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Southern Railway – Serves the South

Southern Railway

(Photo by Roger Puta)

The Southern Railway (SOU) was created by combining well over 100 railroads across the southern United States. Its rails spanned over 8,000 miles and 13 states, existing between 1894 and 1982. Today, its legacy lives on as part of the Norfolk Southern Railway.

The Southern Railway traces its roots back to one of the first railroads in America: the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company (SCC&RR). The company was chartered in 1827 and ran from Charleston SC to the outskirts of present day August GA. The SCC&RR was the first U.S. railroad to run a scheduled passenger train. The wood-burning ‘Best Friend of Charleston’ was the forever-famous locomotive that pulled those early passengers on Christmas Day 1830. Throughout the 1900s, Southern Railway was known as one of the industry leaders in efficiency, innovation, and financial results and stability.

J. P. Morgan to the Rescue

Throughout the 19th century, railroads struggled with both mechanical and financial challenges, but they continued to grow and became key to the infrastructure of our country. Several railroads in the south were well established, but could not survive the challenges of the Civil War and economic downturns without greater investment and consolidation.

With the backing of J.P. Morgan, Southern Railway was born by combining the following five railroads, connecting Washington DC to New Orleans to Florida to Memphis to Cincinnati:

The Spencer Legacy

Throughout the 1900s, the Southern was a financially strong, well-run company. Samuel Spencer was its first president who was one of the most respected and successful rail leaders of his generation. To this day, he is remembered by the town of Spencer NC, the long time Spencer Yards which served as Southern’s primary yard facilities and locomotive shops, and today houses the North Carolina Transportation Museum. Southern was also known for its Passenger Trains, the most famous of which survives today in name on Amtrak as the Crescent which runs from New York City to New Orleans.

Other well-known and successful Southern Railway leaders included William Finley, Fairfax Harrison, D. WIlliam Brosnan and W. Graham Claytor, Jr.

Southern Railway Map 1967

Southern Railway Modern Day

Southern Railway

During the modern day era, the Southern always focused their marketing and business strategies on ‘serving the south’ and on ‘innovation.’ This, along with financial prudence allowed them to grow and thrive. They were fierce competitors with the Atlantic Coast Line, Seaboard Air Line, and Louisville & Nashville Railroads, all which ran generally north-to-south through the south. The Southern Railway continued to expand after the World Wars, adding rail lines such as:

  • Alabama Great Southern
  • Central of Georgia Railway
  • Geogia Southern & Florida
  • Norfolk Southern Railway
  • Savannah & Atlanta

When Amtrak was formed in 1971, the Southern did not participate at first, choosing to continue running the Crescent until 1979 when they finally ended all passenger trains. After 1979, Amtrak has operated the Crescent from New York, to Atlanta, to New Orleans.

(Photo by Roger Puta)

Norfolk Southern

Eventually, to compete against larger railroads during the the era of mergers from the 1950s through the 1980s, the Southern would once again need to grow. In response to the creation of the Seaboard System and CSX, Southern merged with the Norfolk & Western Railway in 1982 to form the Norfolk Southern Corporation. The N&W was primarily a east-to-west railroad, where the Southern was north-to-south. With the addition of 6,000 miles of Conrail rail lines in the northeast in 1999, Norfolk Southern now covers much of the Eastern United States.

Today, Norfolk Southern carries on the century-plus tradition of the Southern Railway.

Ron Flanary’s Southern Railway Memories

Editor’s note: Noted railroad historian, author, and photographer Ron Flanary has provided countless thousands of us a front row seat to the Southern Railway and other Appalachian railroads. On several pages of this website, you will find Ron’s eloquent words and beautiful photos that will keep the memories of the Southern Railway alive for future generations. Ron is also the co-author of an excellent book, ‘The Southern Railway,’ providing a comprehensive overview of the railroad and its operations over the years.

The following are two of Ron’s memories of the famed Natural Tunnel in southwestern Virginia that the Southern used to ingeniously pass through the middle of a mountain range.

Natural Tunnel Virginia

Natural Tunnel is so large, you can’t do it justice without a wide angle lens. I used a 28mm to get this shot of an eastbound Yuma Turn in October 1987. Thankfully all the head end units were still painted in the good ol’ Southern Railway “tuxedo” scheme.

Southern Railway

Most photos of Natural Tunnel, Va. show an enormous opening on both ends. What you don’t typically see is the extremely tight 18-degree reverse curve inside and the tight side clearance on the east end (by railroad direction, south by compass), and the ultra-small interior tunnel that was blasted through a rib of rock to connect the two sides. On May 2, 1992, Southern No. 4501 demonstrates the limited space on the engineer’s side as it enters the first of the 18-degree curves. The cab over-hang as it passed my spot was considerable. Most modern railroad freight equipment simply would not pass through the tunnel without serious side or overhead damage.

Southern Railway

More Southern Railway information will be added to this page and others in the days ahead. Please let me know if you have any edits that should be made or any content you are willing to share by utilizing the comment form below. Would enjoy hearing from you if you have similar interests in the railroads, the region, or model railroading.

Southern-Railroads.org Sources and Resources

The following are excellent resources for those of you wanting to explore and learn more about the Southern Railway and its predecessors. These sources of information also serve as reference and historical materials for Southern-Railroads.org. Much of the content on the website is verified across multiple sources.

Contact Us

Would enjoy hearing from you if you have questions, suggestions, edits, or content that you are willing to share. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have similar interests in the Southern or Model Railroads.

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3Cs Websites

Appalachian-Railroads.org | Clinchfield.org | Southern-Railroads.org