Collection Overview
Title: Norfolk and Western Railroad Records, 1881-1979
Creator: Norfolk and Western Railway Company.
Extent: 10.0 MS boxes
Arrangement:
Arranged by series as follows:
Series 1: History
Series 2: Annual reports
Series 3: Rules and By-laws
Series 4: Legal documents
Series 5: Subject files
Languages: English [eng]
Abstract
Chartered in 1881, the Norfolk and Western Railroad was created and organized when Clarence H. Clark and his associates purchased the property and franchises belonging to the Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad Company. The combined length owned by Clark and associates, after the rights had been bought in a public sale, was just over 400 miles. By the year 1900 another 1,100 miles had been added including a branch as far north as Columbus, Ohio. Growth was limited for the railroad until after the close of World War II. In 1959 Norfolk and Western acquired another 600 miles of track, used primarily for coal transport, from the then defunct Virginia Railway.
In 1964 N&W added another 2,100 miles to its already large network of tracks by buying up the franchise rights of the Nickel Plate Railroad. Finally, six years later in 1970 N&W took over full control of the Wabash Railroad which added yet another 2,400 miles. This stretched its lines to over 7,600 miles and included such cities as Norfolk, Buffalo and Detroit, and as far west as Chicago, Des Moines, Omaha and Kansas City. By 1970 the Norfolk and Western Railway Company had assets totaling over two billion dollars. Although it had much mileage in both Virginia and West Virginia more than two thirds of N&W track lay north and west of the Ohio River.
Scope and Contents of the Materials
This is a collection of Norfolk and Western Railroad Company business records and papers including agreements, annual fiscal reports, annual reports, annual reports to shareholders, articles of consolidation and merger, bills of sale, bonds, certificates, contracts, deeds, deeds of assignment, deeds of contracts and lease, deeds of conveyance, deeds of release, deeds of trust or mortgage, indentures, leases, lawsuits, petitions, plan of organization, power of attorney, releases, rule and by-law booklets, and subject files. All records, including the legal documents, are printed copies which would have been available to stockholders and regulatory agencies.
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions:
Records can be accessed through the Reading Room, Berea College Special Collections and Archives, Hutchins Library, Berea College.
Use Restrictions:
There are no restrictions placed on this collection other than federal copyright regulations.
Preferred Citation:
[Object identification/Folder/Box], Norfolk and Western Railroad Company Records, Collection, Berea College Special Collections and Archives, Berea, KY.
Other Note:
Collection Number: BCA 0063 SAA 063
Box and Folder Listing
- Series 1: History
- Historical and reference material pertaining to the Norfolk and Western Railroad. The inclusive dates are from the inception of the railroad up to 1958.
- Box 1
- Folder 1: History, 1882-1958
- Folder 2: History, (nd)
- Folder 3: VOL 1. Norfolk and Western Corporation History, (c. 1882)
- Series 2: Annual Reports
- Inclusive Annual Reports between 1881-1979 from the Norfolk and Western Railroad Company. The Annual Reports are divided into three categories, fiscal, being the most extensive of the group. The others are, stockholders and stockholders translated into French.
- Box 2
- Folder 1: Annual fiscal reports, 1897, 1899, 1900
- Folder 2: Annual fiscal reports, 1902, 1904, 1907
- Folder 3: Annual fiscal reports, 1912-1916
- Folder 4: Annual fiscal reports, 1917-1921
- Folder 5: Annual fiscal reports, 1922-1926
- Folder 6: Annual fiscal reports, 1927-1931
- Box 3
- Folder 1: Annual fiscal reports, 1932-1937
- Folder 2: Annual fiscal reports, 1938-1942
- Folder 3: Annual fiscal reports, 1943-1947
- Folder 4: Annual fiscal reports, 1948-1952
- Folder 5: Annual fiscal reports, 1953-1957
- Box 4
- Folder 1: Annual fiscal reports, 1958-1962
- Folder 2: Annual fiscal reports, 1963-1967
- Folder 3: Annual fiscal reports, 1968-1973
- (Missing 1972)
- Folder 4: Annual fiscal reports, 1974-1979
- (Missing 1976)
- Box 5
- Folder 1: Annual Report to the Stockholders, 1881-1884
- Folder 2: Annual Report to the Stockholders, 1887-1890
- (Missing 1889)
- Folder 3: Annual Report to the Stockholders, 1891-1892
- Folder 4: Annual Report to the Stockholders, 1894-1895
- Folder 5: Annual Report to the Stockholders (French), 1891-1894
- Folder 6: Annual report, 1883
- Series 3: Rules and By-Laws
- Series three contains two boxes of regulations, laws, rules and general information for employees of the Norfolk and Western Railroad. The years covered in this series is 1883-1943.
