Norfolk and Western Railway Company (1896-1982)

Organization

Staff Only

Historical Note

The Norfolk & Western Railway was established through a reorganization of the bankrupt Norfolk and Western Railroad in 1896, the latter company itself having arisen from the Atlantic, Mississippi & Ohio Railroad, a successor to the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad. Through expansion and various mergers, the N&W grew to become a major U.S. carrier, serving 14 states. The company manufactured steam locomotives at its own Roanoke Machine Works (established in Roanoke, Virginia in 1882), and among the railroad's affiliated holdings were several hotels (represented in this collection by the Bluefield Inn and the Hotel Roanoke). Among the company's larger merger acquisitions was the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad--the "Nickel Plate Road"--in 1964. (Other acquisitions represented in this collection are the Atlantic & Danville Railway (1962); the New Jersey, Indiana & Illinois Railroad (through acquisition of the Wabash Railroad, 1962); and the Winston-Salem Southbound Railway (acquired and operated jointly with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, 1909).) In 1982, the N&W combined with the Southern Railway to form Norfolk Southern Corporation.

Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:

Preston Leech Glass Slides and Cassette Tape

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: Ms-1994-003

Scope and Contents Collection of 298 glass slides collected by Preston Leech, a Roanoke, Virginia, native and an employee of the Norfolk & Western Railway Company from the 1930s to the 1970s. Most of the slides are of N&W locomotives, rail routes, and stations. Other slides are of general agricultural and industrial scenes, and of the Luray Caverns in Virginia. The cassette tape is of an interview of Leech done in March 1994, where he speaks about his employment at the Norfolk & Western Railway...

Dates: c.1900-1925, 1994

Found in: Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech / Preston Leech Glass Slides and Cassette Tape

Norfolk & Western Railway Company Construction Site Photographs

Collection

Identifier: Ms-1997-027

Abstract

The Norfolk & Western Railway Company Construction Site Photographs includes approximately 360 photographs (and in some cases, photocopies of photographs) of railroad construction in Southwest Virginia. The majority of images date from 1967-1981.

Dates: 1967-1981, n.d.

Found in: Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech / Norfolk & Western Railway Company Construction Site Photographs