(erielack) Lackawanna - Chicago Great Western Connection

["tstuy" <tstuy_@_eldcps.org>]

I ran across the following story concerning a Lackawanna line built to reach 
Omaha!  Here it is:

"Chicago Great Western (CGW) 1892-1968 The CGW was originally organized as 
the Wisconsin, Iowa & Nebraska RR which became the Chicago, St. Paul & Kansas 
City in 1886, and finally the CGW in 1892. The CGW linked the key rail cities 
of Chicago, Kansas City, Saint Paul, and Omaha. Never financially strong, the 
CGW merged into the Chicago & North Western on July 1, 1968. The C&NW 
subsequently abandoned most of the CGW. Trains would carry goods from New 
York City to Buffalo on the Lackawanna Road. The freight would be broken down 
and loaded into the holds of steamships, for a trip west on Lake Erie to 
Toledo, Ohio. . More ships would carry goods to Green Bay. There, once again 
freight would be loaded into railcars for the final jaunt west on the GBW&SP 
to Winona (and points beyond). Interestingly however, freight volume was 
always greater west to east, all the way until the end of ferry service in 
1989. The overriding goal behind all of these machinations was to avoid the 
huge railroading bottleneck of Chicago, while saving total shipping time. A 
part of the Omaha extension was actually built west from Winona by a 
Lackawanna affiliate, reaching as far as Osage, Iowa. It was later sold to 
the Chicago Great Western Railway. Apparently though, the Lackawanna people 
really didn't think through this strategic vision of "rail-to-ship-to-rail-to-
ship-to-rail"; there were problems."

I've never heard this one before.  Can anyone shed some light on this?

Tim

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