Wellington, Ohio Excursion

Lorain & West Virginia Railway // 

Built in 1906, the Lorain and West Virgina Railway (L&WV)  was originally constructed to connect a steel mill in Lorain with the rest of the Wheeling and Lake Erie system. Unlike other large railroads of the day, Wheeling & Lake Erie (W&LE) passenger service ended just prior to US involvement in World War II. In 1940, as passenger service ended on the line; financial blunders in a further consolidating industry forced W&LE to be leased by the Nickel Plate Road (New York, Chicago, & St. Louis Railroad). This region of rail was operated as the “Wheeling and Lake Erie District” of the Nickel Plate Road (NKP). In 1964, further consolidation of the railroad industry occurred when the NKP combined with the Norfolk & Western Railway (N&W). This would later sow the seeds for the merger of the Norfolk & Western Railway (N&W) and Southern Railway; creating most of what’s the modern-day Norfolk Southern system. 

However, by that time the Lorain & West Virginia line was abandoned. In April of 1977, Norfolk Western gave notice of intention to abandon the line. A couple years later, in 1979, the Lake Shore Railway Association (LSRA) was officially organized in order to save the line from being torn up. After years of diligence; 1991 marked the purchase of the southern 7.8 miles of the line. Operating since 1993 as an excursion line, LSRA have since purchase more of the original route and the southern six miles have rehabbed for operations. 

Despite only about a quarter of the line rehabbed so far; the Lorain & West Virginia Railway definitely has future ambitions. To prove this, the LSRA has signed an agreement with the Ohio Turnpike Commission, which provides the L&WV line a coexistance plan with the turnpike interchange and connecting the north and south portions of the route once again. I believe preserving and learning the history of lines like the L&WV, Nickel Plate Road, and W&LE can be instrumental in the implementation of future Ohio passenger rail plans. 

Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Former Oberlin Freight Depot, Wellington, OH. 2023  // 

Later part of the New York Central (NYC) system; the depot was scheduled for demolition. However, just as the Lake Shore Railway Association (LSRA) was buying up track rights. They also bought, dissassembled, and relocated Oberlin, OH’s old LS&MS freight depot in the late 90’s. It stands in Wellington, Ohio as the HQ for the LSRA.