COMMUNICATIONS RAILROADS The port of Norfolk is served direct by the Norfolk Southern, the Norfolk & Western, and the Virginian Railway systems. The port of Portsmouth is served direct by the Atlantic Coast Line, the Seaboard Air Line, the Southern Railway, the Pennsylvania, and the Virginian Railway systems. The Norfolk-Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad serves both ports and connects with all lines entering the district. The Chesapeake & Ohio Railway reaches Norfolk and Portsmouth by lighters from Newport News. The port of Newport News is served only by the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, which also serves Hampton and Old Point Comfort. The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Co. operates about 5,000 miles of track southward from Portsmouth and Richmond, Va., through the States of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. Its rails serve all of the South Atlantic ports, except Fernandina, and many important interior points in southeastern territory. It extends over the Florida peninsula southward to Tampa, St. Petersburg, Fort Myers, and Immokalee, reaching all important points on the west coast. At Montgomery, Ala., connection is made. with the Louisville & Nashville Railroad for points in the South and Southwest, and at Augusta, Ga., with several carriers serving southeastern territory. The Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Co. operates about 2,550 miles of track between Newport News, Va., its seaboard outlet, and Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Chicago. This company's mileage is largely in the States of Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. At Louisville connection is made with the Illinois Central and the Louisville & Nashville Railroads; at Columbus with the Baltimore & Ohio, the Pennsylvania, the Hocking Valley, the New York Central, and the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago, & St. Louis Railway. At Chicago it connects with various carriers for points west. The Norfolk Southern Railroad has a total of about 1,000 miles of track, largely in the State of North Carolina. Its main line extends from Norfolk, Va., through Marsden and Raleigh, N. C., to Charlotte, N. C., where connection is made with the Southern Railway. Its rails also reach Beaufort, Durham, Asheboro, and Aberdeen, N.C. The Norfolk & Western Railway Co.'s main line extends between Norfolk, Va., on the east and Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio, on the west, connecting Suffolk, Petersburg, Richmond, Lynchburg, and Roanoke in the State of Virginia and Kenova, W. Va. Its rails also extend to Hagerstown, Md., Bristol and Norton, Va., and Durham and Winston-Salem, N. C. A total of about 2,200 miles of track is operated. The Pennsylvania Railroad System operates a network of lines in the States of New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, New York, and Michigan and directly, or through its connections, most of the important points in official classification territory are served. Its main lines extend between New York, Chicago, and St. Louis via Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh. Other lines extend to Buffalo, N. Y.; Erie, Pa.; Cleveland, Ohio; and Detroit, Mich. This company also operates lines south from New York through Trenton, Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore to Washington, D. C. The Pennsylvania affords service north and west from Cape Charles, Va. (New York, Philadelphia & Norfolk Railroad), which is reached by lighter and steamer from Norfolk and Portsmouth. The Seaboard Air Line Railway Co. operates about 3,500 miles of track between Portsmouth and Richmond on the north and Palm Beach and Bradenton, Fla., on the south. It reaches all South Atlantic ports, except Brunswick, and serves various ports on the west coast of Florida, including Tampa and Port Tampa. In the interior its lines extend to Raleigh, N. C., Columbia, S. C., and Atlanta, Ga. At Birmingham and Montgomery, Ala., connection is made with the Louisville & Nashville and the Frisco Lines for points west and southwest. The Southern Railway System by its own rails or those of its connections reaches most of the important interior points south of the Ohio and Potomac and east of the Mississippi Rivers. Its rails also reach the ports of Charleston, S. C., Savannah and Brunswick, Ga., and Jacksonville, Fla., on the South Atlantic, and New Orleans and Mobile on the Gulf Coast. The Virginian Railway operates about 450 miles of track between Norfolk and Deepwater, W. Va., via Roanoke. At Deepwater connection is made with the Chesapeake & Ohio for points west. The Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad is a freight switching line operating about 20 miles of main-line track, and is owned jointly by the carriers serving the port. It also operates about 10 miles under trackage rights, over the Norfolk Southern Railroad and the Virginian Railway. Its lines extend from Port Norfolk to Portsmouth, Berkley and Sewalls Point, and from South Norfolk to Burrell, Va., connecting all lines at Norfolk and Portsmouth. FACILITIES FOR INTERCHANGE BETWEEN RAIL AND WATER All of the carriers having direct rail connection with the ports operate water-front properties and reach them direct by their own rails. All lines entering Norfolk and Portsmouth are connected by the Norfolk-Portsmouth Belt Line which, together with the railroads, serves all sections of the improved water front. The Pennsylvania System connects its rails at Cape Charles, Va., with its terminals at Norfolk and Portsmouth, or with the belt line at Sewalls Point, by car lighters. The Chespeake & Ohio Railway's Newport News terminals are connected with the company's Norfolk terminals by car lighters. This carrier's terminal at Norfolk is used principally for local purposes, there being no connection between its rails and those of the other roads serving Norfolk. Interchange with the latter is made through car floats direct to their transfer bridges, or by means of the belt line over its car-float connection. All railroad terminals in Norfolk and Portsmouth, excepting those of the Virginian and the Norfolk & Western, are equipped with car-float transfer bridges. The Norfolk-Portsmouth Belt Line has a car-float bridge at Sewalls Point by which means cars may be lightered to or from all lines and to or from industrial sidings on the belt line or its connections. The Chespeake & Ohio Railroad serves all of the Newport News water front direct with the exception of the area about the small boat harbor in which the municipal pier is located. In addition to the connections afforded all carriers by the belt line, direct connections exist between the Atlantic Coast Line, the Southern Railway, and the Pennsylvania Railroad; and between the Norfolk Southern Railway, the Norfolk & Western Railway, and the Virginian Railway. SWITCHING Norfolk The usual switching charge of all carriers at the port of Norfolk for ordinary movements of carload traffic between points in defined switching limits when in connection with a line haul is $3.60 per car. On carload traffic when no line haul is involved and on intraplant and intraterminal movements the usual charge, except in connection with the belt line, is $6.30 per car. On interterminal movements, when car is furnished by the line publishing the charge, the usual charge is $6.30 per car. When car is furnished by connecting line it is $4.95 per car, except in connection with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, when the charge is $3.15 per car. 52690°-27-13 |