The Toledo & Ohio Central comprised one of the more far-flung ends of the NYC system. The Atlantic & Lake Erie was chartered in 1869 to run from Toledo to Pomeroy on the Ohio River. This line was planning to access the coalfields of southeastern Ohio. Construction did not get very far when the line was reorganized and sold as the Ohio Central in 1878. The line to Pomeroy was opened by 1882. Looking to expand, the OC acquired the interests of the Allegheny & Northwestern and the Richmond & Allegheny. The A&N had a charter to cross the Ohio river and build towards Charleston, West Virginia, but no rails had been laid. The R&A ran between Clifton Forge and Richmond, Virginia. Combined as the Richmond, Allegheny & Ohio Central, the new company sought to connect the Ohio coalfields with the East. This was not to be, and the RA&OC entered receivership in 1883.
In 1885, the line was renamed Toldeo & Ohio Central. Carloadings were up, and the T&OC sought expansion once again. In 1892, the T&OC bought the Toldeo, Columbus & Cincinnati, giving the combined companies two routes between the Ohio River and Toledo. The former TC&C line ran between Toledo and Columbus via Kenton. The line enjoyed modest success, and by 1922 the T&OC was leased by the New York Central. In 1938, the T&OC was formally merged into the New York Central.