CHRONOLOGY/HISTORY OF THE
FAIRPORT, PAINESVILLE & EASTERN
RAILROAD/RAILWAY
(A key to
sources is listed at the bottom of the page)
The FP&E was incorporated on July 18, 1910 for the purpose
of establishing a rail line between Fairport Harbor and Austinburg. [O1,5]
(Sources 1 and 6 state the date of incorporation as 7/16/1910, but
though the Articles of Incorporation were signed on that date, the filing date
of the documents with the State of Ohio was 7/18/1910.)
It was not owned by any other
corporation or entity. [1]
Though the FP&E and Diamond Alkali had some common
shareholders, and though the railroad was built in conjunction with and
primarily to serve the Diamond Alkali's newly-constructed Painesville plant,
the companies were independent of each other. [2,5]
The initial segment of the railroad, from the connection with
the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in Fairport Harbor to "Alkali" (the
FP&E's station name for the western side of the Diamond plant) was
constructed in 1910 and 1911.
[7]
The railroad began operations on
January 6, 1912. [1,2,7,8]
The rest of the original main line of
the railroad, from "Alkali" to the connection with the New York
Central Railroad at Painesville, was completed and put into operation in 1916. [7]
As of June 30, 1917 the FP&E main line was 4.853 miles long
(from the connection with the NYC to the connection with the B&O), and
there were 3.398 miles of yard tracks and sidings. [1]
Also as of that date, the FP&E
owned 2 steam locomotives, 14 freight cars, and 1 work car. In addition, the FP&E leased 1
locomotive from the Nickel Plate Road (New York, Chicago & St. Louis
Railroad). [1]
The FP&E built a dock facility along the Grand River in
Fairport Harbor; upon completion (just after 6/30/17), the dock was sold to
Diamond Alkali. [1]
As of June 27, 1919 the FP&E had 3 steam locomotives and
about 60 freight cars (mostly open-top hoppers for transporting limestone from
Diamond Alkali's dock to Diamond Alkali's plant). [2]
In 1926 the FP&E purchased an additional steam locomotive,
and constructed a roundhouse/car repair shop with a turntable, an office
building, and additional connecting and yard tracks. (Until this time, the FP&E had been renting space from
Diamond Alkali for housing and repairing their equipment and for doing their
paperwork; by 1925, Diamond Alkali's business had increased to the point that
they needed to use all of their facilities, and they notified the FP&E that
they needed to move out in the near future). [2,3]
Also in 1926 the FP&E purchased 100 70-ton open-top hoppers
from Diamond Alkali (Diamond Alkali was the original owner of these railcars,
having taken delivery of them in October 1922). [4]
As of 1927 the FP&E had direct connections with the NYC at
Painesville and the B&O at Fairport Harbor; there was interchange traffic
with the NKP, but it was handled via the B&O (from the B&O-NKP junction
in Painesville to the B&O-FP&E junction in Fairport Harbor). [5]
Also as of 1927 the FP&E had 7
steam locomotives and 263 freight cars.
[5]
In 1927 and 1928 the FP&E constructed an extension of their
main line from a point just before their interchange trackage with the NYC at Painesville
to a point just outside the limits of the village of Madison—a distance of
about 6 miles. The primary purpose of
this extension was to establish a direct connection with the NKP at Perry; the
secondary purpose was to take another step toward reaching Austinburg. The extension passed underneath the NYC line
slightly east of the FP&E-NYC interchange, then ran eastward parallel and
to the south of the NYC line all the way to Perry; at Perry the FP&E
crossed the NKP at grade, then continued east parallel and to the south of the
NKP line into Madison Township.
[5,7,8]
When the FP&E received approval to
build the extension to Madison from the Interstate Commerce Commission, it also
received approval to construct a spur from a point near the end of the
extension southward to a point on the northern bank of the Grand River—a
distance of approximately 2 miles. The
purpose of the spur was to access shale beds on the bank of the Grand River for
the Diamond Alkali's Standard Portland Cement Plant (which owned or controlled
the shale beds). The spur was never
built because "the attitude of officials of Ohio toward grade crossings
changed," and instead of being allowed to cross South Ridge Road at grade,
the FP&E was required to have their spur pass over the road—something which
was deemed by the railroad to be too expensive. [5,6]
During the construction of the
extension, the FP&E constructed a new interchange with the NYC at
Perry. When this new connection was
completed, nearly all interchange traffic with the NYC was shifted from
Painesville to Perry; by 1933 only empty cars were interchanged at the
FP&E-NYC Painesville connection.
