The Broad Way: PRR List of Divisions, 1900-1920
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PRR DIVISIONS, 1900-1920.03.01
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Notes

The data shown here was written up by Tom Vondruska and posted to PRR-Talk. I have organized it into a table similar to other divisional listings. Tom's source was: Keyser, Roger L. "Distribution of Class G4. . . Locomotives." Keystone, v. 20, no. 1, pg. 35, (Spring) 1987.

Hierarchical Divisional Structure

Pennsylvania Railroad
Philadelphia Division
Altoona Division
Cresson Division
Pittsburgh Division
Monongahela Division
Buffalo Division
Northwest System [PFtW&C and subsidiaries]
Cleveland & Pittsburgh Division
Eastern Division
Erie & Ashtabula Division
Marietta Division
Toledo Division
Western Division
Western & Chicago Terminal Division
Southwestern System [PCC&StL and subsidiaries]
Chicago Terminal Division
Cincinnati Division
Richmond Division
Indianapolis Division
Indianapolis Terminal Division
Logansport Division
Logansport and Chicago Terminal Division
Louisville Division
Pittsburgh Division

Notes

Note that the PRR (Lines East) and SWS (PCC&StL) each had a Pittsburgh Division.

Toledo Division

Main Line

According to a story in The Keystone, vol. 17, no. 1, (Spring) 1984, the Toledo Division in 1942 had a 135.5-mile mainline that ran from the interlocking Tower at Toledo Jct., in Richland Co., Ohio, between Crestline and Mansfield, on the Eastern Division (of the PFtW&C) Fort Wayne-Pittsburgh mainline to Detroit's Fort Street Union Station (PRR MP 0).

Ann Arbor Railroad trackage rights
In Toledo, the PRR used Ann Arbor RR tracks for its mainline from the Ann Arbor RR's Galena Tower, PRR MP 55.3 to AA's Alexis Tower on the Ohio/Michigan stateline, PRR MP 51.1.

Pere Marquette/C&O trackage rights
At Alexis, the PRR mainline left the AA for the Pere Marquette (C&O) which it followed to Carleton tower, (PRR MP 25.7) in Caleton, Mich. where PRR trains switched to tracks built by the PRR during the early 1920s between Carleton and Encorse Tower in Detroit (MP 5.2).

Wabash Ry and Detroit Union RR trackage rights
At Encorse, Pennsy trains switched onto the Wabash Ry. for 0.8 miles to Delray Tower (PRR MP 4.4) where it hit the Detroit Union Railroad for the 4.4-mile run to Detroit's Fort Street station.

Sandusky Branch

The Sandusky Branch ran from MP 107.5 measured from Sandusky north of Grogan Yard and the Columbus Division in Columbus. The branch crossed the Toledo Division Mainline at Carrothers, MP 34. The line ended in the PRR Sandusky Freight yard, a three mile-long classification yard handling mineral traffic using the PRR mineral loading facilities in the Port of Sandusky.

Toledo Division status today.

Sandusky branch operated by NS over its entire length. Toledo Division main has been abandoned between Toledo Junc. and Carrothers. [This was under PRR days, as this stretch served few customers, and the Sandusky Branch was easily used from the Fort Wayne main to the Toledo main. Trackage rights were maintained when the Sandusky Branch was sold to N&W, and even Conrail system maps showed these trackage rights into the late 1980s. -MDB]

Columbus Division

(from Keystone story in mid 1980s). There's no date on my copy.

Main Line

Columbus Division extended from MP 0 at Columbus Union Station west to to MP 83.3 at Bradford, Ohio and the Logansport Division and to MP 180.7 at Dunreith Tower and the Indianapolis Division in Indiana, 29 miles west of Richmond, Ind. The Columbus Division had two e-w mainlines between Columbus and New Paris, Ohio. The split occurred at High St. Tower, MP 0.2.

Freight line

The "freight line" or northern route avoided steep grades entering the Great Miami River Valley at Dayton. It ran Columbus-Plain City-Milford Ctr.-Urbana-Piqua-Bradford-Greenville-New Paris (ex-Columbus, Chicago & Indiana Central).

Passenger line

The "passenger line" or southern route ran west through London-South Charleston-Cedarville-Xenia. At Xenia, MP 55.0, it met the Cincinnati Division. From Xenia it continued west through Dayton-Trotwood-Dodson-West Manchester-New Paris. the line then ran another 67 miles, through Richmond to Dunreith.

Springfield Branch

There was the 21.0 mile Springfield Branch at Xenia ex-Little Miami RR) and the 15.7-mile Lytle Branch south out of Dayton (ex-Cincinnati, Lebanon & Northern Ry.)

Status today

In Ohio, the only portions still used by Conrail are on the southern route Columbus to the ex-NYC at London, Ohio, as its Columbus-Springfield main; and from Wayne Tower in Dayton east to Clement Tower and the former CL&N for local switching.

Columbus Division

(from Keystone story in mid 1980s). There's no date on my copy.

Main Line

Generally speaking, then, the Cincinnati Division ran from Xenia to the bumping blocks at Cincinnati Union Terminal. Its branch was the CL&N north through Lebanon to Lytle (Dodds to Lytle was abandoned in 1952). The Cincinnati-Richmond line hit the Xenia-Cincinnati main at Redcomb Tower. I'm unsure where the Cincinnati Division ended.

Panhandle Division

(from Keystone story in mid 1980s). There's no date on my copy.

If needed, I can get a description of the Panhandle Division, It's a lot more complicated. Be warned, describing it was one story and its branches were four stories in the Keystone. Note that the PRR's two narrow guage lines, the Ohio River & Wetern and the Waynesburg & Washington were branches of the Panhandle Division. The 142-mile Trinway-Morrow "Zanesville Branch" was part of this division as was the 70+ mile Cambridge-Marietta "Marietta Branch." the Wheeling branch. [The interested Panhandle historian is well advised to read the 4 articles in the Keystone. The Zanesville Branch is a most interesting operation, probably one of the longest continous stretches of Manual Block operation in the East. A separate dispatcher was located in Zanesville. -MDB]

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Data: Tom Vondruska
tvondruska@aol.com
Site and HTML: Mark D. Bej
bejm@eeg.ccf.org

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1997.01.16