The Virginian Railroad
Formed in 1909, the 600 mile Virginian Railroad was created to haul coal from the mines in West Virginia to the ships at the Sewells Point docks in Norfolk, VA which were waiting to carry the coal to foreign ports. It was built through the vision and financial backing of H. H. Rogers, who hired talented people and gave them the best equipment that his money could buy. The railroad owned 83 freight steam locomotives and nearly 15,000 coal cars. In 1950, the VGN hauled over 28 million tons of coal.
Suffolk
Located just 23 miles from the switch yard and the ship-loading coal piers at Sewalls Point, Suffolk was a key location on The Virginian, connecting with five different railroads; Atlantic Coast Line, Atlantic & Danville, Norfolk & Western, Norfolk Southern and Seaboard Air Line. After 1930 the VGN was able to share with other carriers and was able to diversify its operations by hauling commodities other than coal.
In the 21st century, the Seaboard Railroad Station Museum is beautifully restored and provides a thorough look back into the area's railroad history through its collection of artifacts and HO model railroad. Be sure to visit it at 326 N. Main Street.
As usual, please replace the cache as your found it and BYOP and return cache as found for other to enjoy.