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Norfolk and Western Railroad Account Ledgers,

 Collection
Identifier: Ms-2010-075

Scope and Content

This collection contains a set of accounting ledgers for the Norfolk and Western Railroad. The ledgers record the expenses of each of the company's several divisions (i.e., Clinch Valley, Durham, Kenova, Lynchburg, Norfolk, North Carolina, Pocahontas, Pulaski, Radford, Roanoke, Scioto Valley, Shenandoah and Winston-Salem). Included in each ledger are statements titled "accounts charged from vouchers" (changed to "detail of operating expenses for the month" in later volumes) for the individual divisions, followed by a sheet providing the system-wide totals. Also included are monthly summaries of accounts charged from vouchers payable, listing transactions by voucher number, with a breakdown of expenditures under various headings (general expenses, Commercial Department, maintenance of way, maintenance of engines, maintenance of cars, conducting transportation). A third set of sheets in each ledger appears to consist of the original account entries, listing individual voucher numbers and associated expenditures, again listed under the several different categories of expenses. Affixed to the inside covers of the ledgers are monthly statements titled "Amounts Charged Under 100 Year Mortgage from Vouchers," "Earnings and Expenses," "Percentages for Expenses Based on Car Mileage," and "Analysis of Earnings and Expenses for the Month." At the end of the ledger set is a single volume, dated February 1895 and stamped "new acct." and bearing the names of the receivers, F. J. Kimball and Henry Fink.

Also included in the collection are a set of ledgers specifically relating to the company's Scioto Valley Division, its records apparently having been kept separate from the remaining divisions from February 1895 forward. These ledgers contain the same type of accounting entries as those described above.

Dates

  • Creation: 1892 - 1895

Creator

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from the Norfolk and Western Railroad Accounting Ledgers must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

Historical Note

The Norfolk and Western Railroad originated with the 1838 chartering of the City Point Railroad, a line between Petersburg and City Point, Virginia. The line was purchased by the South Side Railroad in 1854, which, in turn, merged with the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad and the Norfolk & Petersburg Railroad, forming the Atlantic, Mississippi & Ohio Railroad in 1870. The AM&O fell into bankruptcy and was purchased in 1881, the new owners incorporating under the name Norfolk and Western Railroad, with a line extending from Virginia's coast to Southwest Virginia. The N&W went into receivership in 1895 and was reorganized as the Norfolk & Western Railway the following year.

Full Extent

5.3 Cubic Feet (18 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Accounting ledgers of the Norfolk and Western Railroad, providing detailed monthly account entries for each of the company's divisions and monthly summaries and analyses of expenses for the company as a whole.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by ledger coverage area, then chronologically.

Acquisition Information

The Norfolk and Western Accounting Ledgers comprised part of a larger railroad-related collection purchased by Special Collections in 2009. The remainder of the acquisition of which these ledgers were a part was divided among the Chapman J. French Papers (Ms2009-034), the Norfolk & Western Railway and Associated Companies Collection (Ms2009-037), the Norfolk and Western Railway Company Mortgage Bond Book (Ms2010-077), and the Wayne Perkins Collection (Ms2010-078).

Physical Characteristics

5.3 cu. ft.; 18 boxes

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Norfolk and Western Railroad Accounting Ledgers commenced and was completed in October 2010.

Title
A Guide to the Norfolk and Western Railroad Accounting Ledgers, 1892-1895
Status
Completed
Subtitle
A collection in Special Collections.
Author
John M. Jackson
Date
©2010 By Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. All rights reserved.
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections, Virginia Tech Repository

Contact:
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg Virginia 24061 US
540-231-6308