The Chicago, Missouri and Western Railway (CM&W; reporting mark CMNW) was a Class II railroad that operated in the midwest of the United States between 1987 and 1989.

CM&W RR was also used as the logo for the train line on THE VIRGINIAN western series of NBC which ran from 1962 to 71 The Chicago and Alton Railroad (C&A) had built and operated lines from Chicago, Illinois to Springfield, Illinois, from Springfield to Roodhouse, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri, and from Roodhouse to Kansas City, Missouri and St. Louis, until that railroad was merged into the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad (GM&O (reporting mark GMO)) in 1947.

Venango River was formed by former Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe managers to purchase the legendary South Shore Line from the Chessie System.

Further, the Chessie equipped the South Shore with ten new locomotives ideal for shortline railroading, leading to low maintenance costs.

Flush with success, Venango River purchased the CM&W from ICG with the South Shore as guarantor of the loans at Citibank.