The Richmond and Danville Railroad (R&D) Company was a

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

that operated independently from 1847 until 1894, first in the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

state of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, and later on of track in nine states. Chartered on March 9, 1847, the railroad completed its line between

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

and Danville in

1856 Events January–March * January 8 – Borax deposits are discovered in large quantities by John Veatch in California. * January 23 – American paddle steamer SS ''Pacific'' leaves Liverpool (England) for a transatlantic voyag ...

.Interstate Commerce Commission. ''Southern Ry. Co.'', Volume 37, Interstate Commerce Commission Valuation Reports, November 6, 1931, p. 555. Washington: United States Government Printing Office, 1932. . During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, the railroad was a vital link between the

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

capital of Richmond and the rest of the Confederacy. After the Civil War, the railroad grew to become the Richmond and Danville Railroad Company System. Placed in receivership in 1892, the Richmond and Danville Railroad Company was sold in 1894 and conveyed into the new Southern Railway Company (later the

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...

) in 1896 and 1897.

History

Beginnings (1847-61)

The new Richmond and Danville Railroad was championed by

Whitmell P. Tunstall Whitmell Pugh Tunstall (April 15, 1810 – February 19, 1854) was a lawyer and state legislator in Chatham, Virginia. He was the long-time advocate most responsible for the creation of the Richmond and Danville Railroad which was completed i ...

, a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

Chatham, Virginia Chatham is a town in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, Pittsylvania County, Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, Pittsylvania County. Chatham's population was 1,269 at the 2010 census. It is included in the ...

, who was also a member of the

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 161 ...

. After many years, Tunstall secured a charter for the new railroad on March 9, 1847. In the same year, the state of Virginia took a 60% interest in the capital stock of the company, which it would hold until 1871. Construction on the line began on January 31, 1848 under the supervision of Col.

Andrew Talcott Andrew Talcott (1797–1883) was an American civil engineer and close friend of Civil War General Robert E. Lee. He did not serve during the Civil War, as he could not fight against the Union, nor fight against his brothers in the South. He trav ...

, who was later to become the Richmond and Danville's general manager. By 1850, the new railroad had reached

Coalfield Station Midlothian ( ) is an unincorporated area in Chesterfield County, Virginia, U.S. Settled as a coal town, Midlothian village experienced suburbanization effects and is now part of the western suburbs of Richmond, Virginia south of the James R ...

, near the coal mines in an area known today as

Midlothian Midlothian (; gd, Meadhan Lodainn) is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh, ...

in western Chesterfield County. There, it competed with the mule-powered

Chesterfield Railroad The Chesterfield Railroad was located in Chesterfield County, Virginia. It was a long mule-and-gravity powered line that connected the Midlothian coal mines with wharves that were located at the head of navigation on the James River just below th ...

, the first railroad established in Virginia. Lawsuits followed, but the older railroad was quickly supplanted by the competition. The

allowed the Richmond and Danville Railroad to buy the

for as much as $200,000 in 1848. By the end of 1851, the line had reached Jetersville in

Amelia County Amelia County is a county located just southwest of Richmond in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. The county is located in Central Virginia and is included in the Greater Richmond Region. Its county seat is Amelia Court House. Ameli ...

. Two years later, it was completed to a point near Drakes Branch, and had been graded to

South Boston South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. South Boston, colloquially known as Southie, has undergone several demographic transformati ...

in Halifax County. On May 16, 1856, the railroad had finished construction of the main line. In 1856, the Richmond and Danville Railroad was long, with bridges over the

James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...

, the

Staunton River The Roanoke River ( ) runs long through southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States. A major river of the southeastern United States, it drains a largely rural area of the coastal plain from the eastern edge of the App ...

and the

Dan River The Dan River flows in the U.S. states of North Carolina and Virginia. It rises in Patrick County, Virginia, and crosses the state border into Stokes County, North Carolina. It then flows into Rockingham County. From there it flows back int ...

. Its stations included: *

* Midlothian Coal Pits * Amelia Court House * Jetersville * Jennings Ordinary * Burkeville *

Meherrin The Meherrin Nation (autonym: Kauwets'a:ka, "People of the Water") is one of seven state-recognized nations of Native Americans in North Carolina. They reside in rural northeastern North Carolina, near the river of the same name on the Virgini ...

* Keysville * Mossingford, now Mossingford Road

Virginia State Route 642 State Route 642 (SR 642) in the U.S. state of Virginia is a secondary route designation applied to multiple discontinuous road segments among many counties. The list below describes the sections in each county that are designated SR 642. List ...

