TLE&W Robbed

Author: Kyle Montgomery
Category: News Railroads:


It’s a sad day for area railfans in Northwestern Ohio. The Toledo, Lake Erie & Western, otherwise known as the “Bluebird” was recently robbed of more than $60,000 in equipment. Thefts broke into both the locomotive and the passenger coaches, taking a number of valuable wicker seat bottoms.

In fact, it wasn’t that long ago that we published the details from my personal trip aboard the Bluebird as well as some details about the history of the line.

As of right now, the TLE&W was already closed until June, pending FRA required trackwork. With this set-back, volunteers are unsure if the railroad will be able to open ever again. The TLE&W, like many cash-strapped tourism lines, cannot afford to insure their equipment from vandalism.

Source: Trains.com Newswire

History of the TLE&W

Author: Kyle Montgomery
Category: History Railroads: , ,

Last week we discussed the scenic Toledo Lake Erie & Western. This tourist line runs on the old route of the Cloverleaf near Toledo and I’d like to take some time to outline the complex history behind this line.

Photo: System Map in 1884

The Cloverleaf division of the Nickel Plate began life as the narrow gauge Toledo, Delphos, and Burlington Railroad. Astute readers will recognize this as the same company who helped finance the narrow gauge Cincinnati Northern and the connecting railway through Dayton, the predecessors of the CL&N system. In 1884 the stretched from Toledo to St. Louis, with branches stretching to Cincinnati and Ironton in eastern Ohio. In 1882 the company took on the more descriptive name of its subsidiary, the Toledo, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railroad. As the largest narrow-gauge system in the country the Midwestern system was often referred to as the “Little Giant”.

After bankruptcy in 1886, the CL&N went on to live its own history and the remaining railroad line to St. Louis was made standard gauge as the Toledo, St. Louis and Kansas City. This was reorganized again in 1900 as the original Toledo, Lake Erie & Western, most commonly known as the Cloverleaf Route. You can see one of their 1906 timetables here.

Photo: The Cloverleaf in 1918.

The TLE&W never quite escaped its narrow-gauge roots. The route was curvy and poorly engineered, but it provided a valuable gateway into St. Louis. In 1922, the New York, Chicago, & St. Louis Railroad Company, commonly known as the Nickel Plate line, purchased the TLE&W to add to its growing empire. The line survived through to the N&W merger but eventually the mainline through to St. Louis was abandoned in favor of straighter and more well-engineered routes. Today the line survives in a number of short stretches around cities, including the discussed TLE&W tourist line outside Toledo.

For more information about the Cloverleaf and its successor roads I recommend checking out the Nickel Plate Story by John A. Rehor (also featuring some CL&N history).

All Aboard the Bluebird

Author: Kyle Montgomery
Category: Photo Essays Railroads:

This past weekend I was up in Toledo to visit some friends from school. We were looking for something to do, and I suggested taking a ride on the scenic Toledo Lake Erie & Western. Surprisingly, the group went along with it. The TLE&W, or the Bluebird, as its affectionately known, runs along the route of the former Cloverleaf Division of the Nickel Plate Road. Trains leave in Waterville, Ohio, just southwest of Toledo proper. The line runs to Grand Rapids, Ohio, with the majority of the old mainline to St. Louis now abandoned. I’ll be posting more about the Cloverleaf and its narrow-gauge heritage later this week.

Tickets were bought right at the Waterville Depot. The Depot itself was said to be over 130 years old and was probably from the original narrow-gauge line. The semaphore out front appeared to be working. Nearby their was a passing siding and some old signs advertising “No Trespassing by Order of the N&W Railway”. Behind the depot on an old team track was a Nickel Plate Caboose on display.

The route itself was more scenic than I expected from suburban Toledo. The train leisurely traveled along at a steady 15 mph or so, although I noticed a couple slow orders along the line. We went as far as a historic cabin that had been moved on site. I noticed one mile marker that listed us as 19 miles from downtown Toledo. Unfortunately, due to bridge and culvert repair the line over the Maumee River into Grand Rapids was closed.


The locomotive for today was #5109, an ex-C&O Alco S4 built in 1953. The full roster for the TLE&W is available here. Thanks to the kindness of the TLE&W volunteers I had a chance to ride in the cabin for a little bit during the shove. It was quite interesting to see their operation. Instead of using radios, the crew used flags to communicate from one end of the train to the other.

The coaches on hand today were of dual origin. The car immediately behind the locomotive was an ex-Erie Lackawanna MU commuter car. The other two were said to be ex-Penn Central (and I assume ex-PRR) commuter coaches.

There were some interesting points of interest along the right-of-way. Above is a photo of the maintenance-of-way staging area. I was told the non-profit group has received donations of ties and other supplies from CSX and other class 1 rail companies.

Prices were about average for this type of excursion. My adult ticket was 9.90 after a AAA discount. Overall it was an enjoyable trip through the Toledo countryside. For more information about tickets and special events see their website. For more information about Toledo Railroads I recommend this book from Amazon.

In the News: There’s a lot of news for me to catch up on this week. First off in an article about CSX’s profits. They’re struggling like most class 1′s in this economy. There’s also an article about various towns lobbying for a 3C stop, but this is nothing that hasn’t been discussed before. Finally there is an article in the Western Star about the LM&M returning to Lebanon and a celebration planned for the 21st. I’ll try and have it covered.