Norfolk & Southern Railway Historical Society

	Norfolk & Southern Railway Company Historical Society
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Resources:

Magazines and books that refer to the ol' Norfolk & Southern:
-- Magazine and Book Index List
-- N&SHS Newsletter Index of the Eastern Carolina Despatch
-- A Brief History of the First Norfolk Southern Railroad
-- I.C.C. Historical Railroad Investigation Reports (1911-1966) (DOT Special Collections External Website)
---- ICC Report #3763, Accident near Edenton, NC on July 5th, 1957

Note to people searching for Employee Records/Retirement Records/Family Genealogy:
NSHS does not have any Norfolk Southern Railway employee records. It is recommended that you contact the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board, which you can contact at 844 North Rush, Chicago, IL 60611 (312) 751-4500, or on the web at The U.S. Railroad Retirement Board: http://www.rrb.gov/

System Map:

High-resolution map of the N&S circa 1965:
-- NSMasterMapOct1965.gif (1.76 MB)

Aerial view of Carolina Yard in Chesapeake, VA, photo submitted by P.P. Coulter Jr.

Norfolk Southern Railway All-Time Diesel Roster:
(from Railfan & Railroad Aug. 1996 article "Norfolk Southern Railway" by John F. Sullivan)

NSRy No.	Builder	Model	B/N	Dates	SRy No.	Notes
1-17	EMD	GP18	27772-27788	9-10/63	180-196	Rebuilt by SR with high short hood, long hood forward
701-703	GE	70-ton	30013-30015	6/48	701,703	702 to Montpelier & Barre 30, 6/67; 701, 703 retired by SR 1978
661-663	Baldwin	DS4-4-660	73361, 2, 5	1, 1, 5/47	---	Retired mid-1960s
1001, 1002	Baldwin	DS4-4-1000	72832,72833	1/46	---	Retired mid-1960s
1501-1510	Baldwin	DRS6-4-1500	73487-73496	10/47-3/48	---	Retired mid-1960s
1601-1605	Baldwin	AS416	75237-75241	5-7/51	---	Retired mid-1960s
1606	Baldwin	AS416	75699	9/52	---	Retired upon SR merger
1607-1610	Baldwin	AS416	75721-75724	9-10/52	---	Retired upon SR merger
1611-1613	Baldwin	AS416	75938-75940	1/54	---	Retired upon SR merger
1614, 1615	Baldwin	AS416	76037, 76038	5/55	---	Retired upon SR merger
1616, 1617	Baldwin	AS416	76112, 76114	12/55	---	Retired upon SR merger, 1616 to Spencer Shops Museum
2001, 2002	EMD	GP38	31782, 31783	6/66	2280, 2281	Rebuilt by SR with high short hood, long hood forward
2003, 2004	EMD	GP38	32308, 32309	10/66	2282, 2283	Rebuilt by SR with high short hood, long hood forward
2005-2007	EMD	GP38	32491-32493	6-7/67	2884-2886	Rebuilt by SR with high short hood, long hood forward

Timetables

-- No. 96, June 12, 1929
-- No. 76, Dec. 29, 1929
-- No. 80, May 31, 1931 - this link goes to Jim's website
-- No. 7, Sunday, Dec. 8, 1935
-- No. 98, Oct. 18, 1945
-- No. ?, Mar. 30, 1947
-- No. 10, Sunday, May 6, 1951
-- No. 4, Sunday, Nov. 17, 1957
-- No. 1, Sunday, Jan. 14, 1962
-- No. 2, Sunday, July 12, 1964 - this link goes to Jim's website
-- More to be added as they surface.

