Aliquippa and Ohio River Railroad

The Aliquippa and Ohio River Railroad (reporting mark AOR) is a six-mile short line railroad in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, United States, controlled by Genesee & Wyoming Inc. through its ownership of the Ohio Central Railroad System. It lies between CSX Transportation's ex-Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad line and the Ohio River, extending south from CSX's yard in northern Aliquippa to near the Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge. Formerly known as the Aliquippa and Southern Railroad (reporting mark ALQS), its owner and primary customer was LTV Steel, which mostly closed its Aliquippa plant in 1985 and sold the line to the Ohio Central in 2002. The AOR now connects the Aliquippa Industrial Park, which occupies the LTV site, with CSX.

Aliquippa and Ohio River Railroad
Overview
HeadquartersCoshocton, Ohio
Reporting markAOR
LocaleWestern Pennsylvania
Dates of operation2002–
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length6 mi (9.7 km)
Other
Websitewww.gwrr.com/aliquippa and ohio river railroad

History

The Jones and Laughlin Steel Company (J&L) incorporated the Aliquippa and Southern Railroad in November 1906 to serve its new plant at Aliquippa, downriver from its Pittsburgh location.[1] The majority of the line was opened by the end of 1910,[2] and in 1921 the Interstate Commerce Commission declared it to be a common carrier. Although the vast majority of its service was to J&L, several other local businesses shipped over the line.[3]

LTV Steel acquired J&L in 1968, and in 1985 it shut down most of the Aliquippa plant.[4] The bankrupt LTV sold the railroad to the Ohio Central Railroad System in late 2002,[5] and the newly created Aliquippa and Ohio River Railroad began operations on November 15.[6] The rail access has since attracted businesses such as Wolfpac Technologies to the Aliquippa Industrial Park, developed by the Beaver County Corporation for Economic Development on the old steel mill property.[7] Major commodities shipped over the line include bricks, aggregates, and plastics.

The company was acquired by Genesee & Wyoming in 2008 as part of its purchase of the Ohio Central Railroad System.[8]

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References
  1. The New York Times, Will Build a New Town, July 27, 1907, p. 1
  2. Interstate Commerce Commission, 121 I.C.C. 536: Valuation Docket No. 815, Aliquippa and Southern Railroad Company (1927)
  3. Interstate Commerce Commission, 60 I.C.C. 325: No. 11134, Jones & Laughlin Steel Co. v. Director General (1921)
  4. John P. Hoerr, And the Wolf Finally Came, University of Pittsburgh Press, 1988, ISBN 0-8229-5398-6, p. 479
  5. Surface Transportation Board, Finance Docket No. 34260, October 30, 2002
  6. Railroad Retirement Board, Employer Status Determination: Aliquippa & Ohio River Railroad Company Archived 2009-01-17 at the Wayback Machine, February 14, 2003
  7. Michael Pound, Beaver County Times, State funding will help rebuild local sections of rail lines, March 28, 2008
  8. "Connecticut company buys Ohio Central Railroad". Business First of Columbus. August 4, 2008. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
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