NORFOLK, FRANKLIN AND DANVILLE RAILWAY

(Redirected from Atlantic and Danville Railway)

The 'Norfolk, Franklin & Danville' at one time operated 250 miles of track between Portsmouth, Virginia (on the harbor of Hampton Roads adjacent to Norfolk) and Danville, Virginia. There was also a 50 mile branch from near Emporia to Claremont on the James River plus several shorter branches. It was under lease to the Southern Railway when it became independent. It was acquired by the Norfolk and Western Railway in 1962 and operated as NF&D with second generation diesels. The Claremont branch is long gone, and the main line is gone between Lawrenceville and Blanche. NF&D started when they took over the 'Atlantic and Danville Railway'. [1] It is now operated as a couple of branch lines by Norfolk Southern, with the exception of the portion east of Suffolk to Portsmouth which is now operated by a short line railroad, the Commonwealth Railway.