CSX Trains
Wheeling & Lake Erie
Lorain Ashland & Southern
Maps of Area
Lorain & West Virginia
The Lorain & West Virginia Railway was built by the Wheeling & Lake Erie to connect the W&LE mainline to the steel mills in Lorain, Ohio. The line was built as a separate company and was completed in 1907. The entire line was 25.25 miles long and to this day is the only rail line in Ohio entirely in one county.
The L&WV ran successfully until a massive flood in 1969 washed out part of the line. Nickel Plate Road, then parent of W&LE did not see the line as profitable enough to be rebuilt and ceased through operations. Service was maintained throughout the line by running trains from both endpoints.
This line ran parallel to the Lorain Ashland & Southern Railroad nearly the entire distance. This competitor was an independent entity that was never financially successful.
I have mapped out the entire length of the L&WV using Microsoft Live Search. Points have been plotted along the line using a 1954 booklet published by Nickel Plate Road containing physical information of the line. Information has also been gathered from many knowledgable individuals online. This map is available online at http://local.live.com/?v=2&cid=F3EA6A8D4683D754!136&encType=1.
I am in the process of building additional pages of this site to add extra information that could not easily be added to the map.
Today, the line is owned by Lake Shore Railway Association. LSRA had hoped to rebuild the line and operate passenger excursions and limited freight service. Several million dollars have been invested in the project, but hopes were destroyed when the Ohio Turnpike Commission ripped out part of the line and used the right-of-way to build a highway interchange.