LOOKING BACK
A glimpse of Virginia business history

by Paul Levengood
for Virginia Business
April 2007

25 Years Ago

In 1982 two venerable railroads with deep roots in Virginia — Norfolk & Western Railway and Southern Railway — merged with the creation of a new holding company, Norfolk Southern Corp.

The histories of the two railroads spanned the entire timeline of railroads in the United States. Their union was a part of industry consolidation that in the previous decade also had spawned Conrail and CSX. For a time, Norfolk Southern and CSX both had their headquarters in Virginia, making it one of the most important rail cen­ters in the nation.

CSX moved its headquarters to Jacksonville, Fla., four years ago, but Norfolk Southern continues to call Norfolk home. It is one of the state’s most significant corporations, operating more than 21,000 miles of track in 22 states and employing more than 30,000 people.

Paul Levengood is managing editor of the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography at the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond. He also serves as the program coordinator of the Reynolds Business History Center. For more information, go to www.vahistorical.org.