Norfolk Southern summary
History
Norfolk Southern is the product of the June 1, 1982 merger of Norfolk & Western and Southern Railway. The two railroads operated as separate subsidiaries under parent company Norfolk Southern Corporation until December 31, 1990, when Norfolk & Western became a subsidiary of the Southern Railway, and the Southern Railway changed its name to Norfolk Southern Railway.
Norfolk & Western, whose name dates from 1881, ran west from its namesake Virginia port to Detroit; Chicago; Des Moines, Iowa; St. Louis; and Kansas City, Missouri; places reached in N&W’s 1964 consolidation of its Norfolk — Cincinnati/Columbus system with the Nickel Plate Road and Wabash railroads.
Southern, whose first predecessor dates from 1833, blanketed the Southeast from Washington to New Orleans, and from Cincinnati, Louisville, St. Louis, and Memphis through Birmingham, Alabama, and Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia, and Jacksonville, Florida. One of the dozens of Southern’s predecessors was the original Norfolk Southern Railway, from Norfolk, to Charlotte, North Carolina, absorbed in 1974.
On August 22, 1998, Norfolk Southern, along with CSX Transportation, purchased and divided the assets of the 10,797-mile Consolidated Rail Corporation, better known as Conrail, giving NS its long sought-after gateway to the lucrative consumer markets of the northeast United States.
See Norfolk Southern’s predecessor railroads, or family tree!
Executive officers (as of November 2022)
- Alan H. Shaw – President and Chief Executive Officer
- Ann A. Adams – Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer
- Claude E. “Ed” Elkins – Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer
- Mark R. George – Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
- Nabanita C. Nag – EVP & Chief Legal Officer
- Cynthia M. “Cindy” Sanborn – Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
- Paul B. Duncan – Senior Vice President Network Operations and Transportation
- Michael R. McClellan – Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer
History provided by Matt Van Hattem.
The last n.s. CEO that knew how to run a railroad was wick moreman. This clown in charge
liked their recent commitment to steam, with #611. Rode with friends in ’15 on one of the excursions and it was awesome. Sorry to hear they have decided not to continue this program.
As a young boy in north-central Pennsylvania, I would watch the PennRR’s freight and passenger trains go through my small town of Milton, Pa. Now, I see Norfolk Southern trains follow the same route and wonder how a “southern” train follows the same pattern reaching up in to the same northern route?!
Glad to be a stockholder on this fine business.Live less then a mile from double track NS main line.Love all the Heritage Units.Love the fact that I can watch NS trains via Youtube west of Altoona on the Horseshoe Curve & up in Elkhart
If there such a good #1 railroad why are they shutting down repair shops closing Roanoke VA. shop , laying off tons of people that run the trains the shops and maintance facilities , but yet they keep hiring the pencil pushers that have no experience in running a RAILROAD.
Great company. Now provides a vital link between Mechanicville NY and Chicago IL.
Well, actually NS does get to Florida as in Jacksonville!
It’s worth mentioning that NS extended its reach into the Northeast US with its 2008 partnership with Pan Am and the 2015 acquisition of the D&H South lines from CP.