Napoleon, Defiance & Western

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Napoleon, Defiance & Western Railroad Overview

The Napoleon, Defiance and Western Railway (NDW) owned since 2022 by Patriot Rail, was established by Pioneer Railcorp (later Pioneer Lines) as a part of their Michigan Southern (MSO) subsidiary. The line was purchased from the Maumee and Western (MAW) in December of 2012.

The mainline is 58 miles long, running between Woodburn, IN and Napoleon, OH with a branch running South from Cecil, OH. NDW's office and base of operations are located in Defiance, OH.

The lines trackage is of Wabash heritage aside from the branch south from Cecil which was once the Cinncinati Northern Mainline and was a part of the New York Central System via the Big Four. Prior to the ND&W the line was operated the Norfolk & Western, Norfolk Southern, Indiana Hi-Rail, and Maumee & Western.

NDW interchanges with Norfolk Southern at Woodburn, IN and CSX at Defiance, OH.

NDW was acquired by Patriot Rail after it purchased Pioneer Lines in August 2022.

Napoleon, Defiance & Western Railroad History

The railroad line was originally a main line on the Wabash Railroad 5th District from New Haven, Indiana, to Toledo, Ohio. Subsequent owners included the Norfolk and Western Railway, Norfolk Southern Railway, the Indiana Hi-Rail Corporation and the Maumee & Western Railroad. The line was purchased by Pioneer Railcorp on December 28, 2012 for $5.4 million. In 2019, Pioneer Railcorp was acquired by BRX Transportation Holdings and renamed as Pioneer Lines. In September 2022, Patriot Rail Company LLC purchased Pioneer Lines from BRX Transportation Holdings. In 2023, the railroad was named "Shortline of the Year" by "Railway Age".

"Worst Railroad Tracks in America"

When it purchased the rail line, Pioneer described it as being "in dire need of rehabilitation,"Prior to Pioneer's purchase, the line had been dubbed by some as being the "Worst Railroad Tracks in America" due to its poor track conditions. The track conditions were the result of decades of underinvestment in maintenance. The poor conditions were also attributed to the fact that the line had been run through a portion of the former Great Black Swamp and the underlying wetland soils made it difficult to maintain the railroad in good condition.

The conditions were so poor that the entire line was classified as "excepted", the lowest possible track classification. That classification limited track speed to 10 MPH although trains often operated at even slower speeds to limit the number of derailments, which happened frequently. It also limited the height, length and type of cars that could move over the line. Much of the track was old, lightweight 80 pound rail, which restricted the weight of the carloads that could operate over the line.

Rehabilitating the Napoleon, Defiance & Western

Starting with Pioneer taking ownership of the line and with funding assistance from Ohio and Indiana and the federal government, extensive efforts have been made to address the decades of deferred maintenance and to improve the overall state of the railroad. This work started on day one of operations with a focus on replacing decayed ties, broken rails, clearing brush and trees from the railroad right-of-way, putting down ballast and upgrading railroad crossings. In recent years, the work has shifted to replacing the 80 pound rail with more robust rail that can support heavier car loadings.

The pace of improvements accelerated after the purchase of Pioneer RailCorp by BRX Transportation Holdings. The new CEO of Pioneer Lines, Alex Yeros, set a goal to upgrade all of the track owned by Pioneer Lines railroads, to at least Class 1 standards. The current owner, Patriot Rail, has continued the efforts to upgrade all of the main line to Class 1 standards.

List of Napoleon, Defiance & Western Railroad Improvements

Napoleon, Defiance & Western Railroad Operations

The railroad normally operates Monday through Saturday with trains typically moving railcars from the interchanges with CSX at Defiance, Ohio and Norfolk Southern at Woodburn, Indiana to customers located along the line and returning cars back to the interchanges. Some customers also require switching service to move railcars for loading and unloading. The railroad also operates over 3 miles of track that runs south from Cecil, Ohio to the Lafarge North America (Paulding Plant). This section of track was originally part of the Cincinnati Northern Railroad and is owned and maintained by Lafarge.

