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Along The Norfolk & Western Olden Days & New Ways People Places Events SC
Along The Norfolk And Western Olden Days And New Ways People Places Events By Tam Vannoy
Soft Cover
Copyright 1991
90 Pages
FOREWORD
Four events in particular are important. In 1837 a small railroad opened at City Point Va. that started the Norfolk and Western. In Utah in 1869 a western line (now Southern Pacific) was constructed eastward to join the Union Pacific that was advancing westward. This joining united our nation with first-time transcontinental rail transportation. In 1883 at Pocahontas, Va., N&W opened what was to be the great coalfields. A fourth event took place in November 1892 when the Ohio extension of the N&W was opened for traffic to the West Virginia and Ironton Railway Company that had merged into the N&W system. The Ohio Extension opened an entirely new territory for the products of Virginia, and provided for a western market for coal mined along the new rail system.
Coal can be called "black gold.- Think of the billions of dollars that have been earned from the dark mineral dug from the mountains and valleys and hauled to customers in our country and to foreign nations. In order to transport the coal, powerful locomotives and coal cars were required. This work enabled cities like Roanoke Va. with its large shops to grow and prosper.
One studies the past because it will reflect the future. N&W and the coalfields have achieved so much despite the obstacles that had to be overcome-costly construction in rugged mountain areas, floods, explosions in mines, wrecks and depressions. The future is unpredictable, but many experts believe that coal, electric power and the Norfolk and Western (now Norfolk Southern) have a great future.
A railroad is no stronger than its territory of operation and its people so this book emphasizes people, places and events.
A few announcements:
This is not a formal history. The author names many employees who carried out daily assignments and did not enter into merger decisions or the spending of millions of dollars on capital improvements.
The history outline, however, "builds" the railroad from Atlantic Ocean (Hopewell. Va.) to Gateway Arch. St. Louis. Mo. The "train of information" seeks to move you through farm lands of Virginia. the cities and towns coalfields and into the grain centers of the Midwest.
A railroad is vital for one reason, because it hauls the heavy stuff and gets it off the public highways. A railroad transports lots of different commodities-even greeting cards from Kansas City.
Yes, a railroad such as N&W has a variety of workers-tug boat captains in Detroit. Mich for example.
Author wishes to thank those individuals who contributed information.
Roanoke Transportation Museum has become the Virginia Museum of Transportation (in Roanoke).
Hotel Roanoke, at this writing, is vacant -a gift by the railway to Virginia Tech. Tech plans to have it reopened later, along with a conference center to be built on the hotel grounds.
The Norfolk and Western Magazine began in 1923, and was published several times each year on a regular schedule until June, 1982 when NW entered the Norfolk Southern merger. (Author joined the PR staff in 1956 and served as editor from 1969-82).
If one plans to travel by Amtrak, he or she can catch a vehicle at Campbell Court in downtown Roanoke and ride to Clifton Forge. Va., and then go east or west on Amtrak, but not on the same day. Better get a schedule and keep the information up-to-date.
The board is clear, the switches are in line, and "fire" is in the engine, so climb aboard for an interesting trip, we hope.
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