- Lorain, Ashland and Southern Railroad
The Lorain, Ashland, and Southern Railroad operated from 1914-1925 between
Lorain, Ohio andCustaloga, Ohio . It was a consolidation of theAshland and Western Railway and theLorain and Ashland Railroad . The line was purchased in 1916 by thePennsylvania Railroad and theErie Railroad as a means to access theNational Tube Company steel mill inSouth Lorain, Ohio .The original rail line, known as the
Millersburg, Jeromeville, and Greenwich Railroad , was constructed in 1894-1895 betweenBrown's Junction, Ohio andJeromeville, Ohio byHorace B. Camp , a brick manufacturer fromAkron, Ohio . He built a brick and tile plant near Horace and used the railroad to ship his finished products to customers throughout Ohio andNew York .In 1898-1899 the
Ashland and Wooster Railway Company extended the line toAshland, Ohio , where it built a large freight and passenger depot and served many large industries in that city.Horace Camp sold the railroad to
Charles W. French in 1903 and the name of the company changed to theLake and River Railroad , a subsidiary of theChicago Short Line Railway . After several years of financial difficulties, the line went into receivership and was eventually purchased byZebulon W. Davis ofCanton, Ohio .In 1907 the Ashland and Western Railway was sold to former
Wabash Railroad president,Joseph Ramsey Jr . Ramsey had constructed the Lorain and Ashland Railroad betweenWellington, Ohio and Lorain, Ohio.This line fell into disrepair and it was not until 1913 that the entire system was refurbished and a connector between Ashland and Wellington was completed in 1914.Because of railroad consolidations, poor condition of the rail line, competition from the
Lorain and West Virginia Railroad , and corporate manipulations, the Lorain, Ashland, and Southern Railroad was abandoned in August 1925.References
*cite book |author=Snyder, William P. |title=The Rattlesnake And The Ramsey: The History Of The Lorain, Ashland And Southern Railroad |publisher=Custaloga Press |location= |year=2004 |pages= |isbn=0-9740850-0-6
*Thompsom, John A. [http://ohiorr.railfan.net/lase.html "The Lorain, Ashland, & Southern"] ,December 17 ,1997 . AccessedJune 3 ,2008 External links
* [http://ohiorr.railfan.net/las.html Photos of the Lorain, Ashland, and Southern Railroad]
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