, in Charlotte County. *

Clover Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus ...

* New's Ferry in Halifax County * Barksdale in Halifax County * Ringgold *

* Danville

Civil War (1861–1865)

Known as the "first railroad war," the

devastated the South's railroads and economy. In 1862, the

Richmond and York River Railroad The Richmond and York River Railroad Company was incorporated under an act of the Virginia General Assembly on January 31, 1853.Interstate Commerce Commission. ''Southern Ry. Co.'', Volume 37, Interstate Commerce Commission Valuation Reports, Nove ...

— acquired after the war by the R&D — played a crucial role in

George McClellan George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American soldier, Civil War Union general, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey. A graduate of West Point, McCl ...

's Peninsula Campaign. In 1862, the R&D employed 400 laborers, 50 train hands, 30 carpenters, and 20 blacksmiths. The railroad also employed 300 slaves, some of which it owned and some whose labor it rented from local planters. If a rented slave was injured or killed, the railroad reimbursed his or her owner; in one instance, the R&D paid $1,379.44 for a slave killed in an accident. Some enslaved women were put to work as maids in ladies' dining cars. The Richmond and Danville Railroad was an essential transportation link for the Confederacy throughout the war. It provided the production of south-central Virginia to

. When the

Richmond and Petersburg Railroad The Richmond and Petersburg Railroad moved passengers and goods between Richmond and Petersburg from 1838 to 1898. It survived the American Civil War and eventually merged into the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1900. History The Richmond and Pe ...

was cut in 1864, the R&D's connection with the

Piedmont Railroad it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

was the only remaining connection from Richmond to the rest of the South. The

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

was often handicapped by its inability to transport supplies efficiently from depots to forces in the field. In one case, the war forced the Confederate government to over-rule objections by

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. That state had blocked construction of a rail connection from

Greensboro Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...

to Danville, fearing that post-war trade from North Carolina's Piedmont would continue to flow to Richmond via the R&D.

April 1865

Following successful Union attacks on April 1, 1865, Confederate Gen.

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

abandoned Petersburg and headed west and south in an attempt to join Gen.

Joseph Johnston Joseph Johnston may refer to: *Joseph Johnston (Irish politician) (1890–1972), Irish academic, farmer and politician * Allan Johnston (politician) (Joseph Allan Johnston, 1904–1974), Liberal party member of the Canadian House of Commons * Joseph ...

's army in North Carolina. After evacuating Richmond the next day, on April 2, 1865, Confederate President

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a ...

and his cabinet left Richmond on the R&D. The departing Confederates set fire to the bridge across the James River between Richmond and

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. They traveled to Danville, where they attempted to set up a temporary government. On reaching Amelia Courthouse during the morning of April 4, 1865, Lee searched the commissary stores, finding abundant ordnance but no food. Lee waited 24 hours in vain there for R&D trains to arrive with badly needed supplies.

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

cavalry, meanwhile, sped forward and cut the Richmond & Danville at Jetersville. Lee had to abandon the railroad, and his army stumbled across rolling country towards Lynchburg. On the morning of April 9, 1865,

Palm Sunday Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels. Palm Sunday marks the first day of Holy ...

, Lee met Grant in the front parlor of

Wilmer McLean Wilmer McLean (May 3, 1814 – June 5, 1882) was an American wholesale grocer from Virginia. His house, near Manassas, Virginia, was involved in the First Battle of Bull Run in 1861. After the battle, he moved to Appomattox, Virginia, to escape t ...

's home near

Appomattox Court House Appomattox Court House could refer to: * The village of Appomattox Court House, now the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, in central Virginia (U.S.), where Confederate army commander Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union commander Ulyss ...

to surrender.

Reconstruction (1865–94)

1891 Poor's Richmond and Danville Railroad

Piedmont Air Line System advertisement 1882

With the support of Virginia Governor

Francis H. Pierpont Francis Harrison Pierpont (January 25, 1814March 24, 1899), called the "Father of West Virginia," was an American lawyer and politician who achieved prominence during the American Civil War. During the conflict's first two years, Pierpont served ...

Algernon S. Buford Algernon Sidney Buford (January 2, 1826 – May 6, 1911) was a Virginian businessman, politician, and lawyer best known for his 22-year presidency of the Richmond and Danville Railroad, during which he was responsible for growing the line from 1 ...

became president of the R&D on September 13, 1865. Repair work began on war-damaged tracks, including the bridge across the

between

and

. Over the next 20 years, Buford, Richmonder

James H. Dooley James Henry Dooley (January 17, 1841 – November 16, 1922) was a Virginia lawyer, business leader, politician, and philanthropist based in Richmond during Reconstruction and the Gilded Age. He represented Richmond in the Virginia House of Dele ...

