[1] The Lake Erie and Western main line extended from Sandusky, Ohio, 412 miles (663 km) westward to Peoria, Illinois, passing through Fremont and Fostoria, Ohio, Muncie and Lafayette, Indiana, and Bloomington, Illinois.

Principal branch lines extended from St. Marys' to Minster, Ohio and from New Castle to Rushville, Indiana.

[1] The Seney Syndicate linked several short railroads in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois along with the first "The Lake Erie and Western Railway Company" of 1879.

[1] In 1900, the Lake Erie and Western came under the control of the New York Central Railroad.

[1] After operating it as a separate entity for two decades, the New York Central sold the Lake Erie and Western to the Nickel Plate in 1922.