Roanoke - A Railroad Town

Roanoke - A Railroad Town. The David R. and Susan S. Goode Railwalk. In recent years, Roanoke has shed its image as a “railroad town” as others have surpassed the railroad as the major employer. However, without the N&W, Roanoke might not have existed. For those who wish to deny the impact of the railroad on Roanoke, one only needs to look about from where you stand. , A turn to your right and you see part of the large Roanoke Shops complex, almost directly ahead, the N&W passenger station, now home to The Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, and O. Winston Link Museum, next N&W-built Hotel Roanoke and to your left, the former General Office buildings, the N&W’s headquarters for over 100 years. , A single industry can rarely provide as much influence and community contribution as the N&W did in its day. The N&W was a “family” and even in its darkest days of the Great Depression, the N&W did not layoff a single worker. Rail traffic was down by vast numbers in 1930-1936 and the last thing a company wanted to do is spend money. But the N&W did, building and rebuilding new locomotives the entire time, with reduced hours in the Shops. , Roanoke’s “Other” Railroad, Often overshadowed and forgotten is Roanoke’s “other railroad, the Virginian Railway. Located about a mile south of this location, the Virginian was never as flashy or influential to Roanoke, but remains a vital part of today’s Norfolk Southern. , The Virginian was a latecomer to the scene; one of only a handful of major railroads entirely constructed after 1900. The Virginian was financed by a single person, Henry Huttleston Rogers, who had made his fortune with the Standard Oil Company. Rogers was rebuffed by the N&W and C&O on reasonable rates to move coal from West Virginia to the coast. So he built his own railroad! , The Virginian never did anything small, buying the biggest locomotives, cars and became a “coal conveyor” to Tidewater. , The Virginian also had the benefit of easier grades east of Roanoke, and was coveted by the Norfolk and Western, on December 1, 1959, Virginian became part of the N&W.