Norfolk and Western, Norfolk Southern
The Norfolk and Western itself grew into a great system, and the former Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad formed a major piece of the line used to transport bituminous coal from the mines in southwestern Virginia and southern West Virginia to port at Norfolk, where a huge coal pier was built at Lambert's Point. The N&W merged with the smaller but also highly efficient Virginian Railway in 1959, facilitating a more favorable route for eastbound coal than offered by the former South Side Railroad west of Burkeville. However, from that point east, the combination brought an increase to the South Side Railroad alignment as former VGN traffic was rerouted through Crewe to connect with the former N & P on its way to Lambert's Point. Norfolk & Western Railway was combined with the Southern Railway, another profitable carrier, to form Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) in 1982.
Over 150 years after completion, much of the former Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad route is still in active use and is a vital portion of Norfolk Southern Railway, a Class I railroad which has its headquarters in Norfolk, only a short distance from the coal piers at Lambert's Point.
In December, 2012, Amtrak is restoring "Northeast Regional" passenger service to the Hampton Roads area over this trackage, with a connection to the mainline built near the Collier yard south of Petersburg . The terminal in Norfolk will be adjacent to Harbor Park where the tracks pass on the way to Lambert's Point.
Read more about this topic: Norfolk And Petersburg Railroad
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