| 1836 |
City Point Railroad chartered by
Virginia State Legislature. |
| 1838 |
City Point Railroad begins operations
on September 7 between Petersburg and City Point on the James
River. |
| 1853 |
Norfolk & Petersburg Railroad
organized; construction started same year, but track construction
not completed for an additional five years. |
| 1854 |
South Side Railroad completed from
City Point, VA through Petersburg to Lynchburg. |
| 1856 |
Virginia & Tennessee Railroad
completed October 1, extending 204 miles from Lynchburg, VA to
Bristol at the Tennessee state line. |
| 1858 |
Norfolk & Petersburg Railroad
begins operations between its namesake cities on September 1. |
| 1870 |
Shenandoah Valley Railroad organized
as a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad. |
| 1870 |
Atlantic, Mississippi & Ohio
Railroad formed on November 12 from the consolidation of the
City Point Railroad, Norfolk & Petersburg Railroad, and Virginia
& Tennessee Railroad; included mainline trackage of 408 miles
stretching from Norfolk, VA to Bristol at Tennessee state line. |
| 1876 |
Cincinnati & Eastern Railway
organized to operate railroad from Cincinnati to Portsmouth,
OH. |
| 1878 |
Construction of the Scioto Valley
Railway completed. |
| 1879 |
Construction of the Shenandoah Valley
Railroad begins. |
| 1880 |
Cincinnati & Eastern Railway
leases Columbus & Maysville Railroad and Hillsboro Short
Line. |
| 1881 |
Shenandoah Valley Railroad construction
completed from Hagerstown, MD to Basic City (Waynesboro), VA. |
| 1881 |
Atlantic, Mississippi & Ohio
Railroad sold under foreclosure on February 9 to E. W. Clark
& Co., and renamed Norfolk & Western Railroad. |
| 1882 |
Shenandoah Valley Railroad completes
track from Basic City to Roanoke, VA and connects with Norfolk
& Western Railroad. |
| 1883 |
Norfolk & Western Railroad completes
New River Division to Bluefield, WV and on May 21 begins operation
of regular traffic on this extension. |
| 1883 |
On March 12 the first car of Pocahontas
coal is loaded at Pocahontas, VA. |
| 1884 |
On August 25, Cincinnati & Eastern
Railway reaches Portsmouth, OH. |
| 1885 |
Shenandoah Valley Railroad forced
into receivership. |
| 1885 |
Norfolk & Western Railroad organizes
the Pocahontas Coal Company to act as General Agent for coal
mine operators. |
| 1885 |
Coal Pier No. 1 opened at Lambert's
Point, VA on March 12 for loading coal into ships. |
| 1886 |
On June 1, Norfolk & Western
Railroad converted track gauge from 5 foot gauge to the standard
gauge of 4 feet, 8-1/2 inches. |
| 1887 |
Construction on the Clinch Valley
Extension to reach from Bluefield to Norton, VA is begun; completed
in 1890. |
| 1887 |
Construction of Lynchburg & Durham
Railroad begun at Lynchburg. On January 5, Cincinnati & Eastern
sold under foreclosure to become Ohio & Northwestern Railroad. |
| 1887 |
Abingdon Coal & Iron Railroad
begins construction between Abingdon, VA and Damascus, VA; eventually
line will reach into North Carolina. |
| 1888 |
Construction of the Roanoke &
Southern Railway is begun at Winston-Salem, NC. |
| 1888 |
Ohio & Northwestern goes into
receivership. |
| 1889 |
Roanoke & Southern Railway begins
operations. |
| 1890 |
Construction of the Ohio Extension
is begun, to reach from Elkhorn, WV to Kenova, WV. |
| 1890 |
Construction of Lynchburg & Durham
Railroad completed to Durham, NC. |
| 1890 |
In September, Shenandoah Valley Railroad
sold under foreclosure and reorganized as the Shenandoah Valley
Railway; in December, Shenandoah Valley Railway is acquired and
absorbed by Norfolk & Western Railroad. |
| 1890 |
Scioto Valley Railway reorganized
as Scioto Valley & New England Railroad; sold to Norfolk
& Western Railroad to become its Scioto Division. |
| 1891 |
Ohio & Northwestern reorganized
as Cincinnati, Portsmouth & Virginia Railroad. |
| 1892 |
Ohio Extension is completed on September
25. |
| 1892 |
Big Stony Railway organized to operate
from connection with N&W at Potts Valley Junction, VA to
Interior, VA. |
| 1892 |
Norfolk & Western Railroad leases
Roanoke & Southern Railway, which operates from Roanoke,
VA to Winston-Salem, NC, and operated as the Winston-Salem Division
of the N&W; leases Lynchburg & Durham Railroad and operated
as the Durham Division of the N&W. |
| 1892 |
Roanoke & Southern Railway completes
construction to Roanoke. |
| 1894 |
Virginia Western Coal & Iron
Railroad Company takes over Abingdon Coal & Iron Railroad. |
