Railroad Mergers 1950-2000: A Summary
- Amtrak.
- Took over passenger service from all but a few U.S. railroads on May 1, 1971. Southern, Denver & Rio Grande Western and Chicago, Rock Island
& Pacific chose to remain outside of Amtrak and continued running passenger trains at their own expense for several years before discontinuing service.
- Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe.
- Purchased by Burlington Northern on December 31, 1996 to form Burlington Northern Santa Fe. Name was later officially changed to "BNSF."
- Baltimore & Ohio.
- Although controlled by the Chesapeake & Ohio since 1963, and made part of the Chessie System in 1973, the B&O was operated independently
until April 30, 1987 when it was assimilated by CSX Corporation.
- Big Four.
- Officially the Cleveland, Chicago, Cincinnati & St. Louis, this road became part of the New York Central system in 1906 but was operated independently until
1930. Was still known as the "Big Four" in many online communities for many years after.
- Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh.
- Became part of the Baltimore & Ohio in 1913. The section from Rochester to Asford Junction was acquired by Genessee & Wyoming in 1986;
in 1988 the Buffalo to Pittsburgh portion was added and the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh name restored.
- Burlington Northern.
- Created on March 2, 1970 by the merger of Northern Pacific, Great Northern and Spokane, Portland & Seattle.
Purchased the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on December 31, 1996, creating Burlington Northern & Santa Fe (later changed to "BNSF").
- Burlington Northern Santa Fe.
- Created when Burlington Northern purchased the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on December 31, 1996. The name was later officially
changed to "BNSF."
- Chesapeake & Ohio.
- Assimilated by CSX Corporation in 1987.
- Chicago & Eastern Illinois.
- Acquired by the Missouri Pacific in May 1967; one of the ICC conditions was sale of its Woodland Junction (near Dansville, Illinois) to
Evansville line to the Louisville & Nashville; the portion from Woodland Junction to Chicago was jointly owned by the MP and L&N.
- Chicago & North Western.
- Acquired by Union Pacific in April 1995.
- Chicago Great Western.
- Absorbed into the Chicago & North Western July 1, 1968; most lines eventually abandoned.
- Chicago, Burlington & Quincy.
- Merged with Northern Pacific, Great Northern and Spokane, Portland & Seattle on March 2, 1970 to form Burlington Northern.
- Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific (Milwaukee Road).
- Abandoned its Pacific Extension west of Miles City, Montana in 1980; was merged into Soo Line on January 1, 1986.
- Conrail.
- Began operations on April 1, 1976 by absorbing the rail properties of the bankrupt Penn Central, Ann Arbor, Erie Lackawanna, Lehigh Valley, Lehigh & Hudson River, Jersey Central and Reading railroads. Later split between Norfolk Southern (the newer one) and CSX, with some portions shared by both companies as Conrail Shared Assets Operations.
- Delaware & Hudson.
- Absorbed by Canadian Pacific in 1991. The Schenectady, New York to Sunbury, Pennsylvania portion was sold to Norfolk Southern (the second)
in 2015.
- Delaware, Lackawanna & Western.
- Merged with Erie in 1960 to form Erie Lackawanna. Absorbed into Conrail in 1976 and much remaining trackage was sold or abandoned.
- Denver & Rio Grande Western.
- Acquired the Denver & Salt Lake (Moffat Road) in 1947. Purchased Southern Pacific in 1988; retained the Southern Pacific
name for the merged corporation. Merged into Union Pacific September 11, 1997.
- Elgin, Joliet & Eastern.
- Absorbed by Canadian National on February 1, 2009.
- Erie.
- Merged with Delaware, Lackawanna & Western in 1960 to form Erie Lackawanna. Absorbed into Conrail in 1976 and much trackage was sold or abandoned.
- Great Northern.
- Merged with Northern Pacific and Spokane, Portland & Seattle on March 2, 1970 to form Burlington Northern.
- Gulf, Mobile & Ohio.
- Merged with the Illinois Central on August 10, 1972 to form the Illinois Central Gulf. Most former GM&O lines had been abandoned
or sold by 1988 when the railroad reverted to the Illinois Central name.
- Illinois Central.
- Merged with the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio on August 10, 1972 to form the Illinois Central Gulf. After major disinvestment in trackage, it
reverted to the Illinois Central name in 1988.
- Missouri-Kansas-Texas.
- Better known as the Katy, the MKT was merged into the Missouri Pacific in 1989, which itself was officially merged into the Union Pacific
in 1997. Much former MKT trackage has been abandoned or spun off to short lines.
- Missouri Pacific.
- Purchased by Union Pacific and merger approval received from the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1982, but for legal reasons having to do with
various bond issues the merger became official only in 1997. Absorbed the Missouri-Kansas-Texas in 1989.
- Monon.
- Officially the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville until 1956, when the name was formally changed to Monon Railroad. Merged into the Louisville & Nashville
on July 31, 1971.
- New Haven.
- Officially the New York, New Haven & Hartford, the New Haven was merged into the already existing Penn Central by order of the Interstate Commerce
Commission on December 31, 1968 and contributed significantly to the ensuing bankruptcy. Freight operations were taken over by Conrail on April 1, 1976, with
some lines sold to Providence & Worcester, Bay Colony and other railroads, with remaining freight operations now operated by CSX. Passenger components of the
former New Haven are today owned by Amtrak, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York), the state of Connecticut, and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation
Authority (Boston, New York).
