Original Norfolk Southern line to Norfolk?

The main line was severed when the Albemarle Sound bridge was closed and removed ca. 1986-7.  At the time the line was operated by a (modern) Norfolk Southern subsidiary.

As to your second question it depends on what you mean by heavy.  The original Norfolk Southern was not as busy as its ACLU, SAL or SRy neighbors' main lines, and during most of the steam era they got by with 2-8-0's.   In the early diesel era they were getting by with GE and Baldwin units, upgrading to GP38s a few years before Southern acquired them around 1971.  

Thanks for the info.    

By Heavy traffic...was it a 15+ train per day main...or one through and maybe a local plus passenger.

So I assume there was no interest in rebuilding the bridge? Looks like Southern was using it and investing in it in the late 1970's...I realize N&W had the better route to Norfolk...but the connection at Altavista goes West...the Connection at Lynchburg does not look designed to handle heavy traffic...manual switches.  So Southern didn't have a better way to turn to Norfolk.

I like that those track workers are wearing life vests.

I am far from being an expert on the original Norfolk Southern, and it has been some time since I looked at a timetable for the road.  Most likely though the road would not have met your definition of heavy traffic Mike.  Passenger service ended ca. 1940.

The NS was cobbled together from a number of small RRs around the start of the 20th century.  It was seldom in good financial shape, so it was not improved to the standards of main lines on other area roads.  However it had acquired a fairly extensive network of tracks in North Carolina and the Norfolk Va area.  Of the 4 lines south of the Virginian that fed into Norfolk and Portsmouth, the NS probably ranked below the SAL and ACL, and ahead of the Atlantic & Danville.  Prior to acquiring NS, Southern had accessed the area through trackage rights on the ACL, and for a time by leasing the A&D.  My guess is that Southern felt it didn't have the traffic to justify upgrading, and the merger with N&W made it unnecessary to do so. 

Just looking at Google...I don't see how a train heading north on the Southern Main would be able to take a right on the N&W to head to Norfolk?   Am I missing something.  If this is the case wouldn't they need the original NS through Albemarle Sound?

The original NS mainline ran from Charlotte,NC- Raleigh,NC to Norfolk,VA with several branch line off the main. The NS also had a small fleet of light 2-8-4 Berkshires that where used on a time freight called the Tarheel. These trains would operate on a 24-25 hour scheduled between Charlotte and Norfolk using the F class 2-8-4's. 

The NS was more of a bridge route that a heavy mainline road  since it main competition was from the Southern.  Even today parts of the original NS main is in used. Mainly by the Aberdeen, Carolina and Western Railway. Which used the former NS/Southern main from Charlotte - Star to Gulf,NC and a NS branch from Star to Aberdeen. 

Thanks for the info.  Still curious as to how trains currently would travel on NS from say Linwood...and head to Norfolk.  There is no solid connection East.  The only good connection is Alta Vista to the West...  Hence they seem handicapped by not having the Albemarle Bridge in place.