Maumee & Western Railroad

The Maumee & Western Railroad (reporting mark MAW) operates between the small towns of Defiance, Napoleon, Cecil, and Woodburn, Ohio. It is a 44 mile long, shortline railroad. The line has two locomotives, ex-Illinois Central GP10 #16 (a GP9 rebuild) and an ex-Santa Fe Railway GP7U, now CNUR #5. Trains operate daily between Napoleon and Defiance, except for Saturdays and Sundays. This was a former Wabash Railroad mainline, which ran Westward from Toledo. After the merger between Norfolk & Western Railroad and the Wabash Railroad, it became a neglected branch line under N&W, which sold it to Indiana Hi-Rail Company. Maumee & Western later acquired it, with financial assistance from the ORDC, when the Indiana Hi-Rail liquidated in 1997. The line passes through an area known as the Great Black Swamp, combined with the fact that it was lightly built to start with, means lots of headaches. Maumee & Western, with continued assistance from the State of Ohio, has made some progress, but no heavy maintenance has been done to this track since the Wabash days around 1964. The local port authority has offered to purchase the line, but Maumee & Western isn't interested in selling.


The first scene takes place on Friday November 4th, 2011, in Defiance. #16 was kicking out several cars for Monday's 16-car long train to Napoleon. #5 (CNUR) can be seen at Defiance Yard resting her old C-F7 carbody. #5 is often used for shunting freight cars at Defiance Yard, but occasionally makes it out when #16 needs a little more assistance with handling a train. It was interesting to see this operation being carried out. However, this was the last move of the day, and I was not able to shoot any more footage of the MAW. So, due to popular demand, and requests from my fellow YouTuber's, I set out to film MAW again. I caught up with #16 on December 28th, which was hauling empties back to Defiance Yard, just North of a small town called Jewel, Ohio.

#16 is again seen in duty, hauling this train on what is considered to be, "THE WORST STRETCH OF RAILROAD TRACK IN NORTH AMERICA." An employee followed the train in a white maintenance truck the entire way, just to make sure nothing derailed. It was a blustery, 30-or-so-degrees Fahrenheit day; but it made it interesting evermore. The rails seemed to resemble spaghetti noodles, strung out a crossed a golden plain. As the train entered into the center of Jewel, you can see the empties, "bob-n'-weave," as they slowly crawl down the track. A stray cat is seen walking the rails in this video, and I bet the cat could give Maumee & Western a run for their money - speed wise! Overall, this was a fun trip. The employees were very friendly, waved at me most of the time, and even gave me information on where to get the next best shot. I recommend giving the Maumee & Western a try next time you're out in this neck of the woods! If you're handicap-disabled, don't worry! Just grab a scooter and you'll be just even paced with this slow roller of a train!

Couple of minor corrections.

1. CNUR 5 was never a CF7. Was built as a high hood GP7. Rebuilt to a GP7u in 1980 with the cab and hood being changed to the way it looks now.
2. The white "chase" vehicle is mostly used to guard grade crossing, as there are very few working crossing lights.
3. There other engines on the MAW as well. #4, #7 and #12. #4 made its appearance back on the line last year from a lengthy vacation, while #7 and #12 had been used on the western leg of the railroad.

Just curious, is there some sort of mid, to long term strategy for ensuring the viability of the M&W? It has been my feeling that some properties just try to get through today, and worry about tomorrow when it gets here. I can only imagine what their operating ratio must be.

kevin.brackney wrote:Just curious, is there some sort of mid, to long term strategy for ensuring the viability of the M&W? It has been my feeling that some properties just try to get through today, and worry about tomorrow when it gets here. I can only imagine what their operating ratio must be.

Mid-term strategy: get Ohio or the Feds to give it money.

Long-term strategy: convince Amtrak or Ohio to buy its ROW for high-speed rail, so the owners can move to the Bahamas.



Disclaimer: Author has absolutely no knowledge, inside or otherwise, of the Maumee and Western's operations, nor a financial stake therein.