- New York Central.
- Combined with the Pennsylvania in a disastrous merger on Feb. 1, 1968 to become the Penn Central, later joined by the
New York, New Haven & Hartford by ICC order on Dec. 31, 1968. Went bankrupt on June 21, 1970 and was finally absorbed into the government-owned Conrail system in 1976.
- Nickel Plate Road.
- Officially the New York, Chicago & St. Louis, it absorbed the Wheeling & Lake Erie on Dec. 1, 1949, and itself became part of the Norfolk &
Western (along with the Wabash) on October 16, 1964.
- Norfolk & Western.
- Absorbed the Nickel Plate Road and Wabash on October 16, 1964.
- Norfolk Southern (original).
- Merged into Southern Railway in 1974, which was itself merged with Norfolk & Western in 1982 to form the "new" Norfolk Southern.
- Northern Pacific.
- Merged with Great Northern and Spokane, Portland & Seattle on March 2, 1970 to form Burlington Northern. Most former NP Montana lines were conveyed
to Montana Rail Link on October 31, 1987.
- Penn Central.
- Formed on February 1, 1968 by the merger of the New York Central and Pennsylvania railroads, it later December 31, 1968 incorporated
the New York, New Haven & Hartford ("New Haven"). Following the rule of thumb that merging three near-bankrupt railroads will result in a bigger
near-bankrupt railroad, the Penn Central went spectacularly belly-up on June 21, 1970 in what at the time was the largest corporate bankruptcy in
U.S. history. Penn Central's railroad assets were taken over by Conrail on April 1, 1976, which itself was later divided up between CSX and Norfolk
Southern on August 22, 1998.
- Pennsylvania.
- Combined with the New York Central in a disastrous merger on Feb. 1, 1968 to become the Penn Central, later joined by the
New York, New Haven & Hartford by ICC order on Dec. 31, 1968. Went bankrupt on June 21, 1970 and was finally absorbed into the government-owned Conrail system in 1976.
- Pittsburgh & West Virginia.
- Leased to the Nickel Plate Road on December 1, 1949 and became part of Norfolk & Western on October 16, 1964. Spun off to "new"
Wheeling & Lake Erie on May 17, 1990.
- Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg.
- Officially merged into the New York Central in 1913, the RW&O was still locally known by that name (and its nickname
"the Hojack Line") for long afterward. On February 1, 1968 the New York Central was merged with the Pennsylvania to form the Penn Central, with all of the
ensuing well-known consequences. Today what remains is owned by CSX as well as several short lines.
- Rutland.
- Shut down on May 20, 1963 after years of financial difficulty. On January 4, 1964 the state of Vermont-owned Vermont
Railway resumed operations over parts of the line; in the same year the Green Mountain Railway was formed to operate other parts of the former Rutland and
Boston & Maine; this was later purchased by the Vermont Railway in 1997.
- Soo Line.
- Formed by merger of Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie, Wisconsin Central and Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic on January 1, 1961. Acquired the
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific (Milwaukee Road) on January 1, 1986, and sold former Wisconsin Central lines to a new Wisconsin Central in 1987. Absorbed into
the Canadian Pacific system in the early 2000s.
- Southern Pacific.
- Purchased by Denver & Rio Grande Western in 1988; retained the Southern Pacific name for the merged corporation. Merged into Union
Pacific September 11, 1997.
- Spokane, Portland & Seattle.
- Merged with Great Northern and Northern Pacific on March 2, 1970 to form Burlington Northern, which later (December 1, 1996)
became part of Burlington Northern Santa Fe.
- St. Louis-San Francisco.
- Also known as the "Frisco," the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway was absorbed into Burlington Northern on November 21, 1980,
which later (December 1, 1996) became part of Burlington Northern Santa Fe.
- Union Pacific.
- Never absorbed by anyone. Union Pacific bears the oldest continuing corporate name of any major railroad since its founding in 1865. It has, however,
devoured at one time or another Missouri Pacific, Missouri-Kansas-Texas, Western Pacific, Chicago & North Western, and Southern Pacific (including the Denver & Rio Grande Western).
- Vermont.
- Formed in late 1963, the state of Vermont-owned Vermont Railway began operations on January 4, 1964, and in 1997 purchased the Green
Mountain Railway as well.
- Wabash.
- Absorbed by Norfolk & Western on October 16, 1964.
- Western Maryland.
- Although previously controlled by the Baltimore & Ohio, which beginning in 1975 began having WM abandon many lines paralleling B&O lines,
the WM was not merged into the B&O until 1983.
- Western Pacific.
- Absorbed by Union Pacific on Jan. 1, 1983.
- Wheeling & Lake Erie.
- Not to be confused with the "new" Wheeling & Lake Erie formed in 1990, the original W&LE was leased to the Nickel Plate Road in 1949 and
became part of Norfolk & Western on October 16, 1964.
Last updated 6/14/2018. Text and photo ©2018 Lamont Downs.