, and other leaders extended the railroad's trackage to 3,000 miles through construction and acquisition. Early acquisitions included the

in 1866 and a 25-year lease of the

North Carolina Railroad The North Carolina Railroad is a state-owned rail corridor extending from Morehead City, North Carolina to Charlotte, North Carolina. The railroad carries over seventy freight trains offered by the Norfolk Southern Railway and eight passenger t ...

in 1871. In 1871, the Southern Railway Security Company acquired the 60 percent stake in the railroad held by the state of Virginia. Another large shareholder was the

Pennsylvania Railroad Company The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

.ICC, ''Southern Ry. Co.'' valuation report, 1931, p. 557. In 1877, Buford joined with Andrew Talcott, Thomas Mann Talcott, and others to form the Bon Air Land and Improvement Company, a land investment that added a

resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, swimming, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term ''resort ...

train stop in Bon Air six miles east of Richmond. In 1880, control of the R&D was acquired by

William P. Clyde William Pancoast Clyde (October 11, 1839 – November 18, 1923) was an American businessman who was the owner and president of the Clyde Steamship Company, a steamship and canal boat mercantile and passenger transportation business founded by h ...

and interests that controlled the Richmond, York River and Chesapeake Rail Road Company. In 1881, the Richmond and West Point Terminal Railway and Warehouse Company was organized to develop and expand the R&D, whose charter limited its control of connecting railroads. In 1882, the R&D, along with the

Northwestern North Carolina Railroad Northwestern or North-western or North western may refer to: * Northwest, a direction * Northwestern University, a private research university in Evanston, Illinois ** The Northwestern Wildcats, this school's intercollegiate athletic program ** No ...

Charlotte, Columbia and Augusta Railroad The Charlotte, Columbia and Augusta Railroad was formed in 1869 with the merger of the Charlotte and South Carolina Railroad and the Columbia and Augusta Railroad. Route The combined line stretched for over between Charlotte, North Carolina, an ...

Atlanta and Charlotte Air-Line Railway The Atlanta and Charlotte Air Line Railway emerged from the 1877 re-organization of the Atlanta and Richmond Air Line Railway. Later, in 1894, it became part of the Southern Railway. It was finally merged into the Norfolk Southern Railway in 1996. ...

and the

Columbia and Greenville Railroad The Columbia and Greenville Railroad was a South Carolina railroad that operated in the late 19th century. Originally chartered and begun as the Greenville and Columbia Railroad, the line was sold under foreclosure and reorganized under the Columb ...

lines were being operated as the Piedmont Air-Line System advertised as the shortest line between New York, New Orleans and Texas. One improvement that year was the installation of two steam powered Nutter car hoists in north

Danville, Virginia Danville is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States, located in the Southside Virginia region and on the fall line of the Dan River. It was a center of tobacco production and was an area of Confederate activity ...

in order to allow truck exchange to allow cars to be exchanged across the

break of gauge With railways, a break of gauge occurs where a line of one track gauge (the distance between the rails, or between the wheels of trains designed to run on those rails) meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock generally cannot ...

with the

Virginia Midland Railway Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

. In or about 1886, the Richmond and West Point Terminal Railway and Warehouse Company acquired a majority of R&D Company stock, and thus control of the railroad.ICC, ''Southern Ry. Co.'' valuation report, 1931, p. 558.ICC, ''Southern Ry. Co.'' valuation report, 1931, p. 563. By 1890, the R&D System covered of track in Virginia,

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, Georgia,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

, and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. However, the R&D System had become financially unstable during all the growth. After the Richmond and West Point Terminal Railway and Warehouse Company, declared bankruptcy, the R&D Company was pulled down with it. Receivers were appointed to take possession of its property, including its subsidiaries, on June 15, 1892.

Southern Railway System (1894-1982)

On June 18, 1894, the R&D was sold in foreclosure. Its property was surrendered to Southern Railway Company for operation on July 1, 1894, even though the deeds of conveyance were not completed and filed until later. Reorganized by

J.P. Morgan JP may refer to: Arts and media * ''JP'' (album), 2001, by American singer Jesse Powell * ''Jp'' (magazine), an American Jeep magazine * ''Jönköpings-Posten'', a Swedish newspaper * Judas Priest, an English heavy metal band * ''Jurassic Park ...

and his New York banking firm of Drexel, Morgan and Company, the R&D was merged with five other railroads to form the new Southern Railway. The R&D property was formally conveyed to Southern Railway Company by deeds dated January 9, 1896, and August 30, 1897.ICC, ''Southern Ry. Co.'' valuation report, 1931, p. 212. The Southern Railway Company, incorporated in Virginia on the same date, June 18, 1894, controlled over of line at its inception. Samuel Spencer became Southern's first president.

