The Norfolk and Western Railway Company Mortgage Bond Book consists of a single ledger volume bearing the title "Norfolk & Western Railway Co. Transfer Book No. 1 Register & Ledger: Coupon First Consolidated Mortgage Four Per Cent Gold Bonds." The volume is dedicated to the sale and transfer of the company's gold bonds, secured through a consolidated mortgage to the Mercantile Trust Company of New York.

The ledger is divided into several sections. The first section consists of a register of sales and transfers of coupon bonds--arranged in chronological order--bearing the names of purchasers, the numbers of the individual bonds purchased, and the dates of purchase in chronological order. Also affixed in this section are correspondence and legal documents relating to the transfer of indivdidual bonds. The second section appears to be an abstract of the first, listing in chronological order the date of purchase, name and residence of bondholder, amount paid for each bond, and date of transfer. The third section consists of an accounting record, providing dates, descriptions and amounts of transactions. The final section is arranged by name of bondholder and includes dates and amounts of bond transfers.