Nickel Plate Road

Nickel Plate Road was the popular name of the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, commonly abbreviated NYC&St.L and identified by the reporting mark NKP. It was a major Midwestern railroad whose core route connected Buffalo, New York, with Chicago, Illinois, across northern Ohio and Indiana. Through later acquisitions and operating arrangements, the system also reached important centers including Cleveland, Toledo, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Sandusky and Peoria. Its network extended through parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri. The railroad was created in 1881 during an intense struggle for control of east-west transportation across the Great Lakes region. The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, associated with William H. Vanderbilt, dominated the principal route between Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit and Chicago. The Seney Syndicate, led by banker George I. Seney, organized a competing company and acquired the Buffalo, Cleveland and Chicago Railway. Construction proceeded rapidly, and the 513-mile Buffalo–Chicago main line opened to through traffic on October 16, 1882. A newspaper description of the planned line as a “double-track, nickel-plated railroad” supplied the nickname that became more familiar than the corporate title. The new railroad initially threatened established carriers, but financial pressure and strategic maneuvering soon changed its ownership. In October 1882, the Seney Syndicate sold the line to Vanderbilt, who placed it under the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway. Under this arrangement the Nickel Plate was kept solvent but was not developed as an aggressive competitor to Vanderbilt’s main system. Its relatively light traffic could nevertheless be handled at speed, and the railroad became known for fast meat and fruit trains. A significant transformation occurred after the Van Sweringen brothers of Cleveland acquired control in 1916. Their interest was connected to Cleveland’s urban and transportation development, including plans for a downtown terminal and associated rail connections. Under John J. Bernet and other managers, the railroad was modernized, expanded and operated more efficiently. Acquisitions of the Lake Erie and Western Railroad and the Toledo, St. Louis and Western Railroad, known as the Clover Leaf Route, broadened the system and gave it access to Sandusky, Peoria, St. Louis and Toledo. Bernet’s administration is associated with increased freight tonnage, faster operations and lower fuel consumption. The railroad played an important role in wartime transportation during the Second World War. It expanded its fleet of Berkshire 2-8-4 locomotives and continued to handle heavy freight volumes. After the war, the company introduced diesel-electric locomotives, including ALCO PA passenger units known as the Bluebirds, and eventually completed dieselization. The final Nickel Plate steam locomotive was retired in 1960. At the end of 1960, the system operated approximately 2,170 route miles and 4,009 miles of track, excluding the separately noted Lorain & West Virginia. It reported 9.758 billion net ton-miles of revenue freight and 41 million passenger-miles for that year. In 1964, Nickel Plate Road was merged with Norfolk and Western Railway as part of N&W’s effort to build a larger and more competitive railroad system. The Nickel Plate corporate identity subsequently disappeared, although portions of its routes, facilities, locomotives and operating traditions continued within successor railroads. Norfolk and Western later joined Southern Railway in 1982 to create Norfolk Southern.

