This Map of the Month appeared in the February 2004 issue of Trains magazine. Historians have argued that one key to the success of Norfolk & Western’s 1982 consolidation with Southern Railway was that the railroads shared a similar culture — determined, forward-looking, and committed to success. This served to douse the fires of early rivalries […]
This Map of the Month was featured in the March 2007 issue of Trains magazine. Imagine if you were to go back in time and tell Cornelius Vanderbilt that the giant railroad system he had methodically assembled — the powerful New York Central — would one day be carved up by two coal roads from […]
This Map of the Month appeared in the August 2003 issue of Trains magazine. Where does a railroad go? Might seem like the most basic of questions. But with trackage rights and service alliances, a railroad’s franchise — its sphere of influence — may extend far beyond the outermost mile of track it owns. […]
Two eastbound movements on Norfolk Southern’s Pittsburgh Line: a stack train pushed by two SD40E helpers is overtaken by another SD40E helper set in Lilly, Pa., on Dec. 27, 2009. Barely three years earlier, Lilly and surrounding communities opened the Central Mainline Sewer Authority — named after the Pennsylvania Railroad, which preceded NS. Photo by […]
NORFOLK, Va. — To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Norfolk & Western/Southern merger in 1982, Norfolk Southern plans to honor many of the railroads that make up the present day NS system. As Union Pacific did a half-decade ago, NS plans to create a fleet of heritage locomotives, though NS’s plans are bigger: 18 […]
A Norfolk Southern local negotiates Amtrak’s Keystone Corridor main line at Leaman Place, Pa., on Aug. 31, 2011. Though the lion’s share of trains on this route are Amtrak trains operating between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pa., NS serves freight customers adjacent to the line as successor to Pennsylvania Railroad, the line’s longtime owner. Photo by […]
Norfolk Southern and some other railroads use cabooses or riding platforms to protect shove moves. NS Q I know Class I railroads haven’t used cabooses for some years. On a Roanoke, Va., webcam, though, I have seen Norfolk Southern use a caboose on many occasions. The trains do not look like work trains, but rather […]
Southern Railway 2-8-2 No. 4501 pulls a National Railway Historical Society convention train on Sept. 5, 1966 from Keysville, Va., to Richmond, Va. This was among the first excursions that led to the development of Southern Railway’s famous series of annual excursions that ran between 1966 and 1994. Today, the 1911 Baldwin is under restoration […]
The hood on this Norfolk Southern signal better directs the light’s beam. Doug Koontz Q CSX lineside signals all have “blinders,” a cone about a foot long that surrounds all three signal lights, so the lights only show straight down the track. Why are they used?— Richard Hoffman, Bowling Green, Ky. A The use of […]
Norfolk & Western J-Class 4-8-4 No. 611 rolls north on the Southern Railway main line, Aug. 22, 1982 during the engine’s three-day move from its restoration in Birmingham, Ala., to its birthplace in Roanoke, Va. The engine has an eight car train high above the James River. William D. Middleton photo […]
A southbound Norfolk & Western freight train approaches the Southern Railway junction at Front Royal, Va., in this undated photo. The junction here will become a key connection when N&W and Southern merge to form the Norfolk Southern Railway in 1982. Photo by Michael S. Murray […]
Two Norfolk Southern six-axle GEs haul BNSF office cars south on the former Southern Railway main line at Spencer, N.C. in October 1999. The train was on an inspection tour for TTX, the freight car company. Jim Wrinn photo […]
