Replacement
The Blue Ridge Railroad ceased to exist once the route across the mountains was completed, becoming a part of the Virginia Central Railroad. In 1868 the Virginia Central was merged with another state-chartered railroad, the Covington and Ohio Railroad, to create the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad (renamed Chesapeake and Ohio Railway in 1878). This helped achieve Virginia's long-term goal of linking its navigable rivers of the Chesapeake Bay watershed with the Ohio River. The C&O Railroad was subsequently sold to Collis Potter Huntington.
The C&O replaced the Blue Ridge Tunnel in 1944 with a larger, parallel tunnel to accommodate increased rail traffic of World War II materiel. The new tunnel - which was 4 feet (1.2 m) off alignment when constructed - is now referred to as the Blue Ridge Tunnel. It is still in use by CSX Transportation, the Buckingham Branch Railroad and Amtrak.
Read more about this topic: Blue Ridge Tunnel
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