Norfolk Southern (1982-present)

Norfolk Southern Corporation The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31, ...

, a holding corporation, acquired control of Norfolk and Western Railway Company and Southern Railway Company and their affiliates and subsidiaries on June 1, 1982, after approval by the

Interstate Commerce Commission The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was a regulatory agency in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads (and later trucking) to ensure fair rates, to eliminat ...

. Effective December 31, 1990, Southern Railway Company changed its name to Norfolk Southern Railway Company. Norfolk and Western Railway Company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Norfolk Southern Railway Company rather than a subsidiary of Norfolk Southern Corporation. In 1999, the system grew substantially with the acquisition of over half of

Consolidated Rail Corporation Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busi ...

(Conrail).

Officers

Presidents

(1847 – February 19, 1854) * A. F. D. (Adolphus Frederick Danberry) Gifford (February 19, 1854 – April 13, 1854) (acting president) * Vincent Witcher (April 13, 1854 – December 10, 1856) * Lewis E. Harvie (December 10, 1856 – September 12, 1865) *

Algernon Sidney Buford Algernon Sidney Buford (January 2, 1826 – May 6, 1911) was a Virginian businessman, politician, and lawyer best known for his 22-year presidency of the Richmond and Danville Railroad, during which he was responsible for growing the line from 1 ...

(September 13, 1865 – December 16, 1886) * George S. Scott (1884, December 21, 1887 – December 18, 1889) * Alfred Sully (December 16, 1886 – December 21, 1887) *

John H. Inman John Hamilton Inman (23 October 1844 – 5 November 1896) was an American capitalist who invested in cotton, coal, iron and steel, and railroads, especially in the impoverished American South during the Reconstruction Era. While he is remembere ...

(December 18, 1889 – March 16, 1892) * Walter G.(George) Oakman (March 16, 1892 – 1894)

Vice presidents

* A. F. D. Gifford * A. Y. Stokes (1868 or before – 1880/1) * Joseph N.(Napoleon) DuBarry (Btw. 1876 and 1878 – 1880/1) *

Thomas M. Logan Thomas Muldrup Logan (November 3, 1840 – August 11, 1914) was an American soldier and businessman. He served as a Confederate general during the American Civil War, and afterward was greatly involved in railroad development in the Southern ...

(1881/2 – 1883), 1st VP * T. M. R.(Thomas Mann Randolph) Talcott (1881/2 – 1883, 1888/9 – 1889), 2nd VP 1881/2–1883, 1st VP 1888/9–1889 * Joseph Bryan (1881/2 – 1884), 3rd VP *

Calvin S. Brice Calvin Stewart Brice (September 17, 1845 – December 15, 1898) was an American businessman and Democratic politician from Ohio. He is best remembered for his single term in the United States Senate, his role as chairman of the Democratic Natio ...

(1884), 1st VP * Alfred L. Rives (1883 – 1885/6), 2nd VP * Frederick W. Huidekoper (1885 – 1885/6), 1st VP * Walter G.(George) Oakman (Fall 1883 – 1887, 1887 – May 1, 1891), 3rd VP Fall 1883–1887, 2nd VP 1887–1888, 1st VP 1888–May 1, 1891, Pres. 1892–1894 * Alexander B.(Boyd) Andrews (1886/7 – 1894), 3rd VP 1886/7–1889, 2nd VP 1890–1894 * Henry Fink (Apr. 30, 1887 – Dec. 16, 1887) * J. W. Johnston (1890), 3rd VP * Peyton Randolph (1891), 3rd VP * John A. Rutherford (1892 – 1894), 3rd VP

Acquired railroads

* Piedmont Railroad: A 48.5-mile line from

, to

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...

