1881- Elizabeth City & Norfolk built [Berkeley, VA-Elizabeth City, NC-Edenton, NC]. (73 miles)

  1883- EC&N renamed Norfolk Southern Railroad in January.

  1889- NS Railroad entered receivership.

  1891- reorganized as Norfolk & Southern Railroad (Norfolk Southern Railroad, and Albermarle & Pantego Railroad); trackage rights over Norfolk & Western Railroad [Berkeley-Norfolk, VA].

* Albermarle & Pantego Railroad- built 1887 from Mackey's Ferry, NC to Belhaven, NC by John L. Roper Lumber Company.

  1900- N&S merged Norfolk Virginia Beach & Southern Railroad.

* Norfolk Virginia Beach & Southern Railroad- built 1883 from Norfolk, VA to Virginia Beach, VA (3 foot gauge) by Norfolk & Virginia Beach Railroad and Improvement Company; renamed Norfolk Virginia Beach & Southern Railroad in 1896; widened to standard gauge 1898; Euclid branch [Euclid, VA-Princess Anne Courthouse, VA-Pungo, VA-Munden, VA] built 1899.

  1902- Virginia Beach to Cape Henry, VA branch built.

  1904- N&S merged Chesapeake Transit Company, and Washington & Plymouth Railroad; widened W&P to standard gauge; built from Euclid to Providence Junction, VA (Carolina Yard), and from Mackey's Ferry to Plymouth, NC; began railcar ferry from Edenton to Mackey's Ferry; electrified Norfolk-Virginia Beach line; and abandoned 1902 Virginia Beach-Cape Henry line. (203 miles)

* Chesapeake Transit Company- built electrified line in 1902 [Norfolk-Little Creek, VA-Cape Henry-Virginia Beach] to compete with N&S Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Cape Henry line.

* Washington & Plymouth Railroad- built 1889 from Washington, NC to Plymouth, NC (3 foot gauge) by Roanoke Railroad and Lumber Company; Washington & Plymouth Railroad begun in 1901 as common carrier.

  1906- reorganized as Norfolk & Southern Railway (Norfolk & Southern Railroad, Virginia & Carolina Coast Railroad, Pamlico Oriental & Western Railway, Raleigh & Pamlico Sound Railroad, Atlantic & North Carolina Railroad, and Beaufort & Western Railroad).

* Virginia & Carolina Coast Railroad- built 1885 from Suffolk, VA to Sunbury, NC as Suffolk & Carolina Railway; built from Sunbury to Ryland, NC in 1887; built from Ryland to Montrose Landing, NC in 1898; built from Montrose Landing to Edenton in 1902; widened to standard gauge in 1904; renamed Virginia & Carolina Coast Railroad in 1906; announced plans to build Norfolk-Beaufort, NC line to compete with N&S RR; began Mackey's Ferry to Columbia, NC line.

* Pamlico Oriental & Western Railway- organized 1891; built from New Bern, NC to Bayboro, NC in 1906.

* Raleigh & Pamlico Sound Railroad- organized as Raleigh & Eastern North Carolina Railroad in 1903; renamed Raleigh & Pamlico Sound Railroad; built from Washington to Bridgeton, NC (on PO&W) and from Raleigh, NC to Zebulon, NC in 1906.

* Atlantic & North Carolina Railroad- announced 1853; built from Goldsboro, NC to Sheppard's Point (Morehead City), NC in 1858; leased to Howland Improvement Company in 1904; HIC renamed Atlantic & North Carolina Company in 1905; A&NC Company taken over by N&S in 1906.

* Beaufort & Western Railroad- built from Beaufort, NC to Morehead City in 1905.

  1908- N&S Railway entered receivership.

  1910- reorganized as Norfolk Southern Railroad; built from Zebulon, NC to Chocowinty (Marsden), NC; from Bayboro to Oriental, NC; from Bishop's Cross, NC to Pinetown, NC; finished Mackey's Ferry-Columbia line; and built Albermarle Sound trestle from Edenton to Mackey's Ferry. (504 miles)

  1911- Raleigh Charlotte & Southern Railway (Raleigh & Southport Railway, Sanford & Troy Railroad, Durham & Charlotte Railroad, and Aberdeen & Asheboro Railroad) set up by NS Railroad.

