Timeline

1840: Birth of Henry Huttleston Rogers, VGN financier

1854: Birth of William Nelson Page, VGN mastermind

1898: Deepwater Railway formed by Page

1902: Rogers begins financing the Deepwater Railway

1904: Tidewater Railway formed by Page and Rogers

1907: Deepwater and Tidewater Railways combined to form The Virginian Railway Company

1909: Virginian Railway completed; mileage of 441.65. H.H. Rogers dies

1910: Virginian inventory is 48 engines, 40 passenger cars, and 3420 freight cars

1920: Virginian line is 500 miles long.  Inventory is 145 engines, 47 passenger cars, 9425 freight cars. Net income $3.2 million

1922: Electrification between Mullens and Roanoke begun

1930: Virginian mileage is 504.58. Inventory is 175 engines, 62 passenger cars, 10,273 freight cars. Net income $4.4 million

1940: Virginian mileage is 586 miles. Inventory is 117 engines, 28 passenger cars,11,282 freight cars. Net income $7.2 million

1954: First diesel engines ordered

1955: Last steam engines retired from service

1956: All passenger service on the Virginian ends

1959: Merger with Norfolk and Western Railway completed