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The Toledo and State Line Railroad

The Toledo and State Line Railroad

The following information was taken from the Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and History Society web site http://www.prrths.com/PRR_Default.html – PRR Chronology by Chris Baer.

Toledo & State Line Railroad, build as extension of the Toledo & Woodville Railroad, was chartered in 1870, from Elm Street to connect with the Detroit, Toledo and Canada Southern and the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad, at Alexis, Ohio.

June 8, 1870

Columbus, Tiffin & Toledo Railroad renamed Baltimore & Ohio, Toledo & Michigan Railroad; route changed to run from Lexington, Ohio, through Crestline and Toledo to Michigan state line. (Church)

Aug. 1870

Attempts made to consolidate Baltimore & Ohio, Toledo & Michigan Railroad with Toledo, Ann Arbor & Northern Railroad; plan not carried out. (Church)

May 4, 1871

Baltimore & Ohio, Toledo & Michigan Railroad and Mansfield, Coldwater & Lake Michigan Railway agree with Toledo & Woodville Railroad to build Mansfield to Woodville and also from the northern boundary line of Toledo to meet the Toledo & Ann Arbor Railroad at the Michigan state line; Toledo-Woodville, including bridge over Maumee River to be built for $425,000 in city bonds. (Church)

May 10, 1871

Mansfield, Coldwater & Lake Michigan Railway contracts grading to Swan, Rose & Co.; to receive $4,500 cash and $2,000 in stock per mile; includes obligations of Baltimore & Ohio, Toledo & Michigan Railroad under contract of May 4 and building of Toledo & Woodville Railroad. (Church)

May 11, 1872

Trustees of Toledo & Woodville Railroad approve transfer of construction contract to Pennsylvania Company and changing location of Maumee River Bridge to any point between Locust Street and northeast city line. (Church)

June 3, 1872

City of Toledo passes ordinance granting use of Water Street for two miles from Maumee River to Toledo & Woodville Railroad; not used. (Church)

June 10, 1872

Pennsylvania Company agrees with Toledo, Tiffin & Eastern Railroad and Mansfield, Coldwater & Lake Michigan Railroad to build line from Woodville to Michigan state line under charter of Toledo & State Line Railroad; as Pennsylvania Company is dissatisfied with location of location of line near Toledo and Maumee River Bridge, agrees to build from tangent of curve of Dayton & Michigan Railroad through Toledo for remaining $218,000 in Toledo city bonds. (Church)

June 20, 1872

Toledo & State Line Railroad incorporated in Ohio to provide charter for railroad between Woodville and Michigan state line in interest of PRR. (Church)

Articles of Association were filed 6/30/1872 as an Ohio Corporation, 5.65 miles of line from Toledo, Ohio to Michigan State line.

Aug. 5, 1872

The State Line Railroad in operation.

Sept. 25, 1872

Pennsylvania Company Board approves construction contracts for Toledo & Woodville Railroad between Brown Road and Cherry Street bridge and between Toledo and Michigan state line; approves advance to Peninsular Railway in return for $375,000 First Mortgage bonds and guarantee by Pres. L.D. Dibble that they will finish road to Valparaiso. (MB)

Feb. 20, 1873

Pennsylvania Company Board hears proposed settlement with Swan, Rose & Co., contractors for Mansfield, Coldwater & Lake Michigan Railroad; authorizes constructing 50 miles of MC&LM west of Tiffin, which may be on west end; authorizes securing options on Toledo dock properties; approves lease of Gilman, Clinton & Springfield Railroad by which GC&S stock owned by Morgan Improvement Company is to be transferred to PCo. in return for paying coupons due Mar. 1 and floating debt; will establish through line between Effner and Gilman; authorizes notifying Toledo & Ann Arbor Railroad that it has too many projects but will build from Toledo to Michigan state line and grant them use of Toledo depot. (MB)

Mar. 18, 1873

Toledo & Woodville Railroad leased by City of Toledo to Toledo, Tiffin & Eastern Railroad and Mansfield, Coldwater & Lake Michigan Railroad. (Church)

