valley and Western Ltd., successor to the

. ;2002 *July 31:

subsidiary Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroad (not Class I) begins operations after buying the

's property. *December 3: The Western Railway of Alabama merges into parent

. ;2003 *January 9: The

Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway The Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway was a Class II freight railroad that operated in the U.S. states of Maine and Vermont and the Canadian province of Quebec between 2002 and 2014. It was headquartered in Hermon, Maine. Its Canadian subs ...

begins operating the former

(no longer Class I) and affiliates

(ex-

west of Brownville Junction), Quebec Southern Railway, and

( Newport and Richford Railroad) north of Newport. South of Newport, the Washington County Railroad takes over. ;2004 *January 1: The

(not Class I) leases the Pittsburg and Shawmut Railroad (no longer Class I). *May: The

takes control of the

and

, both former Class I railroads. *August: The

Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad The Chicago, Ft. Wayne & Eastern Railroad is a short line railroad offering service from Tolleston, Indiana to Crestline, Ohio, United States over the former Fort Wayne Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Operations commenced in 2004 as a divi ...

leases from

the old

Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway The Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway was a major part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system, extending the PRR west from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, via Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Chicago, Illinois. It included the current Norfolk Southern-ow ...

( Pennsylvania Company lessor) main line west of

Crestline, Ohio Crestline is a village in Crawford County, Ohio, Crawford and Richland County, Ohio, Richland Counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. Crestline's population was 4,525 at the United States Census 2020, 2020 census. It is the third largest municipality ...

. *August 27:

subsidiaries New York Central Lines LLC and Pennsylvania Lines LLC are merged into their lessees (and parents of Conrail),

and the

respectively. ;2005 *January 1: The

takes control of the

(no longer Class I). *January 24: The

is renamed BNSF Railway. *March 25: The Appalachian and Ohio Railroad (not Class I) leases ex-

trackage from

, including a portion of the old Coal and Coke Railway. *September 25: The

leases the remaining pieces of the original Louisiana and Arkansas Railway (i.e. not the Louisiana Railway and Navigation Company) to the Louisiana Southern Railroad. *December: The

takes control of Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana and renames it

Kansas City Southern de México Kansas City Southern de México, S.A. de C.V. is a Mexican railroad and operating subsidiary of Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (CPKC). The company was founded in 1996 as Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana , a joint venture between KCS a ...

. ;2006 *May 27: The

(not Class I) takes over the remaining portion of the old Chicago, Terre Haute and Southeastern Railway (ex- Southern Indiana Railway) still owned by

subsidiary

, between

and

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district. Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...

. ;2007 *June: The Carolina Coastal Railway (not Class I) leases the former

between

Raleigh Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

and

Plymouth, North Carolina Plymouth is the most populous town in Washington County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,320 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Washington County. Plymouth is located on the Roanoke River ...

from the current

. ;2008 *March: The

(not Class I) buys the former Arizona and New Mexico Railway from successor

. *October 30: The

takes control of the

and subsidiary Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroad, the latter consisting of trackage spun off by the CP in 1997. ;2009 *February 1: The

takes control of the

(no longer Class I). *March 8: The

Grand Elk Railroad The Grand Elk Railroad is a Class III railroad which operates in the states of Indiana and Michigan. It is one of 40+ short-line railroads owned by Watco. The company leases a line from the Norfolk Southern running south from Grand Rapids, Mich ...

(not Class I) leases the old

between

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

and

Kalamazoo Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...

from the

. 2021 *March 21: The

announces intentions to purchase Kansas City Southern for US$29 billion. This was followed by a counter-offer from the

for US$33.7 billion, which the Surface Transportation Board (STB) blocked in August of that year due to concerns about competition, owing to Canadian National's ownership of the

Illinois Central The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the Central United States. Its primary routes connected Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, and thus, the Great Lak ...

References

Interstate Commerce Commission The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was a regulatory agency in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads (and later Trucking industry in the United States, truc ...

, Annual Report on the Statistics of Railways in the United States, 1910- *Edward A. Lewis, American Shortline Railway Guide, 5th Edition,

Kalmbach Publishing Kalmbach Media (formerly Kalmbach Publishing Co.) was an American publisher of books and magazines, many of them railroad-related, located in Waukesha, Wisconsin. History The company's first publication was ''The Model Railroader'', which be ...

, 1996 *

Moody's Transportation Manual Moody's Ratings, previously and still legally known as Moody's Investors Service and often referred to as Moody's, is the bond credit rating business of Moody's Corporation, representing the company's traditional line of business and its histori ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Timeline of Class I railroads (1977-present) Timeline 1977

Class I railroads Railroad classes are the system by which freight railroads are designated in the United States. Railroads are assigned to Class I, II or III according to annual revenue criteria originally set by the Surface Transportation Board in 1992. With a ...