U.S. Highway 460 is one of the great railfan roads, paralleling the former Norfolk & Western mainline across the state of Virginia for hundreds of miles. Starting in Norfolk on the Atlantic coast, 460 follows today’s Norfolk Southern into the Blue Ridge Mountains to Roanoke and beyond. West of Roanoke, the Norfolk & Western confronts the Allegheny Mountains with a sharp climb out of the valley to the crest in Christiansburg. Almost all westbound trains from Roanoke have to climb Christiansburg Mountain, and there are some incredible views on this spectacular stretch of railroading that parallels Highway 460 on this Great Railfan Road. Read more about this particular Great Railfan Road in the August 2024 issue of Trains magazine! .
Great Railfan Roads | U.S. Highway 460 in Virginia
By Kent Johnson | June 11, 2024
A 225-mile adventure along the former N&W mixes rail and non-rail attractions
I lived between Roanoke and Elliston for almost nine years, and spent a lot of time railfanning in this area. This video took me back to that time. The surprise appearance of the 611 was a much appreciated surprise.