Akron Barberton Cluster Railway

ABC Railway's beginnings trace back to the organization of the Akron and Barberton Belt Railroad (ABB) which was formed in 1902. ABB owned of track in and around Akron, Ohio. By the 1980s, ABB's traffic had fallen due to a lack of business in the tire industry in Akron. In 1994, the new Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway (WE) purchased the ABB. After the ICC and W&LE signed an agreement and contract in 1993, W&LE made arrangements to form a new railroad in Akron using the former ABB as its basis. In early 1994, WE created Akron Barberton Cluster Railway (ABCR) from the former ABB assets. == Current system ==

ABCR has trackage rights on CSX's New Castle Subdivision from the yard in Akron south to Barberton, where it swings off around their headquarters area. ABCR is headquartered in a small building off a local road in Barberton, Ohio. ABCR uses the restored Erie Railroad line from Barberton to Rittman, Ohio. In 2002, the railroad acquired the line to the General Electric factory in northern Ravenna, Ohio. ABCR has purchased trackage rights with METRO Regional Transit Authority in 2006, to connect to the Canton area. ==References==