Vandalia Railroad (1905–1917)
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Indiana Illinois |
| Dates of operation | 1905–1916 |
| Predecessor | St. Louis, Vandalia & Terre Haute Railroad, Terre Haute & Indianapolis Railroad, Terre Haute & Logansport Railway, Logansport & Toledo Railway, and Indiana & Vincennes Railroad. |
| Successor | Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
The Vandalia Railroad Company was incorporated January 1, 1905, by a merger of several lines in Indiana and Illinois that formed a 471-mile railroad consisting of lines mostly west of Indianapolis.
On January 1, 1917, the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway (the Panhandle) which the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) had acquired in 1868, was merged into the Vandalia Railroad to form the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad. This gave the PRR a direct route from New York City to St. Louis. In 1968, PRR merged with the New York Central (NYC) to become Penn Central (PC) and in 1976, becoming part of Conrail (CR). Much of the north–south line was abandoned with the Conrail formation but parts of the east–west line survive as part of CSX Transportation.