The Lake Erie and Pittsburg Railway (intentionally misspelled) was incorporated around 1900 as a joint venture between what would later become the New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroads. The purpose of the railroad was to serve as a linker between the NYC mainline at Lorain (west of Cleveland on Lake Erie) and the PRR mainline at Brady Lake, east of Kent (both of these lines are now Norfolk Southern). Construction began at Lorain and proceeded eastward through the Avon, North Ridgeville, and North Olmsted areas. However, construction came to a halt at Berea, where some unexpectedly swampy terrain was encountered. Earth had been graded and bridges installed between Lorain and Berea, but this segment of the line had to be abandoned around 1905 without track ever having been laid.
The new LE&P route was replanned and constructed in 1905-06. The new alignment began at a NYC yard in Marcy (now Cuyahoga Heights), just south of downtown Cleveland. The railroad headed east on a high trestle over Mill Creek, then passed southward through Bedford and Northfield, again crossing a high trestle at Tinkers Creek. The line gradually made a southeasterly curve through northern Summit County, passing through the Stow and Kent areas, and finally joined the PRR line at Brady Lake as had originally been planned. Service began in 1906 and continued for 62 years.
The Lake Erie and Pittsburg was rendered obsolete by the 1968 Penn Central merger. The line was immediately abandoned and tracks were removed mostly in the 70's. Most of the right of way in Cuyahoga County has been obliterated by urban sprawl. In Summit and Portage Counties, however, much of it has been preserved as an excellent bike path. The never-used segment of ROW between Lorain and Berea is much more difficult to identify. Some of this ROW is now used as a cut for high-tension power lines in the North Olmsted area. Bridge abutments can reportedly be found at French Creek near Avon.