Roanoke, Virginia

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Roanoke, Virginia

Roanoke is one of the premiere and larger railroad cities in America that was born out of a rail line being built through the region. Today’s Roanoke, then a small community named Big Lick, was chosen as the railroad’s headquarters, was renamed, and soon became a true ‘railroad boomtown.’ For a century, Roanoke was home to the Norfolk & Western Railway.

Photo: Current Amtrak Platform in Roanoke, former N&W offices in background. To the right you can see a portion of Hotel Roanoke.

Roanoke Virginia

Atlantic Ocean to the Ohio River Valley

The Virginia & Tennessee Railroad arrived in the Roanoke area in the early 1850s, then known as Big Lick. Once the Norfolk & Western Railway was established by the merging of several railroads, the new railway soon completed the line from the Atlantic Ocean to the Ohio River, Norfolk VA to Kenova WV in 1892. By 1901, the railroad had reached Cincinnati and Columbus OH.

Roanoke’s geographic location provided a unique spot for a railroad to cross the Blue Ridge Mountains through a fairly easy air gap called Buford’s Gap just east of the city. To the west, the railroad could use several streams, the New River, and Tug Fork River to climb across the Appalachian Plateau.

Click here for more information on the Norfolk & Western Railway

Roanoke Virginia - Railroad Historical Marker

Roanoke Passenger Trains

Until 1971, the city was served by multiple trains of the N&W and the Southern Railways. One could travel directly to New York, Washington DC, Cincinnati, New Orleans, and many other cities directly from Roanoke. The photo below by Roger Puta is N&W’s #611, designed and built in the Roanoke locomotive shops, which brought a streamline style to steam passenger trains. The second photo is of the station board showing the arrivals and departures at the Roanoke station as if it were 1955.

N&W #611 by Roger Puta
Roanoke VA Train Schedule 1955

Norfolk & Western Railway Today

The Norfolk & Western still lives on today in Roanoke as part of the Norfolk Southern Railway. From Roanoke rail lines radiate westward to Bristol VA, eastward to Norfolk VA, north to Hagerstown MD, and south to Winston Salem NC. The N&W’s railroad facilities in Roanoke once dominated the city with rail yards, shops, and offices. Today, much of that has been removed, mothballed, or used for other purposes.

Photo: Almost vacant N&W Yard in Roanoke VA

Roanoke Virginia Railroad Yard - 2022

Roanoke Stats

  • Coordinates: 37°16′14″N 79°56′33″W
  • Elevation: 974 feet above sea level
  • Named For: Roanoke River
  • Nickname: The Star City of the South
  • Founded: 1884
  • Formerly Known As: Big Lick, Gainesborough
  • Population: 100,011 (2020)
  • County: Roanoke
  • Highlights: Commerce and business center for Southwest Virginia, Hotel Roanoke, the Roanoke Star, the Virginia Transportation Museum, and it was once the headquarters and shops for the Norfolk & Western Railway

Additional Information

Virginia Museum of Transportation

Norfolk & Western Historical Society

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For More Information – Sources and Resources

The following are excellent resources for those of you wanting to explore and learn more about the history and operation of the Appalachian Railroads. These sources of information also serve as reference and historical materials for Appalachian-Railroads.org. Much of the content on the website is verified across multiple sources.

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Would enjoy hearing from you if you have questions, suggestions, edits, or content that you are willing to share. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have similar interests in the railroads or model railroading.

3Cs Websites

Appalachian-Railroads.org | Clinchfield.org | Southern-Railroads.org