[7]
As of 1930 the FP&E had 6 steam locomotives and 250 open-top
freight cars. [6]
In 1930 and 1931 the FP&E constructed an extension of their
main line from its current eastern terminus in Madison Township to Harpersfield
Township in Ashtabula County for the purpose of accessing shale beds for the
Diamond Alkali's Standard Portland Cement Plant (which owned or controlled the
shale beds). This extension saw traffic
for only 3 months—from 11/10/1931 to 2/6/1932—during which time only 310 loads
of shale were transported over the line from the shale beds to the cement
plant; no further operations occurred on the line after 2/6/1932. [6,7]
At the time of the Harpersfield
extension, the FP&E also requested permission to further extend their line
from Harpersfield Township to Austinburg to interchange with the Pennsylvania
Railroad (as was the original design/intention when the FP&E was created in
1910); the PRR and Diamond Alkali supported the request, while the NKP and the
NYC opposed it (both feared the PRR would siphon a large portion of interchange
traffic away from them). The ICC denied
the request, citing any gains in transport time claimed by proponents would be
minimal and would not justify the cost of constructing the extension (about
$1,000,000.00). [6]
In 1932 the FP&E again requested an extension of their main
line from Harpersfield Township to Austinburg; the PRR and Diamond Alkali again
supported the request, while the NKP again opposed it. In 1933, the ICC once again denied the
request—for the same reason as earlier, but adding that the case put forth by
the extension's proponents was even less compelling than in 1930. [7]
In 1937 the FP&E changed the designation of its main line in
the Diamond Alkali area through a 'property swap' with that company; this
corresponded with a realignment of Fairport-Nursery Road, which was pushed
further south on the eastern portion of the Diamond's facility. The FP&E main line was changed from a
track that travelled through the plant (roughly southwest-to-northeast) to a
track that was recently built along the southern border of the plant complex
(parallel and to the north of the relocated Fairport-Nursery Road); the
property making up the former main line right-of-way was transferred from the
FP&E to Diamond Alkali, and the property making up the new main line
right-of-way was transferred from Diamond Alkali to the FP&E. [V:"FPOE RR.pdf",V:"fpe
rr3.pdf",T:12A-059OLD2,T:12A-051OLD2]
In 1937 and 1938 the FP&E built a branch to serve the new
Industrial Rayon Corporation.
[T:11B-043,CP1,CP2]
On November 6, 1942 a dispute between the UMW (United Mine
Workers) and the BREF (Brotherhood of Railroad Engineers and Fireman) over
which union should represent FP&E employees resulted in a work stoppage
that shut down the railroad. Since the
FP&E served 13 'defense plants,' the federal government stepped in and sent
US Army troops that night to operate the railroad until the two unions were
forced to come to an agreement by the War Labor Board a few days later. [I]
Sometime either during or just after the end of World War II,
the track from Perry to Harpersfield Township was removed. [DR,HH]
As of 1966 the FP&E had a main line 8.52 miles long (from
the connection with the B&O at Fairport Harbor to the connections with the
NYC and the Norfolk & Western Railway at Perry), had 1.85 miles of branch
lines, and had 9.64 miles of yard tracks and sidings, for a grand total of
20.01 miles of track. [8]
Also as of 1966, the FP&E had 5
diesel locomotives, 94 open-top hoppers, and 1 caboose. [8]
(For more about the FP&E's diesel locomotives, see my FP&E Diesel Roster page.)
In November and December 1965 the N&W and a majority of
FP&E's shareholders negotiated a deal that would allow the N&W to
purchase the FP&E. The FP&E
would not be merged into the N&W, but would become a wholly-owned subsidiary
of that railroad. [8,TW1]
In January 1966 the N&W requested
permission from the ICC for the deal to be allowed; at the same time, in
anticipation of being granted permission, they set up a subsidiary company—the
"FP&E Company"—to be ready to buy out the FP&E Railroad. (After the transactions were completed, the
N&W planned on changing the name of its subsidiary from "FP&E
Company" back to "Fairport, Painesville and Eastern Railroad
Company" or something similar.) In
March 1966, the NYC filed a petition with the ICC to be included in the
transaction, complaining that the N&W's sole control of the FP&E would
mean that its interchange traffic with the FP&E would be diverted to
N&W, and that only joint control would keep the competitive status quo. The B&O also filed a petition, but
stated that they had no problem with the N&W having sole control of the
FP&E, as it would not make a difference in B&O-FP&E interchange
traffic levels—they only wanted inclusion in the transaction if the NYC was
allowed to be included so as to share in the benefits of ownership (i.e., to
get its share of the money the FP&E made—for the FP&E was a very
profitable railroad). [8,TW1,TW2,TW3]
In March 1967 an ICC Hearing Examiner
recommended that the N&W be granted sole control of the FP&E; however,
in August 1967 the ICC as a whole decided that joint ownership of the FP&E
by the NYC and the N&W would be best for competitive reasons, and ordered
that a) both the N&W and the NYC split the shares of newly-formed FP&E
Company, and b) that the FP&E Company buy out the Fairport, Painesville
& Eastern Railroad; the ICC excluded the B&O from the transactions
because their interchange traffic with the FP&E would not be threatened
regardless of who controlled the FP&E. [8,TW4]
The ICC decision took effect on
September 15, 1967, and the railroads were given 180 days from that point
(March 13, 1968) to consummate the transactions. [TW4]
Within months of the ICC's decision,
the NYC and the PRR merged to form the Penn Central railroad; in February 1968
and again in April 1968, the N&W filed petitions with the ICC to have the
August decision re-examined, claiming that the Penn Central merger altered any
competitive issues regarding FP&E interchange traffic, and that the N&W
should be given sole control of the FP&E.
