1859 VA. Norfolk and Petersburg Rail Road Company

Description

1858     Bright white  with a few folds.   Shipped flat.
The
Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad
was built between
Norfolk
and
Petersburg, Virginia
and was completed by 1858. The line was 85 miles (137 km) of
5 ft
(
1,524 mm
)
[
track gauge
.
It played a role on the
American Civil War
(1861–1865), and became part of the
Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad
(AM&O) in 1870. The AM&O became the
Norfolk and Western
(N&W) in 1881. About 100 years later, the Norfolk and Western was combined with the
Southern Railway
, another profitable carrier, to form the
Norfolk Southern Railway
in 1982.
In the 21st century, almost all of the original well-engineered N&P, including the corduroy roadbed through the
Great Dismal Swamp
and 52-mile tangent alignment is still in service. It forms part of a major
coal
export route terminating at
Lambert's Point
near
Hampton Roads
. In addition to coal, most of the route is in active use in the 20th century for
intermodal
container and automobile parts and completed vehicle shipments.