In past years, the section of the line between Cecil and Defiance was largely inactive due to a lack of customers and poor track conditions. As the track conditions have improved, trains operating through this section have been more common. The restoration of this section has given customers the option to route their traffic through more than one interchange, potentially reducing their shipping costs.

The section of the line that served Liberty Center, Ohio was taken out of service in 2016. While that portion of the line has not been officially abandoned, the rails have been removed from a point immediately west of US-24 and continuing east through Liberty Center. That portion of the line had been primarily used for car storage.

The railroad's main yard is located between 5th Street and Davidson Street in Defiance. The railroad's headquarters is located at 817 5th Street in a restored Wabash Railroad-era freight house adjacent to the main yard. The railroad does not have a dedicated engine house and it's not uncommon to find locomotives tied down at various locations on the line.

Napoleon, Defiance & Western Railroad Radio Frequencies

160.695

Napoleon, Defiance & Western Railroad Locomotive Roster

Number Model Year Built History Paint Notes
PREX 105 GP9 1957 Ex-GETY 105/GBRY 105/DV 105/HESR 105/CV 4548/GTW 4548. Gettysburg Railroad, Red & Yellow. Listed for sale.
PREX 2026 GP20u 1961 Ex-ALAB 2026/BNSF 2026/ATSF 3038/ATSF 1138. ATSF, Blue and Yellow.
PREX 2045 GP20u 1961 Ex-ATSF 3064/ATSF 1164. Pioneer Railcorp Black & Yellow
PREX 3001 GP20u 1960 Ex-ATSF 3001/ATSF 1101. Pioneer Lines Yellow & Gray
PREX 3054 GP20u 1961 Ex-ASRY 3054/ATSF 3054/ATSF 3154/ATSF 1154. Pioneer Railcorp Black & Yellow

Napoleon, Defiance & Western Railroad Customers

  • Since taking over operations of the line from the Maumee and Western Railroad, the owners of the Napoleon, Defiance & Western have steadily increased the number of customers served by rail and the volume of traffic operating over the line.
  • The current list of customers served include:
Customer Location Company Description Type of Railcar Notes
Interstate Cold Storage Napoleon, OH Cold Storage Warehouse Refrigerated Boxcars
Americold Logistics Napoleon, OH Dry & Cold Storage Warehouses Boxcars/Refrigerated Boxcars Acquired nearby Cloverleaf Cold Storage.
Advanced Drainage Systems Napoleon, OH Plastic Piping Covered Hoppers
Oldcastle Infrastructure Napoleon, OH Building Products Covered Hoppers
NDW Transload Napoleon, OH Transload Facility Covered Hoppers/Tank Cars Located on Commerce Drive.
Republic Mills Okolona, OH Animal Feed Mill Covered Hoppers
APG Packaging Defiance, OH Cosmetic Packaging Covered Hoppers Coming online in late 2022. Transloaded?
Johns Manville Defiance, OH Fiberglass Pipe Insulations Covered Hoppers Downtown plant.
Cathcart Rail Defiance, OH Railcar Repair Various In yard.
Tessenderlo Kerley Defiance, OH Liquid Fertilizer Plant Tank Cars Coming online in early 2024.
LafargeHolcim Paulding, OH Cement Plant Covered Hoppers
Systech Environmental Paulding, OH Environmental Recycling Services Tank Cars
Ag Plus Woodburn, IN Fertilizer Supplier & Grain Elevator Covered Hoppers/Tank Cars

Napoleon, Defiance & Western Railroad Timetable

Milepost Location Description
79.0 Woodburn, IN NS Interchange
71.5 Antwerp, OH
63.9 Cecil, OH Branch line south towards Paulding, OH
51.3 Defiance, OH CSX Interchange
45.7 Jewell, OH
41.6 Okolona, OH
36.0 Napoleon, OH
29.0 Liberty Center, OH End of line

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