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Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company

American railway
Also known as: Erie Lackawanna Railroad Company, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, Ligget’s Gap Railroad
Written and fact-checked byThe Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
Updated:
Table of Contents
Date:
1851 - 1976
Ticker:
CSX
Share price:
$35.41 (mkt close, Apr. 10, 2024)
Market cap:
$70.38 bil.
Annual revenue:
$14.66 bil.
Earnings per share (prev. year):
$1.84
Sector:
Energy & Transportation
Industry:
Transportation
CEO:
Joseph R. Hinrichs

Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company, American railroad built to carry coal from the anthracite fields of northeastern Pennsylvania. Originally known as Ligget’s Gap Railroad, it was chartered in 1851 as the Lackawanna and Western. Eventually it ran from the Lackawanna Valley in Pennsylvania west to Buffalo, N.Y., north to Lake Ontario, and east to Hoboken, N.J.

The Lackawanna prospered in the early 20th century, but with the decline of coal heating and the rise of competing modes of transportation, its revenues fell. In 1960 it merged with the Erie Railroad Company, which had many miles of parallel trackage, to become the Erie Lackawanna Railway Company. In 1972 the Erie Lackawanna became bankrupt, and in 1976 it was taken over by the Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) (q.v.).