The ICC denied both petitions.
[TW5,TW6,TW7,TW8]
The joint N&W/PC takeover of the
FP&E took place on August 15, 1968—an event that was signified by changing
the name of the "FP&E Company" (which was, in effect, a 'paper
railroad' set up to handle the financial and legal issues of the takeover) to
the "Fairport, Painesville and Eastern Railway Company" (the new
operating railroad). [O2,PC]
On the same day, the "Fairport,
Painesville and Eastern Railroad Company"—the original, independent
company chartered in 1910—changed its name to the "Fairport
Corporation," then dissolved itself. [O3,O4]
In 1976 and 1977 the Diamond Shamrock shut down its Painesville
Works. The plant closing reduced the
FP&E's traffic by 56%. [O6,NW]
(For more about the Diamond's Painesville Works, see my Diamond/FP&E page.)
In 1977 Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co. built a spur track
from the Perry Nuclear Power Plant to a point on the FP&E near the end of
the "Rayon branch"; though the FP&E operated over this track, it
was not owned by the railroad.
[Rc:V971-39,Sv:11B-49-1]
In 1978 the FP&E sold two of its diesels: #104 was sold to
North Star Steel at Wilton, IA in September, and #103 was sold to Ft. Howard
Paper at Green Bay/Ashwaubenon, WI in October. [SL1,SL2,SL3,SL4]
(For more about the dispositions of the FP&E's diesel fleet,
see my FP&E
Diesel Roster page.)
In 1980 Industrial Rayon closed its Painesville plant, causing
another significant reduction in the FP&E's traffic. [PT,NW]
In October 1981 the B&O (Chessie System) abandoned its rail
line known as the Lake Branch from a point just north of Warren to the end of
the line in Fairport Harbor and Grand River.
From March to July 1982 all of the track was removed except for two
segments: the section of track from the interchange with Conrail at Painesville
Yard to Grand River, which was used by Conrail under a trackage rights
agreement up to the time of the abandonment (and was subsequently bought
outright by Conrail after the abandonment), and the section of track from the
junction of the FP&E and the B&O to the US Industrial Chemicals plant
in Fairport Harbor, which was bought by that company so that it could continue
rail service via the FP&E (though the FP&E operated over this short
stretch of track, it was not owned by the railroad). [BO,S,10,Rc:V348-491,Rc:V348-494]
In 1983 the FP&E moved only 1,415 revenue carloads (compared
to 1976, when it moved over 18,000 carloads). [NW]
As of the beginning of 1984 the FP&E had 4 office staff, and
13 'road' personnel: 1 yardmaster, 2 clerks, 5 trainmen, 3 equipment
maintenance men and 2 maintenance-of-way men. [NW]
Also as of the beginning of 1984, the FP&E had 5 remaining
diesel locomotives: 4 classified as operable, 1 classified as unserviceable. [NW]
As of 1983 the FP&E had been losing money nearly every year
since the Diamond Shamrock plant closed in 1976. The Penn Central Corporation (which still existed—albeit not as a
railroad—and still owned 50% the FP&E along with many other non-railroad
investments) believed the losses would continue for the foreseeable future,
and, wanting to cut these losses, offered to sell their stake in the FP&E
to the N&W. The N&W, also
realizing the FP&E was most likely never going to operate at a profit
again, decided to move on the PCC's offer—and further, decided merging the
FP&E into the N&W was the only way to continue to serve the remaining
customers on the line without constantly absorbing losses (making the line into
a N&W branch was far more economical than letting the FP&E exist as a
separate entity). The N&W and the PCC
made a stock purchase agreement in December 1983, with the stock transaction to
be executed upon the ICC's approval of their plan. [NW]
On March 1, 1984 the N&W requested
that the ICC allow it to buy out the PCC's 50% share of the FP&E, and then
allow the N&W to merge the FP&E into itself. [NW]
On May 7, 1984 the ICC granted the
N&W's requests, with the decision taking effect on June 13, 1984. [9]
On June 28, 1984 the FP&E was
officially merged out of existence.