Timeline

January 20, 1870 - The Elizabeth City & Norfolk Railroad is chartered.
1881 - The line opens running from Berkerly, VA to Elizabeth City and on to Edenton, NC.
Febuary 1, 1883 - Name changed to the Norfolk Southern Railroad.
1910 - Albemarle trestle is built thus ending 8 years of carfloat ferry operations from Edenton to Mackey, NC.
1914 - NS builds a line from Varina on the former Raleigh & Southport Railway to Colon and from Mount Gilead to Charlotte creating a continuous line from Norfolk to Charlotte.
May 27, 1920 - NS leases the Durham & South Carolina Railroad gaining access to Durham. The connection from Bonsal to Duncan was built around this time.
1937 - Norfolk Southern retires the last American Standard type (4-4-0) steam engine, #52.
1940 - Norfolk Southern receives last steam engines, 5 Berkshire type 2-8-4, #600-604 from Baldwin Locomotive Works.
1941 - NS retires the last locomotive in wheel arrangement 2-6-0, #116.
January 21, 1942 - Company was reorganized for the last time as the Norfolk Southern Railway.
December 30, 1946 - #661, the first of three diesel yard switchers arrives, thus beginning the dieselization of the Norfolk Southern Rwy.
1948 - NS sells 2-8-0 #203 to the Atlantic & Western. Today this is the sole remaining NS steam engine on display as A&W #12 in Sanford, NC. At the end of 1948, there were 31 steam locomotives and 18 diesels.
1950 - Controversial sale of the 600-series steam locomotives to the Domestic & Foreign Commerce Co. of Washington, DC. Later to Mexico (NdeM).
1951 - First year that diesel locomotives outnumber steam, 23 to 21.
January 12, 1954 - Last steam locomotive to operate in revenue service. Morning yard job 2-8-0 #538 at Glenwood Yard in Raleigh.
January 29, 1954 - NS retires all steam locomotives following the receipt of three additional diesel locomotives, #1611, 1612, 1613. Diesels roster totalled 31.
February 5, 1954 - Diesel 1611 leaves Carolina Yard, Norfolk, VA with six retired steam locomotives in tow. They are:

#133	4-6-0	Baldwin, 1913
#205	2-8-0	Baldwin, 1910
#215	2-8-0	Baldwin, 1916
#538	2-8-0	Baldwin, 1926
#542	2-8-0	Baldwin, 1926
#544	2-8-0	Baldwin, 1927

September 29, 1961 - NS moves headquarters from Norfolk, VA to Raleigh, NC.
January 1, 1974 - Norfolk Southern merges into the Southern Railway system after the Southern buys the NS.

Company officers
Presidents of Norfolk Southern:

* William E. Philips -- President, EC&N RR (1881-1882)
* William E. Philips -- President, NS RR (1883-1889)
* Watson B. Dickerman -- Receiver, NS RR (1889-1891)
* Watson B. Dickerman -- President, N&S RR (1891-1899)
* John Carstensen -- President, N&S RR (1900-1904)
* A.H. Flint -- President, N&S RR (1904-1905)
* Marsden J. Perry -- President, N&S RR (1905-1906)
* Frank S. Gannon -- President, N&S RR (1906-1908)
* Thomas Fitzgerald -- Receiver, N&S Ry (1908)
* Harry K. Walcott -- Receiver, N&S Ry (1908-1910)
* Hugh M. Kerr -- Receiver, N&S Ry (1908-1910)
* E.T. Lamb -- President, NS RR (1910-1912)
* Charles H. Hix -- President, NS RR (1912-1914)
* Joseph H. Young -- President, NS RR (1914-1918)
* R.H. Swartwout -- President, NS RR (1918-1919)
* George R. Loyall -- President, NS RR (1920-1932)
* G.R. Loyall & L.H. Windholz --Receivers, NS RR (1932-1933)
* M.H. Hawkins & L.H. Windholz --Receivers, NS RR (1933-1942)
* L.A. Beck -- President, NS Ry (1942-1947)
* J.T. Kingsley -- President, NS Ry (1947-1953)
* Patrick B. McGinnis served as Chairman of the Board during this time with Washington D.C. promoter, Joseph T. Kingsley. He later went on to Central of Georgia Railway for a while, then to the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad and later President of the Boston and Maine Railroad.
* G.M. Self -- President, NS Ry (1953-1954)
* J.R. Prichard -- President, NS Ry (1954-1956)
* Henry Oetjen -- President, NS Ry (1956- ?)

Other Website Resources

These other websites describe the History of the Norfolk Southern Railway. With all due respect, here they are:

Jim Cope's has a nice bit on the History:
http://geocities.com/nsrwy_1974/page3.html

Also, David Thompson has a great Timeline here:
http://users.inna.net/~jaydeet/timeline.htm

N&SHS member Bill Seller's History of the Local Railroads (Beaufort and Washington Counties, NC):
http://www.beaufort-county.com/sellersrr/
http://www.ncroots.com/SellersMem.htm - Memories of Washington, NC
http://digital.lib.ecu.edu/exhibits/tobacco/htmlFiles/TMAP.html - Article about Greenville's tobacco district

Bob Spruill has graciously sent this document to us. It describes Mackey's Ferry, NC:
NORFOLK & SOUTHERN RAILROAD AT MACKEYS FERRY.pdf - This will open up in Microsoft Word.

Steamlocomotive.com's page on the N&S Berkshires 2-8-4 steam engines