April 12, 1873

Pennsylvania Company notes offer of Toledo businessmen to arrange for city to sell Toledo & Woodville Railroad to PCo. if it agrees to provide iron for Toledo & Ann Arbor Railroad; Board orders General ManagerMcCullough to develop trade in Missouri iron ore to Wheeling and Pittsburgh via Vandalia Line. (MB)

  May 1, 1873

Mansfield, Coldwater & Lake Michigan Railroad opens for regular service between Toledo Jct. and Tiffin, Ohio; also Toledo, Tiffin & Eastern between Tiffin and Woodville and Toledo & Woodville between Woodville and Toledo; all controlled by Pennsylvania Company and forming a complete line from Toledo Jct. on PFW&C to Toledo; operated by Pennsylvania Company under lease dated Mar. 18, 1873; Mansfield, Coldwater & Lake Michigan Railroad is laid beyond Tiffin to Weston but not opened. (Church, C&C, RRGaz)

Aug. 9, 1873

Union Bridge Company at Toledo incorporated in Ohio to build bridge over Maumee River connecting Toledo & Woodville Railroad with Toledo, Wabash & Western Railway just below the bridge of the LS&MS; jointly owned by Wabash and Pennsylvania Company. (Church, MB)

Nov. 10, 1873

Toledo, Tiffin & Eastern Railroad opens from the north end of the Toledo & Woodville Railroad to the crossing of the Toledo & Detroit Railroad near the Michigan state line; built under charter of Toledo & State Line Railroad; operated by Pennsylvania Company from this date under agreement signed Aug. 5, 1874. (Church)

Nov. 17, 1873

Canada Southern Railway proposes to lease 5.5 miles of PRR between Toledo and Michigan state line. (MB)

Feb. 5, 1874

Pennsylvania Company, Toledo, Wabash & Western Railway, and Toledo, Canada Southern & Detroit Railway agree to jointly guarantee the bonds of the Union Bridge Company. (Church)

June 15, 1874

Pennsylvania Company Board reports have drawn up contract with Chicago, Canada Southern & Detroit Railroad for use of Toledo & State Line Railroad and depot and docks at Toledo; approves one-year contract with Rhodes & Co. for handling ore at Ashtabula, it to have half of dock facilities in return for 30 cents a ton; studies articles of association for Union Depot Company of Chicago presented by James F. Joy of Michigan Central; questions impact of Peninsular Railway bankruptcy on PCo's. rights to bonds. (MB)

July 24, 1874

Pennsylvania Company Board authorizes additional docks at Ashtabula; notes Chicago, Canada Southern & Detroit Railroad has refused to sign agreement for use of Toledo terminals; orders evicted unless signs by Sep. 1; notes agreement for Chicago Union Depot Association now signed by all parties; H. S. McComb appears to discuss new agreement re stock of New Orleans, Jackson & Great Northern Rail(way). (MB)

Aug. 5, 1874

Pennsylvania Company leases Toledo & State Line Railroad retroactive to Nov. 10, 1873; runs from PRR's later Summit Yard on waterfront to Alexis. (C&C, Church, MichRRs)

April 24, 1878

Pennsylvania agrees to sell entire stock of Toledo and State Line Railroad to John B. Alley to be merged with Toledo and Ann Arbor Railroad; Pennsylvania Company to be paid in &80,000 bonds of merged company; lease of Toledo and State Line to Pennsylvania Company cancelled.

May 1, 1878

State Line Railroad consolidated and operated by Pennsylvania Company until 5/28/1878.  The Toledo & Ann Arbor Railroad then took over operations of the 5.6 mile line.

From Ohio Railroad Commissioner - This road, originally included in the late Toledo, Tiffin and Eastern Railroad, was built under contract with the trustee of the Coity of Toledo, and for which that city issued its bondss to the amount of $425,000.  Toledo & State Line, 4.17 miles (Pennsylvania Company) valuation $20,850.00 in 1874.

Compiled by Henry F. Burger 12/15/2005, updated 1/26/2009