Nickel Plate Road emerged from the late nineteenth-century expansion of American railways, when new lines reshaped industrial distribution and connected eastern manufacturers with the agricultural and commercial interior. In the Great Lakes region, William H. Vanderbilt’s Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway controlled the principal Buffalo–Cleveland–Chicago corridor. Jay Gould’s Wabash system also sought stronger access to eastern markets. This rivalry created an opportunity for the Seney Syndicate, a group led by banker George I. Seney and associated with the Lake Erie and Western Railroad. On February 3, 1881, the syndicate organized the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railway Company. Its proposed system included a Cleveland–Chicago line and a branch toward St. Louis. In April it acquired the Buffalo, Cleveland and Chicago Railway, which had surveyed a route parallel to the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern. Construction began on the Buffalo–Chicago route, and the line was completed with unusual speed. The first through trains operated on October 16, 1882. A newspaper’s description of the project as a “nickel-plated” railroad became the source of the enduring public name. The railroad’s independence was short-lived. Vanderbilt attempted to undermine confidence in the project, but the line was completed and attracted attention. The Seney Syndicate eventually sold it to Vanderbilt for $7.2 million in October 1882. Vanderbilt placed it under the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern. Rather than use the road as a fully aggressive rival, his organization kept it operating at a modest level while protecting the position of its principal railroad. The Nickel Plate developed a reputation for quick freight movement, particularly meat and fruit trains, because its lower traffic density allowed relatively high speeds. By the early twentieth century, the railroad remained viable but comparatively overshadowed. Its ownership changed in 1916 after federal antitrust concerns were raised about New York Central control of both the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern and Nickel Plate. Cleveland developers Oris Paxton Van Sweringen and Mantis James Van Sweringen acquired control. Their interest also reflected Cleveland’s plans for rail and rapid-transit improvements, since Nickel Plate’s east-west route crossed the city and offered valuable access to proposed terminal arrangements. Professional management under John J. Bernet gave the company a more ambitious operating direction. Nickel Plate purchased the Lake Erie and Western Railroad in 1922 and the Toledo, St. Louis and Western Railroad later that year. The latter was widely known as the Clover Leaf Route. These transactions expanded Nickel Plate’s geographic reach and strengthened its connections with Toledo, Sandusky, Peoria and St. Louis. Bernet’s administration increased freight tonnage and average speeds while reducing fuel consumption. He returned to the presidency in 1933 and ordered the first group of Berkshire locomotives in 1934, establishing a locomotive type strongly associated with the railroad. Chesapeake and Ohio Railway gained control in 1937. Nickel Plate continued to operate through the Second World War, when American railroads were essential to military and industrial mobilization. The company acquired additional Berkshires and handled substantial freight traffic. Chesapeake and Ohio sold its remaining shares in 1947. In the postwar period, Nickel Plate introduced diesel-electric power, including ALCO PA locomotives given the Bluebird name, while steam power continued for several years. The railroad received the final Berkshire built by Lima Locomotive Works in 1949 and retired its last steam locomotive in 1960. At the end of 1960, Nickel Plate operated about 2,170 route miles and 4,009 track miles, excluding the 25-mile Lorain & West Virginia. Its reported freight activity reached 9.758 billion net ton-miles, while passenger activity totaled 41 million passenger-miles. These figures reflected a system whose principal economic role was freight interchange and long-distance movement across the central United States, even though it retained passenger operations. In 1964, Nickel Plate Road was merged into Norfolk and Western Railway along with several other Midwestern carriers. The combination was intended to create a larger, more competitive system serving 14 states and the Canadian province of Ontario. The Nickel Plate name ceased to represent an independent railroad, but its routes and equipment became part of the operating and historical inheritance of Norfolk and Western and, after the 1982 combination of Norfolk and Western with Southern Railway, Norfolk Southern.

1. 1964Merged into Norfolk and Western

   Nickel Plate Road became part of the expanded Norfolk and Western Railway.

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2. 1960Dieselization completed

   The final steam locomotive was retired from service.

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3. 1947Chesapeake and Ohio divests

   Chesapeake and Ohio ended its control by selling its remaining shares.

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4. 1937Chesapeake and Ohio gains control

   Chesapeake and Ohio Railway acquired control of the railroad.

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5. 1934Berkshire locomotive program begins

   John J. Bernet ordered fifteen 2-8-4 Berkshire locomotives, later an emblematic part of Nickel Plate operations.

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6. 1922Major network expansion

   Acquisitions of the Lake Erie and Western and Toledo, St. Louis and Western railroads expanded the system toward St. Louis and Peoria.

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7. 1916Van Sweringen control begins

   The Van Sweringen brothers acquired control amid federal antitrust concerns over New York Central-related ownership.

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8. 1882Buffalo–Chicago line completed

   Through trains began operating over the 513-mile main line on October 16.

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9. 1881Company organized

   The Seney Syndicate organized the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railway Company to challenge established Great Lakes rail routes.

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10. 1881Buffalo, Cleveland and Chicago Railway acquired

    The newly organized company acquired a surveyed railway route between Buffalo and Cleveland and proceeded toward Chicago.

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A Midwestern trunk railroad positioned around efficient long-distance freight movement, strategic east-west connections and competitive access to Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and St. Louis markets.

• Freight rail transportationRail transportation1882

  Freight movement was Nickel Plate Road’s central business. Its network linked Great Lakes ports and industrial cities with Midwestern and eastern connections, carrying commodities over a system that emphasized speed and interchange. The railroad became particularly associated with fast meat and fruit trains and later handled large wartime freight volumes.

