Norfolk Southern Railway — Corporate Overview

Norfolk Southern Railway Company was formed in 1982 as the merger of the Norfolk & Western Railway and the Southern Railway, with corporate roots reaching back to predecessor lines chartered in the 1830s. Norfolk Southern is headquartered at Norfolk VA (historic operations base) and Atlanta GA (contemporary headquarters), and today operates a Class I system spanning 22 eastern U.S. states from the Atlantic seaboard through Appalachia, the Ohio Valley, the industrial Midwest, and the Deep South. In 1999 Norfolk Southern acquired a substantial portion of Conrail’s system, integrating former Pennsylvania Railroad, New York Central, and Reading Company corridors.

Through the asbestos era, Norfolk Southern predecessor railroads operated principal shop and mechanical complexes at Roanoke VA (Norfolk & Western — historic locomotive erecting and repair shops, birthplace of the Class J 611 and Y6 mallet), Norfolk VA (Lambert’s Point coal piers and yard), Atlanta GA (Southern Railway Pegram Shop / Inman Yard), Chattanooga TN (Southern Railway Coster Shop / Debutts Yard), Birmingham AL (Southern Railway shops / Norris Yard), Altoona PA (former Pennsylvania Railroad works acquired via Conrail), Decatur IL (former Wabash / N&W shops), Portsmouth OH, and Fort Wayne IN, plus dozens of roundhouse and diesel-service facilities.

Documented ACM Footprint

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) that Norfolk Southern Railway — and its predecessor carriers Norfolk & Western, Southern Railway, and (post-1999) Conrail-legacy corridors — exposed the railroad workforce to asbestos through the following documented pathways:

  • Steam locomotive era: allegedly asbestos block boiler lagging, asbestos-cement smokebox insulation, and asbestos rope firebox packing (through 1950s dieselization; N&W famously operated steam through 1960 — the latest Class I dieselization)
  • Diesel-electric locomotive era: allegedly asbestos-fabric traction motor winding insulation, asbestos arc chute plates in traction control cabinets, and asbestos exhaust manifold gaskets (Alco 251, EMD 645, GE turbocharger)
  • Passenger car: allegedly asbestos-cement body insulation panels, asbestos-fabric heating duct lagging, and Vapor Clarkson steam generators (N&W Powhatan Arrow / Pocahontas; Southern Crescent / Southerner streamliners)
  • Freight car: allegedly asbestos brake shoe friction with WABCO / New York Air Brake / Symington-Gould brake components — heavily used on Appalachian coal drags
  • Roundhouse / shop: allegedly asbestos pipe covering on shop steam mains at Roanoke, Pegram, Coster, and Altoona; asbestos-fabric arc chute plates in shop switchgear; and asbestos-block bay lagging
  • FELA note: Railroad workers may pursue Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) claims for occupational asbestos exposure — a broader remedy than state workers’ compensation.

Workers Allegedly Exposed

  • Locomotive machinists, boilermakers, pipefitters, and electricians at Roanoke VA, Pegram GA, Coster TN, Birmingham AL, and Altoona PA shops
  • Diesel-service and roundhouse workers servicing EMD, GE, and Alco N&W / Southern / Norfolk Southern locomotives
  • Railroad car repairmen (carmen) replacing asbestos brake shoes at Appalachian coal-drag freight yards
  • Locomotive engineers, firemen, conductors, brakemen, and yard switchmen on Norfolk & Western, Southern, and Norfolk Southern trains
  • Shop electricians (IBEW) working on asbestos arc chutes in traction control cabinets and yard switchgear
  • Insulators (HFIAW) applying and stripping asbestos pipe covering on shop steam distribution

If You Worked for Norfolk Southern Railway

If you or a family member worked for Norfolk Southern Railway — or for its predecessor carriers Norfolk & Western Railway or Southern Railway, or for Conrail on corridors acquired by NS in 1999 — at any yard, shop, roundhouse, or locomotive-service facility during the asbestos era, including the Roanoke VA Shops, Pegram / Inman Yard GA, Coster Shop TN, or Altoona PA works, and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, you may have legal rights under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) — a broader remedy for railroad workers than state workers’ compensation.

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956

Plants by State

Norfolk Southern Railway operated shops, yards, roundhouses, and locomotive-service facilities across multiple U.S. states. Detailed premises information is available on the following state jobsite pages: