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5/22/2025
The Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) has approved a $491,700 grant for the Napoleon, Defiance & Western Railway (NDW) to replace 7,000 ties between the communities of Defiance and Napoleon.
The total project cost is $983,400. NDW, now under management of Patriot Rail Co., owns and operates 43 miles of track from Woodburn, Indiana, to outside Napoleon, Ohio. The rail line was behind on regular maintenance, but rehabilitation became a priority under new management, ORDC officials said in a press release.
In addition to tie replacements, a recently awarded federal grant will support the replacement of rail in the same location, they said.
ORDC also recently approved a $450,000 grant to Willoway Nurseries Inc. in Ceylon for the installation of lights and gates at a crossing on company property.
The nursery's Ceylon location is bisected by Norfolk Southern Railway's Chicago line. While a private crossing exists on the site for intra-plant moves and deliveries, the high volume of traffic on the Chicago line as well as the heavy equipment moving over the tracks have raised safety concerns, ORDC officials said.
“While the installation of lights and gates at a private crossing is an unusual project for us, the accident history at this location combined with high volume and high speed of the rail traffic on the line, which includes Amtrak, warrants a unique approach to address safety concerns," said ORDC Executive Director Matthew Dietrich.