. Chartered in March 1862. Construction began 1862 and ended late 1863. The R&D bought most shares and built and operated the railroad. Leased to R&D for 86 years on Feb. 20, 1874. Bought by the Southern Railway in 1894. *

– A 223.15-mile line from Goldsboro to

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

, leased for 30 years (starting Oct. 1871) on September 11, 1871, for an annual rent of $260,000. The North Carolina Railroad Company was chartered on January 27, 1849, and the line opened January 30, 1856. The R&D made an offer to lease the NC RR in January 1871 but was rejected. In September 1871, a new offer was made and accepted. In 1895, R&D successor Southern Railway negotiated a 99-year lease for the NC RR. * North-Western North Carolina Railroad: A 103.22-mile line from Greensboro to Wilkesboro,

. The NWNC RR was chartered in 1868 and acquired by the R&D in early 1871. The line was finished in 1873. Purchased by the Southern Railway along with the rest of the R&D system in 1894. *

Richmond, York River and Chesapeake Railroad The Richmond and York River Railroad Company was incorporated under an act of the Virginia General Assembly on January 31, 1853.Interstate Commerce Commission. ''Southern Ry. Co.'', Volume 37, Interstate Commerce Commission Valuation Reports, Nove ...

* Milton and Sutherlin

Railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

State University Railroad The State University Railroad is a 10.2 mile railroad spur of the North Carolina Railroad that began offering service from Glenn, North Carolina, near Hillsborough to a point west of Chapel Hill, North Carolina on January 1, 1882. History As ...

Atlanta and Charlotte Air Line Railway The Atlanta and Charlotte Air Line Railway emerged from the 1877 re-organization of the Atlanta and Richmond Air Line Railway. Later, in 1894, it became part of the Southern Railway. It was finally merged into the Norfolk Southern Railway in 1996. ...

Atlantic, Tennessee and Ohio Railroad The Atlantic, Tennessee and Ohio Railroad Company in North Carolina was incorporated under act of Tennessee on February 26, 1852, and under act of North Carolina on February 15, 1855, as Atlantic, Tennessee and Ohio Railroad Company.Interstate Com ...

* Danville, Mocksville, and Southwestern

Chester and Lenoir Narrow Gauge Railroad The Chester and Lenoir Narrow Gauge Railroad was a narrow-gauge railroad that served South Carolina following the Civil War. In 1873, the Chester and Lenoir acquired the route of the Kings Mountain Railroad, which had been started before the Am ...

Asheville and Spartanburg Railroad The Asheville and Spartanburg Railroad was a Southern United States railroad that served South Carolina and North Carolina in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The line was chartered as the Spartanburg and Asheville Railroad in 1873 and ...

Western North Carolina Railroad Western North-Carolina Railroad Company was incorporated under act of North Carolina on February 15, 1855.Interstate Commerce Commission. ''Southern Ry. Co.'', Volume 37, Interstate Commerce Commission Valuation Reports, November 6, 1931, p. 215 ...

* Statesville and Western

* Oxford and Henderson

* Oxford and Clarksville

* Danville and Western

* High Point, Randleman, Asheboro and Southern

* North Carolina Midland

Atlantic and Danville Railway The Atlantic and Danville Railway was a Class I railroad which operated in Virginia and North Carolina. The company was founded in 1882 and opened its mainline between Portsmouth, Virginia and Danville, Virginia in 1890. The Southern Railway lea ...

Yadkin Valley Railroad The Yadkin Valley Railroad is the trade name of the Piedmont and Atlantic Railroad and is a shortline railroad operating two lines leased from the Norfolk Southern Railway (Then purchased outright in 2009) originating out of Rural Hall, North Car ...

Maps

* ''in'' * ''at'
D. H.Ramsey Library, Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville 28804

Notes

References

* ''at''

Google Books Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical c ...

* * * * * Interstate Commerce Commission. ''Southern Ry. Co.'', Volume 37, Interstate Commerce Commission Valuation Reports, November 6, 1931. Washington: United States Government Printing Office, 1932. .
Confederate Railroads website

Civil War Richmond

*

Scott Reynolds Nelson Scott Reynolds Nelson is the Georgia Athletic Association Professor of History at the University of Georgia. He was formerly the Legum Professor of History at the College of William and Mary. He is a historian of the American Civil War and the Gi ...

(1999) ''Iron Confederacies: Southern Railways, Klan Violence, and Reconstruction''
Virginia Places, Sectional Rivalry page

* ttp://www.civilwarhome.com/appomattoxcampaign.htm US Civil War, Appomattox Campaign
The Stranger's Guide and Official Directory for the City of Richmond Electronic Edition

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richmond Danville Railroad Defunct Virginia railroads Defunct North Carolina railroads Defunct South Carolina railroads Defunct Georgia (U.S. state) railroads Defunct Alabama railroads Defunct Mississippi railroads Railway lines in Atlanta Predecessors of the Southern Railway (U.S.) History of Richmond, Virginia Railway companies established in 1847 Railway companies disestablished in 1894 Defunct Washington, D.C., railroads 5 ft gauge railways in the United States 1847 establishments in Virginia