The Toledo Division was the southern half of the Pere Marquette Railway

Pere Marquette Railway

The Pere Marquette Railway was a railroad that operated in the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada. The railroad had trackage in the states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and the Canadian province of Ontario. Its primary connections included Buffalo; Toledo; and Chicago.The company was...

's main line, which ran from Ludington, Michigan

Ludington, Michigan

Ludington is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,357. It is the county seat of Mason County.Ludington is a harbor town located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Pere Marquette River...

 (on the coast of Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...

) to Toledo, Ohio

Toledo, Ohio

Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...

 (on the coast of Lake Erie

Lake Erie

Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...

). The Toledo Division encompassed the portion which ran from Toledo north to Saginaw, Michigan

Saginaw, Michigan

Saginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw was once a thriving lumber town and manufacturing center. Saginaw and Saginaw County lie in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan...

, where it met the Ludington Division. The line was built by a predecessor of the PM, the Flint & Pere Marquette

Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad

The Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad is a defunct railroad which operated in the U.S. state of Michigan between 1857 and 1899. It was one of the three companies which merged to become the Pere Marquette Railway.-Early history:...

, and is currently owned by CSX Transportation

CSX Transportation

CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...

.

Structure

The main line of the Toledo Division ran south from Saginaw to Alexis, Ohio, just north of Toledo, for a total length of 130.35 miles (209.8 km). Toledo marked the southern extent of the Pere Marquette; north of Saginaw the main line continued as the Ludington Division.

The tracks of the Toledo Division crossed numerous other railroads between Saginaw and Toledo, including:

• The now-abandoned Saginaw Branch of the Michigan Central
  Michigan Central Railroad
  The Michigan Central Railroad was originally incorporated in 1846 to establish rail service between Detroit, Michigan and St. Joseph, Michigan. The railroad later operated in the states of Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois in the United States, and the province of Ontario in Canada...
  
   at Hoyt, Saginaw.
• The Chicago Division of the Grand Trunk Western at Flint.
• The Detroit Division of the Grand Trunk Western at Holly
  Holly, Michigan
  Holly is a village in north Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 6,086 at the 2010 census. The village is located within Holly Township. It is about south of Flint and northwest of Detroit.- Demographics :...
  
  .
• The Jackson Subdivision of the Grand Trunk Western at Wixom
  Wixom, Michigan
  Wixom is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 13,498 at the 2010 census. The city was home to the former Wixom Assembly Plant, which produced the Lincoln LS, the Ford Thunderbird, the Ford GT, and the Lincoln Town Car...
  
  . The Grand Truk Western abandoned the westward portion in 1984 and sold the eastern segment to Coe Rail
  Coe Rail
  Coe Rail was an excursion and freight rail line running between West Bloomfield, Michigan and Wixom, Michigan. In 2007, it was re-named the Michigan Air-Line Railway....
  
  .
• The Detroit Division of the Michigan Central
  Michigan Central Railroad
  The Michigan Central Railroad was originally incorporated in 1846 to establish rail service between Detroit, Michigan and St. Joseph, Michigan. The railroad later operated in the states of Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois in the United States, and the province of Ontario in Canada...
  
   at Wayne
  Wayne, Michigan
  Wayne is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan, southwest of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 17,593...
  
  . This line is now operated by the Norfolk Southern
  Norfolk Southern Railway
  The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...
  
  .
• The Main Line of the Wabash
  Wabash Railroad
  The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including trackage in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri and Ontario. Its primary connections included Chicago, Illinois, Kansas City, Missouri, Detroit,...
  
   at Romulus
  Romulus, Michigan
  Romulus is a suburban city of Metro Detroit, located in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 23,989 at the 2010 census, an increase from 22,979 in 2000. Romulus is home to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and a General Motors plant that opened in 1976...
  
  . This line is now operated by the Norfolk Southern.
• The Main Line of the DT&I at Carleton
  Carleton, Michigan
  Carleton is a village in Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,562 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Ash Township and is served by Airport Community Schools.-History:...
  
  . This line is now operated by the Grand Trunk Western.
• The now-abandoned Monroe Branch of the LS&MS
  Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway
  The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, sometimes referred to as the Lake Shore, was a major part of the New York Central Railroad's Water Level Route from Buffalo, NY to Chicago, primarily along the south shore of Lake Erie and across northern Indiana...
  
   at Monroe
  Monroe, Michigan
  Monroe is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 20,733 at the 2010 census. It is the largest city and county seat of Monroe County. The city is bordered on the south by Monroe Charter Township, but both are politically independent. The city is located approximately 14 miles ...
  
  .

Current status

In 1947 the Pere Marquette merged into the Chesapeake & Ohio

Chesapeake and Ohio Railway

The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P...

, which in turn eventually became CSX Transportation

CSX Transportation

CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...

. CSX still owns the Toledo-Saginaw line, which forms the Saginaw Subdivision, but in 2005 leased the section from Mount Morris to Saginaw to the Saginaw Bay Southern Railway

Saginaw Bay Southern Railway

Saginaw Bay Southern is a shortline railroad operating in the lower peninsula of Michigan. It interchanges with the Lake State Railway, CSX, the Huron and Eastern Railway, Saginaw Valley Railway, and the Mid-Michigan Railroad...

, a short-line railroad. CSX continues to operate the Flint-Toledo segment directly.