Robert Hall Smith (March 10, 1888 – June 18, 1960), a native of

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, served as President of the

Norfolk and Western Railway The Norfolk and Western Railway , commonly called the N&W, was a US class I railroad, formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It was headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, for most of its existence. Its motto was "Precisi ...

(N&W) from 1946 to 1958. He was first employed on the N&W during the summer of 1910 as an axeman and chainman on a surveying crew. After graduating

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from

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in 1911, he returned to the N&W where he remained until his retirement. Smith was named Vice President Operations in 1941. He succeeded

William J. Jenks The Norfolk and Western Railway , commonly called the N&W, was a US class I railroad, formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It was headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, for most of its existence. Its motto was "Precis ...

as president in 1946. Smith was a proponent of steam motive power during his tenure as president. He authorized operating tests in 1952 to compare General Motors Electro-Motive Division diesel locomotives with two N&W-designed and -built steam locomotives. He also supported the experimental coal-burning, steam-turbine electric locomotive, '' Jawn Henry'', which the Railway tested from 1954 to 1957. Smith retired from the N&W on March 31, 1958, and was succeeded by

Stuart T. Saunders Stuart Thomas Saunders, Sr. (July 16, 1909 – February 7, 1987) was an American railroad executive best known for his tenure with Penn Central. Biography Saunders was born in McDowell, West Virginia, and reared near Bedford, Virginia. He graduat ...

. His nickname "Racehorse" came from his long stride and rapid pace. The story goes that once when offered a ride to his office he declined saying that he was in a hurry.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Robert 1888 births 1960 deaths Princeton University alumni 20th-century American railroad executives