Admininstrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from Tidewater/Virginia Railway Company Records must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Tidewater/Virginia Railway Company Records, Ms2011-044, Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.

Acquisition Information

The collection was purchased by Special Collection in 2011.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Tidewater/Virginia Railway Company Records was completed in May 2011.

Historical Note

The Tidewater Railway System was built in 1904 as an intrastate highway by William Nelson Page and Henry Huttleson Rogers in order to connect the Hampton Roads area with the coal mining regions and railroads of West Virginia. In 1907, Tidewater Railway was renamed the Virginia Railway Company. Known for its success and use of modern technologies, the Virginia Railway company became known as the "Richest Little Railroad in the World." Eventually, the Virginia Railway Company merged with the Norfolk and Western Railway in 1959. Today, the lines of the Virginia Railway Company operate under Norfolk and Western's successor, Norfolk and Southern.

Scope and Content

The collection consists of financial records of the Tidewater/Virginia Railway Company in the early days of the railway system. The bulk of the collection is made up of expense reports, bills, receipts, and vouchers for the railway employees. The bulk of the material dates from August and September 1905.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in its original, semi-chronological, order.

Index Terms

Local Subjects:

• Local/Regional History
• Railroad