American railroad that began operations between Buffalo, N.Y., and Chicago in 1882. That same year William H. Vanderbilt purchased control because its tracks paralleled those of his Lake Shore and Michigan Southern road between Buffalo and Cleveland, Ohio.

In 1916 the Nickel Plate became part of the railroad empire of the Van Sweringen brothers. They were the developers of the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights, and they needed a transit line to the city. As president they appointed John J. Bernet, who made the Nickel Plate a profitable line, rehabilitating and modernizing it. They added several other lines until the railroad had over 1,700 miles (2,700 km) of operating track between Buffalo, N.Y.; Wheeling, W.Va.; Chicago; and St. Louis, Mo. In 1964 the line was merged with the Norfolk and Western, giving the N&W a rail network extending from the Atlantic to the Great Lakes.