[O5]
Sources
(For more
information about some of these sources, see my FP&E Resources page.)
[1] 110 ICC 692, Valuation Docket 474: FP&E RR as of
6/30/1917, published 4/3/1925
[2] 58 ICC 549, 10236: Diamond Alkali v FP&E RR Co,
6/27/1919
[3] 105 ICC 334, Finance Docket 5199: Notes of FP&E RR,
1/13/1926
[4] 105 ICC 297, Finance Docket 5246: FP&E RR Equipment
Trust, 1/14/1926
[5] 124 ICC 393, Finance Docket 6072: Construction of Extension
by FP&E RR Co, 4/28/1927
[6] 166 ICC 737, Finance Docket 6072: FP&E RR Co
Construction, 11/22/1930
[7] 193 ICC 375, Finance Docket 9599: FP&E RR Co Proposed
Construction, 8/9/1933
[8] 330 ICC 672, Finance Docket 23980: N&W Rwy Co – Control
– FP&E Co – Purchase – FP&E RR Co, 8/7/1967
[9] ICC Finance Docket 30427: N&W Rwy Co – Control and
Merger Exemption - FP&E Rwy Co, 5/7/1984
[10] STB Docket 565 Sub 11X: NYC Lines LLC/CSX – Abandonment
Exemption – Lake County, OH, 2002-2004
[O1] State of Ohio, Articles of Incorporation, FP&E RR,
7/18/1910
[O2] State of Ohio, Amendment to Articles of Incorporation,
FP&E Company, 8/15/1968
[O3] State of Ohio, Amendment to Articles of Incorporation,
FP&E RR, 8/15/1968
[O4] State of Ohio, Certificate of Dissolution, Fairport Corp,
8/15/1968
[O5] State of Ohio, MEX Certificate, FP&E Rwy Co, 6/28/1984
[O6] Ohio EPA DSPW Site, Director's Final Findings and Orders,
9/27/1995
[V:XXX] Lake County Railroad Valuation Map
[T:XXX] Lake County Tax Map
[Sv:XXX] Lake County Survey Map
[Rc:XXX] Lake County Recorder Document
[CP1] Cleveland Press, 8/8/1936, "Rayon to Build 7-Million
Plant"
[CP2] Cleveland Press, 2/29/1940, "Rayon Will Start Its
Addition Soon"
[PT] Painesville Telegraph, 8/6/1980, "Shutdown Final for
IRC Fibers in Painesville"
[TW1] Traffic World, 2/5/1966, "N&W Plans to Acquire FP&E
Property in Ohio"
[TW2] Traffic World, 4/9/1966, "NYC Seeks Joint Ownership
Of Ohio Carrier With N&W"
[TW3] Traffic World, 3/18/1967, "Sole Control of FP&E
By N&W Recommended; B&O, NYC Pleas Rejected"
[TW4] Traffic World, 8/19/1967, "N&W and NYC May Acquire
Joint Control of FP&E; Division 3 Excludes B&O"
[TW5] Traffic World, 2/10/1968, "N&W Says Issues of
Rail Competition in FP&E Case Should Be Reviewed by ICC"
[TW6] Traffic World, 2/24/1968, "ICC Sees No 'GTI' Issue In
FP&E Control Case"
[TW7] Traffic World, 4/20/1968, "N&W Says PC Merger
Changed FP&E Situation"
[TW8] Traffic World, 6/15/1968, "ICC Denies N&W
Petition to Review FP&E Control"
[PC] Penn Central, Annual Report of Affiliated Corporations,
1970
[BO] Baltimore & Ohio, Application for Abandonment and
Discontinuance of Operations Between Copperweld and Fairport Harbor, 10/1/1980
[NW] Norfolk & Western, Application for FP&E Control and
Merger, 3/1/1984
[I] Industrialists in Olive Drab, Chapter 6, "The Fairport,
Painesville and Eastern Railroad Case, November 1942"
[DR] Don Rodgers, member of the Nash family of Madison Township
[HH] Herbert Harwood Jr., railroad historian and author
[S] The Sentinel, "EM-1s On the Narrow Gauge: B&O Lake
Branch in the 1950s," July/August 1988
[SL1] The Short Line 38, Mar-Apr 1979
[SL2] The Short Line 45, May-June 1980
[SL3] The Short Line 68, Mar-Apr 1984
[SL4] The Short Line 75, May-June 1985
Created by Scott Nixon
July 2009