• Passenger rail transportationRail transportation1882

  Nickel Plate Road operated passenger services alongside its freight business. Passenger activity was smaller than freight activity, but the company maintained passenger operations into the postwar period and used ALCO PA diesel-electric locomotives known as Bluebirds after 1947.

• Berkshire 2-8-4 locomotivesRailway locomotives1934

  The 2-8-4 Berkshire locomotives became closely identified with Nickel Plate Road. The railroad ordered its first fifteen in 1934 and added more during the Second World War. The final Berkshire delivered to the company in 1949 was also the last steam locomotive built by Lima Locomotive Works.

• ALCO PA Bluebird locomotivesDiesel-electric locomotives1947

  Nickel Plate ordered eleven ALCO PA diesel-electric locomotives in 1947. Nicknamed Bluebirds, they were notable as the railroad’s first locomotives not painted black since the early twentieth century and formed part of its transition toward diesel operation.

• 1964Merge into Norfolk and Western RailwayM&A

  Norfolk and Western sought a larger Midwestern system capable of competing across a wider territory.

  What changed. Nickel Plate Road was consolidated into Norfolk and Western along with other carriers.

  Aftermath. The independent Nickel Plate corporate identity ended, while its routes and assets continued under successor ownership.

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• 1960Complete dieselizationGeneration change

  Postwar locomotive technology was replacing steam power across American railroads.

  What changed. Nickel Plate retired its last steam locomotive.

  Aftermath. The company operated as a fully dieselized railroad until its 1964 merger.

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• 1934Order Berkshire locomotivesGeneration change

  The railroad needed powerful locomotives for heavy freight operations.

  What changed. President John J. Bernet ordered fifteen 2-8-4 Berkshire locomotives.

  Aftermath. Berkshires became one of the most recognizable elements of Nickel Plate’s operating history.

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• 1922Expand through acquisitionsM&A

  Management sought to strengthen the railroad’s geographic reach and connections beyond the original Buffalo–Chicago corridor.

  What changed. Nickel Plate acquired the Lake Erie and Western Railroad and the Toledo, St. Louis and Western Railroad.

  Aftermath. The system gained access toward Sandusky, Peoria, Toledo and St. Louis.

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• 1881Build a competing Buffalo–Chicago routeStrategy

  The Seney Syndicate sought to challenge the dominant Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway in the Great Lakes corridor.

  What changed. It prioritized construction between Buffalo and Chicago instead of initially building the proposed St. Louis branch.

  Aftermath. The resulting main line opened in 1882 and established the railroad’s core identity and route.

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• 1964Nickel Plate Road merges into Norfolk and Western

  Nickel Plate Road and other Midwestern carriers were consolidated into Norfolk and Western Railway.

  M&A
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• 1960Final steam locomotive is retired

  Nickel Plate Road completed its transition from steam to diesel operation.

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• 1947Chesapeake and Ohio ends control

  Chesapeake and Ohio sold its remaining Nickel Plate shares after the Second World War.

  M&A
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• 1937Chesapeake and Ohio gains control

  The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway obtained control of Nickel Plate Road.

  M&A
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• 1922Lake Erie and Western Railroad acquired

  Nickel Plate Road purchased the Lake Erie and Western Railroad, extending its reach toward Sandusky and Peoria.

  M&A
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• 1922Clover Leaf Route acquired

  The purchase of the Toledo, St. Louis and Western Railroad expanded Nickel Plate access to Toledo and the St. Louis area.

  M&A
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• 1916Van Sweringen interests acquire control

  The Van Sweringen brothers acquired control of Nickel Plate Road following antitrust concerns involving New York Central control of related railroads.

  M&ARegulation
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• 1882Buffalo–Chicago main line opens

  The railroad began through operations over its 513-mile main line between Buffalo and Chicago.

  Product launch
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• 1882Nickel Plate Road is sold to Vanderbilt interests

  The Seney Syndicate sold the railroad to Vanderbilt, who transferred it to the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway.

  M&A
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• 1881New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railway is organized

  The Seney Syndicate organized the company that became known as Nickel Plate Road and pursued a competing Buffalo–Chicago route.

  Other
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1. Nickel Plate Road