Transportation
From the paths cleared by European settlers through the New River Valley and the Allegheny Divide to the construction of bridges, turnpikes, and tunnels and the rise of the Virginia & Tennessee and Norfolk & Western railroads, Eastern Montgomery’s transportation history provides the framework for the region’s development.
These images are a small representative sample of our collection. Visit the museum to see all items on display, or contact us about accessing available files.
Railroad near Shawsville, circa 1929
Cutting Virginian Railway grade through Ellet, circa 1901. The railway operated in Virginia and West Virginia between 1907 and 1959. It was created primarily to haul bituminous coal from southern West Virginia to the seaports of Virginia's tidewater area.
Elliott Creek Construction, Route 638, by the Marye & Blankenship Construction Company, 1930s. In the foreground is the "iron mule" hauler.
Railroad tunnel in Shawsville, circa 1930
Koretta and Dud Sisson's Garage in Shawsville, 1937
Olaf's Taxi, Shawsville,1923
Norfolk & Western #1218 steam locomotive, built in 1943
100th anniversary of the Norfolk & Western Railroad, from the September 7, 1938 Roanoke Times
Houchins Telegraph office on top of Christiansburg Mountain in the 1890s