- Box 6
- Folder 1: Rules and By-laws, 1883-1904
- Folder 2: Rules and By-laws, 1905-1918
- Folder 3: Rules and By-laws, 1920-1923
- Folder 4: Rules and By-laws, 1924-1928
- Box 7
- Folder 1: Rules and By-laws, 1929-1931
- Folder 2: Rules and By-laws, 1931-1933
- Folder 3: Rules and By-laws, 1937-1943
- Folder 4: Rules and By-laws, 1945-1946
- Series 4: Legal Documents
- Includes: Agreements, Bonds, Deeds, Indentures, Leases, Lawsuits, Plan of Organization, Power of Attorney and Releases.
- Box 8
- Folder 1: Agreements, 1883-1909
- Folder 2: Agreements, 1910-1925
- Folder 3: Agreements, 1918, 1923
- Folder 4: Agreements-supplemental, 1907-1911
- Folder 5: Articles of Consolidation and Merger, 1889, 1890
- Folder 6: Bill of Sale, 1901, nd
- Folder 7: Bonds, 1907
- Folder 8: Certificates, 1896-1904
- Folder 9: Contracts, 1886
- Folder 10: Deeds, 1881-1898
- Folder 11: Deeds, 1902-1916
- Folder 12: Deeds, 1916-1919
- Folder 13: Deeds, nd
- Box 9
- Folder 1: Deeds of Assignment, 1897-1917
- Folder 2: Deeds, Contract and Lease, 1917
- Folder 3: Deeds of Conveyance, 1890-1910
- Folder 4: Deeds of Release, 1897-1916
- Folder 5: Deeds of Trust or Mortgage, 1883-1896
- Folder 6: Indentures, 1888-1919
- Folder 7: Leases, 1896-1917
- Folder 8: Lawsuits, (nd)
- Folder 9: Mortgages, 1881-1904
- Folder 10: Petitions, 1907-1915
- Folder 11: Plan of Organization, 1896
- Folder 12: Power of Attorney, 1904
- Folder 13: Releases, 1897
- Series 5: Subject Files
- Includes an assortment of information on railroads which were absorbed into the Norfolk and Western. Inclusive dates are 1868-1924.
- Box 10
- Folder 1: Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio RR, 1875, 1881
- Folder 2: Big Stoney, 1910
- Folder 3: Buck Creek, 1924
- Folder 4: Columbus connecting and terminal, 1892
- Folder 5: Columbus and Maysville, 1877-1881
- Folder 6: Laeger and Southern, 1904
- Folder 7: New River, Holston and Western, 1900-1902, 1913
- Folder 8: Norfolk, Lynchburg and Durham, 1890-1896
- Folder 9: Norfolk and Petersburg, 1868
- Folder 10: Norfolk, Roanoke and Southern, (nd)
- Folder 11: Scioto Valley, (nd)
- Folder 12: Shenandoah Valley, 1880-1890
- Folder 13: Shenandoah Valley (nd)
- Folder 14: Virginia, Carolina, 1912, nd
- Folder 15: Virginia Holding Corporation, (nd)
- Folder 16: Winston-Salem Southbound, 1910
- Folder 17: Winston-Salem Union Station Company, 1916