Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from the Norfolk & Western Railway and Associated Companies Collection must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Norfolk & Western Railway and Associated Companies Collection, Ms2009-037 - Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Acquisition Information

The first accrual of the Norfolk & Western Railway and Associated Companies Collection was purchased in 2008. The second accrual was purchased from the same source in 2009.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement and description of the first accrual of the Norfolk & Western Railway and Associated Companies Collection commenced and was completed in March 2009. In the first accrual, materials relating to the N&W and affiliates were processed as the Norfolk & Western Railway and Associated Companies Collection. The working and personal papers of Chapman J. French, distinguishable from the remainder of the collection, were separated into a second collection bearing French's name (Ms2009-034). Other materials, not related in any way to the N&W were divided into various individual collections (see "separated materials" section). The second accrual, in keeping with the work done on the first, was also divided between the Norfolk & Western Railway and Associated Companies Collection and the Chapman J. French Papers. With the second accrual, however, materials which were not related in any way to the N&W and its affiliates, as well as N&W-related memorabilia and other items which had been created for external use or created by others, were moved to a new collection bearing the name of the collector, Wayne Perkins. Processing of the second accrual of the Norfolk & Western Railway and Associated Companies Collection commenced in April 2010 and was completed in September 2010.

Historical Information

The Norfolk & Western Railway was established through a reorganization of the bankrupt Norfolk and Western Railroad in 1896, the latter company itself having arisen from the Atlantic, Mississippi & Ohio Railroad, a successor to the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad. Through expansion and various mergers, the N&W grew to become a major U.S. carrier, serving 14 states. The company manufactured steam locomotives at its own Roanoke Machine Works (established in Roanoke, Virginia in 1882), and among the railroad's affiliated holdings were several hotels (represented in this collection by the Bluefield Inn and the Hotel Roanoke). Among the company's larger merger acquisitions was the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad--the "Nickel Plate Road"--in 1964. (Other acquisitions represented in this collection are the Atlantic & Danville Railway (1962); the New Jersey, Indiana & Illinois Railroad (through acquisition of the Wabash Railroad, 1962); and the Winston-Salem Southbound Railway (acquired and operated jointly with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, 1909).) In 1982, the N&W combined with the Southern Railway to form Norfolk Southern Corporation.

Scope and Content

This collection contains materials from the Norfolk & Western Railway, several of its predecessor and subsidiary lines, and associated companies. The collection contains such items as financial and legal documents, reports, maps, plans, timetables, work documents, and printed materials.

The operations of the Norfolk & Western Railway are represented in the collection by a diverse array of materials, including such items as seniority rosters, descriptions / classifications of the company's rolling stock, and printed materials (including legal agreements and a list of Roanoke sidings and team tracks). The N&W materials also include several timetables, train orders, and memoranda from the Passenger Traffic Department. Most significantly, perhaps, the materials include a bound set of standard plans issued by the office of the company's chief engineer. The standards book includes specifications for company-manufactured or -constructed buildings, tools, signs, roadways, bridges, tunnels, appurtenances, etc. Among the remaining materials are a number of financial documents, including such materials as account statements and disbursement vouchers. Also relating to various aspects of daily company operations are several items, including a record book of clerical personnel at the Bluefield Yards; a conductor's train book, bulletins from Crew, Virginia; Passenger Traffic Department circular letters; and time return and delay reports.

The collection also includes several construction job files for the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad Company (the "Nickel Plate Road") projects in Ohio during the late 1950s. Included in the files for jobs at Huron, Canton, Toledo, Massilon, Georgetown, Fremont, Ironville, Cleveland, and Burbank, are maps, legal documents, balance sheets, correspondence, and reports.

Among the materials in the collection representing other companies are antebellum payment records from the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad (including payrolls and disbursement vouchers). From the Norfolk and Western Railroad are various financial and legal documents, including account statements, purchase vouchers, and reports, all largely relating to the company's reorganization. Among the many other companies represented in the collection are: the Deepwater Railway; Hotel Roanoke; New Jersey, Indiana & Illinois Railroad; Roanoke Machine Works; Shenandoah Valley Railroad; Tidewater Railway; and Winston-Salem Southbound Railway.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged alphabetically by company name, then alphabetically by topic or document type.

Related Material

Special Collections holds several other manuscript collections as well as books relating to the Norfolk & Western and its affiliates. Consult the Guide to Manuscript Sources for Railroad History Research and the library's catalog.

The Norfolk & Western Railway and Associated Companies Collection was purchased in two accruals. With the first accrual, materials that were determined to relate specifically to the Norfolk & Western, its predecessors and affiliates were retained in this collection (Ms2009-037). The personal and working papers of Chapman J. French, a civil engineer employed by the company, were easily distinguishable and were separated to the newly created Chapman J. French Papers (Ms2009-034). Materials that did not relate in any way to the N&W were separated into the following individual collections:

Much of the second accrual was likewise divided between the Norfolk & Western Railway and Associated Companies Collection and the Chapman J. French Papers. In the second accrual, however, materials that did not relate to the N&W were separated into a newly created collection bearing the name of the collector, Wayne Perkins.

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• New York, Chicago, and St. Louis Railway Company.
• Norfolk and Western Railroad Company.

Local Subjects:

• Local/Regional History
• Railroad

Adjunct Descriptive Data

Special Collections holds several other manuscript collections as well as books relating to the Norfolk & Western and its affiliates. Consult the Guide to Manuscript Sources for Railroad History Research and the library's catalog.

The Norfolk & Western Railway and Associated Companies Collection was purchased in two accruals. With the first accrual, materials that were determined to relate specifically to the Norfolk & Western, its predecessors and affiliates were retained in this collection (Ms2009-037). The personal and working papers of Chapman J. French, a civil engineer employed by the company, were easily distinguishable and were separated to the newly created Chapman J. French Papers (Ms2009-034). Materials that did not relate in any way to the N&W were separated into the following individual collections:

Much of the second accrual was likewise divided between the Norfolk & Western Railway and Associated Companies Collection and the Chapman J. French Papers. In the second accrual, however, materials that did not relate to the N&W were separated into a newly created collection bearing the name of the collector, Wayne Perkins.