| 1895 |
State of West Virginia enacts law
prohibiting any railroad corporation from engaging in business
of buying/selling coal or coke; E. W. Clarke & Co. forms
Flat Top Coal Land Association. |
| 1896 |
Norfolk & Western Railroad sold
under foreclosure and reorganized as Norfolk & Western Railway. |
| 1896 |
Roanoke & Southern Railway purchased
outright by Norfolk & Western Railway at time of reorganization. |
| 1896 |
Lynchburg & Durham Railroad absorbed
into Norfolk & Western Railway. |
| 1898 |
Virginia Western Coal & Iron Railroad changes
name to Virginia-Carolina Railway. |
| 1899 |
Iaeger & Southern Railway constructed from
Iaeger to Ritter, WV. |
| 1901 |
New River, Holston & Western Railroad operated
from a connection with N&W at Narrows, VA and eventually
extended to Suiter, VA. |
| 1901 |
Lands held by Flat Top Coal Land Association
acquired by Norfolk & Western Railway and vested in its subsidiary,
the Pocahontas Coal & Coke Company. |
| 1901 |
Cincinnati, Portsmouth & Virginia Railroad
absorbed into Norfolk & Western Railway. |
| 1902 |
Iaeger & Southern Railway purchased by Norfolk
& Western Railway; eventually N&W extends line to connect
with Clinch Valley Extension at Cedar Bluff, VA. |
| 1902 |
Construction begins of the Virginia Anthracite
Coal & Railway Company between Christiansburg and Blacksburg,
VA. |
| 1903 |
Big Sandy & Cumberland Railroad begins operations;
line would eventually operate from its connection with N&W
at Devon, WV to Grundy, WV. |
| 1903 |
Big Sandy, East Lynn & Guyan Railroad completed
and opened for service. |
| 1904 |
Virginia Anthracite Coal & Railway Company
opens for service on September 24. |
| 1905 |
Big Stony Railway acquired by Norfolk & Western
Railway and line is extended and operated as its Potts Valley
Branch. |
| 1906 |
Catawba Valley Railway & Mining Company constructed
from Salem, VA to Sandburg, VA. |
| 1908 |
Big Sandy, East Lynn & Guyan Railroad absorbed
by Norfolk & Western Railway. |
| 1909 |
Catawba Valley Railway & Mining Company taken
over by Norfolk & Western Railway and operated as its Catawba
Branch. |
| 1911 |
Winston-Salem South Bound Railway constructed
as joint enterprise of Norfolk & Western Railway and the
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad; line connects N&W at Winston-Salem
with ACL at Wadesboro, NC. |
| 1912 |
Virginia Anthracite Coal & Railway Company
is taken over by Norfolk & Western Railway and operated as
its Blacksburg Branch. |
| 1914 |
Norfolk & Western Railway gains control of
Virginia-Carolina Railway. |
| 1919 |
Norfolk & Western Railway absorbs New River,
Holston & Western Railroad and operates it as its Narrows
Branch. |
| 1919 |
Virginia-Carolina Railway merged into N&W
and operated as its Abingdon Branch. |
| 1923 |
Norfolk & Western Railway purchases Big Sandy
& Cumberland Railroad. |
| 1928 |
Former line of Big Sandy & Cumberland rebuilt
by Norfolk & Western Railway and operated as its Buchanan
Branch. |
| 1939 |
Pocahontas Coal & Coke Company renamed Pocahontas
Land Company. |
| 1954 |
Norfolk & Western Railway acquires the Chesapeake
Western Railway which is operated as a subsidiary of the N&W;
the Chesapeake Western operated from its connection with N&W
at Elkton, VA through Harrisonburg to Staunton, VA. |
| 1959 |
Virginian Railway absorbed by Norfolk & Western
on December 1. |
| 1962 |
Atlantic & Danville Railway taken over by
Norfolk & Western Railway; operated separately and renamed
Norfolk, Franklin & Danville Railway. |
| 1964 |
Norfolk & Western Railway absorbed New York,
Chicago & St. Louis Railroad (Nickel Plate Road) and assumed
that road's lease of the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway; leased
the Pittsburgh & West Virginia Railway and the Wabash Railroad;
also acquired the Sandusky Line and Sandusky Coal Docks of the
Pennsylvania Railroad; acquired the Akron, Canton and Youngstown
Railroad. |
| 1968 |
Norfolk & Western Railway, through its subsidiary,
Dereco, Inc., acquired control of the Delaware & Hudson Railway
and the Erie-Lackawanna Railway. |
| 1976 |
Norfolk & Western Railway relinquishes control
of Erie Lackawanna Railway when EL became part of Conrail. |
| 1981 |
Norfolk & Western Railway acquires the Illinois
Terminal Railroad. |
| 1982 |
Norfolk & Western Railway is consolidated
with the Southern Railway to form Norfolk Southern Corporation. |