* Raleigh & Southport Railway- organized as Raleigh & Cape Fear Railway in 1898; built from Caraleigh, NC to Lillington, NC in 1905; renamed Raleigh & Southport Railway in 1905; built from Lillington to Fayetteville, NC in 1906.

* Sanford & Troy- organized as Egypt Railway, built from Cumnock, NC to Colon, NC in 1892; operated by Raleigh & Western in 1894; absorbed by Raleigh & Western in 1904; entered receivership in 1907; purchased by Sanford & Troy Railroad in 1910.

* Durham & Charlotte Railroad- organized in 1893; purchased Glendon & Gulf Railroad, Mining, and Manufacturing Company in 1896; built from Glendon, NC to Gulf, NC and from Glendon to Troy, NC after 1900; purchased right-of-way [Cumnock-Harper's Cross Roads, NC] from Raleigh & Western, built from Cumnock to Gulf in 1910.

* Aberdeen & Asheboro Railroad- merger of Aberdeen & West End Railroad and Aberdeen & Montgomery Railroad in 1897; built from Troy to Mount Gilead, NC in 1899; began operating Jackson Springs Railroad in 1901 [Jackson Springs, NC to West End, NC; built 1901]; reorganized in 1907 including Jackson Springs Railroad, same name; began operating Carthage & Pinehurst Railroad in 1907 [Carthage, NC to Pinehurst; built in 1907]; built from Candor, NC to Ellerbe, NC in 1911.

* Aberdeen & West End Railroad- begun as a logging road in 1887; became a common carrier in 1889; built from Aberdeen, NC to Pinehurst, NC; from Pinehurst through West End, NC and Biscoe, NC to Star, NC; and from Biscoe to Troy by 1897.

* Aberdeen & Montgomery Railroad- built from Star to Asheboro in 1896.

  1913- Carthage & Pinehurst lease transferred to NS Railroad.

  1914- NS absorbed Raleigh Charlotte & Southern subsidiary; built from Raleigh, NC to Caraleigh, NC; from Varina, NC to Colon, NC; from Mount Gilead, NC to Charlotte, NC; and abandoned the Aberdeen & Asheboro line from Biscoe, NC to Troy, NC. (900 miles)

  1920- NS merged Durham & South Carolina Railroad. (949 miles)

* Durham & South Carolina Railroad- began as New Hope Valley Railroad; built from Durham, NC to Bonsal, NC; renamed in 1905; ran from Bonsal to Duncan, NC over the NS Railroad after its extension to Charlotte, NC; leased for 99 years by NS Railroad; purchased in 1957.

  1922- Carthage & Pinehurst abandoned.

  1932- NS Railroad enters receivership.

  1935- NS defaults on A&NC lease; electric operation discontinued.

  1937- Beaufort-Morehead City line sold; Mackey's Ferry-Bishop's Cross abandoned.

  1938- West End-Jackson Springs abandoned.

  1940-Beckford Junction-Elizabeth City abandoned; Edenton, NC-Suffolk, VA abandoned; Suffolk terminal sold to Virginian Railway.

  1941- branch from Brickhaven built to Carolina Light & Power Company plant.

  1942- reorganized as Norfolk Southern Railway on January 21. (733 miles)

  1943- Munden-Back Bay abandoned.

  1948- Back Bay-Euclid abandoned.

  1950- Bayboro-Oriental abandoned; Mackey's Ferry-Columbia abandoned; Cape Henry-Virginia Beach-Lake Station abandoned.

  1952- Asheboro-Star abandoned; three miles out of Asheboro sold to Southern Railway.

  1954- Little Creek-Cape Henry abandoned; Plainview-Ellerbe abandoned.

  1958- Candor-Plainview abandoned.

  1961- Norfolk Terminal Station razed, headquarters moved to Raleigh. (593 miles)

  1963- rebuilding of Albermarle Sound trestle completed (begun 1960).

  1965- former ACL industrial trackage at Farmville taken over; Phosphate Junction, NC-Aurora, NC line completed (applied 1963); Elizabeth City-Weeksville, NC line acquired.

  1968- New Bern branch upgraded; Neuse River bridge rebuilt.

  1972- 19 miles of new track built to accomodate New Hope Reservoir.

  1974- merged into Southern Railway on January 1.

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