Collections : [Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University]

The collection consists of a flyer containing amendment to the charter of the Roanoke and Southern Railway Company, ratified by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1893.

A photo album featuring images of the Roanoke Railway and Electric Company buildings and lines, as well as scenic views in the Roanoke area.

Robert B. Claytor (1922-1993) was the CEO of Norfolk Southern. His papers consist of correspondence, articles, brochures, and rosters created or collected by Claytor and his brother, W. Graham Claytor, about the National Railway Historical Society, the preservation of historic trains (including Southern Railway Engine 4501 and N&W Locomotive Number 611), and the Norfolk and Western Railway Company.

This collection consists primarily of correspondence written by Robert Hord, Jr., of Richmond, Virginia, to his parents, Gladys and Robert Hord, Sr. It also includes a scrapbook and photographs of the Hord family. Robert Hord, Jr., was born in 1920; he attended the Virginia Polytechnic Institute's Engineering Extension school in Richmond from 1937 to 1939. In April 1942, Hord enlisted in the Army where he served in the 302nd Ordinance Regiment before being transferred to the 758th Railway Shop Battalion. Hord was stationed in a number of camps across the United States before his unit was sent overseas in December of 1943. Hord spent the remainder of World War II repairing trains and railroads in Dibrugarh, Assam, India before being sent home. Hord was discharged from the army in November 1945. Hord went on to complete a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1949 and a Master's in Power and Fuel Engineering in 1950. Hord went on to a successful career working for the railroad before passing away in December 2010.

Spanning 1861 to 1971, the Robert Selph Henry Papers consist of correspondence, subject files, photographs, and clippings concerning Henry's research on the American Civil War, focusing on the Confederacy and Nathan Bedford Forrest, and also railroad history. This collection also contains Henry's Southern Historical Association (SHA) and Association of American Railroads papers.

The collection contains a booklet promoting an insurance plan for employees of the Rock Island Lines.

Papers of Roy Jay Holden, Jr. (1921-1989), an authority on railroad tank cars and the handling and transportation of hazardous materials, working for the American Car and Foundry Industries (1947-1970) and the Bureau of Explosives (later, Hazardous Materials Systems) of the Association of American Railroads (1973-1989). Includes reports, correspondence, drawings, specifications, and printed materials relating to the design and construction of railway tank cars and the handling and transportation of hazardous materials.

Map shows mineral resource distribution and railways throughout southwestern Virginia. It also contains a legend of symbol explanation, as well as a table of distances, and an inset map shows the eastern seaboard of the United States.

The collection includes a stock certificate issued by the Sullivan Railroad Company.

The collection includes an annual report of the Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia Railroad Company for 1917, including statistical data on workforce, equipment, and tonnage hauled.