Algers, Winslow and Western

Company History: Formed in 1927 to take over two smaller lines, the Algers Winslow & Western linked a pair of large coal mines in Enosville and Algers to connections in Oakland City Junction, all in southern Indiana. Apparently, Algers is pronounced the same as Algiers (as in Algeria.) The line was just 16 miles long but heavily built with deep ballast and heavy rail. Southern Railway tried to acquire the line outright in 1974 but was limited by the Interstate Commerce Commission to a 50% stake. The other half was owned by several coal companies over the years. Southern's influence can be seen in the paint scheme used on the SD9's, which is basically Southern black and white with a large red band added. The black and red scheme that appeared on AW&W’s fleet of Alcos was almost certainly a product of Alco’s design department. By 2004, both coal mines had closed and operations were down to "as needed". The SD9's were leased out to other shortlines in Indiana and Ohio. Rather than abandon the line, Norfolk Southern (Southern's successor) reapplied to the government for permission to buy the other half of the AW&W from the coal company. In 2007, permission was granted and the AW&W became part of NS. The SD9's were sold to the Respondek shortline group and as of 2011 were still in AW&W paint pulling freights on Rospondek's Indiana Eastern Railroad.

Successor/Parent History: The Norfolk Southern Railway (reporting mark NS) is a Class I railroad in the United States; began in 1982 and 1990. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 36,200 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia, and has rights in Canada from Buffalo to Toronto and over the Albany to Montreal route. NS is responsible for maintaining 29,000 miles, with the remainder being operated under trackage rights from other parties responsible for maintenance. The common commodity hauled on the railroad is coal from mines in Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The railroad also offers the most intermodal network in eastern North America.

NS is a major transporter of domestic and export coal. The railroad's major sources of the mineral are located in: Pennsylvania's Cambria and Indiana counties, as well as the Monongahela Valley; West Virginia; and the Appalachia regions of Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. In Pennsylvania, NS also receives coal through interchange with R.J. Corman Railroad/Pennsylvania Lines at Cresson, Pennsylvania, originating in the "Clearfield Cluster". NS's export of West Virginia bituminous coal, begins transport on portions of the well-engineered former Virginian Railway and the former N&W double-tracked line in Eastern Virginia to its Lambert's Point coal pier on Hampton Roads at Norfolk. Coal transported by NS is thus exported to steel mills and power plants around the world. The company is also a major transporter of auto parts and completed vehicles. It operates intermodal container and TOFC (trailer on flat car) trains, some in conjunction with other railroads. NS was the first railway to employ roadrailers, which are highway truck trailers with interchangeable wheel sets.

The Norfolk Southern Railway's parent Norfolk Southern Corporation is a Norfolk, Virginia-based parent company. Norfolk Southern Corporation was incorporated on July 23, 1980 in the Commonwealth of Virginia and is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbols NSC. The primary business function of Norfolk Southern Corporation is the rail transportation of raw materials, intermediate products, and finished goods across the Southeast, East, and Midwest United States. The corporation further facilitates transport to the remainder of the United States through interchange with other rail carriers while also serving overseas transport needs by serving several Atlantic and Gulf Coast ports. As of October 1, 2014 Norfolk Southern Corporation's total public stock value was slightly over $34.5 billion.

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