The David R. and Susan S. Goode Railwalk

Roanoke's David R. and Susan S. Goode Railwalk extends east from its present western end near the Virginia Museum of Transportation, past the Amtrak passenger rail platform and alongside Norfolk Avenue, showcasing the city's rail history. Named in honor of retired Norfolk Southern Chairman David Goode and his wife Susan for their long involvement in the Roanoke community, the Railwalk was first begun in the 1990s and offers a lively route with historical information, vintage photos, and maps related to the railroad. Its western end connects visitors with the Virginia Museum of Transportation, the Commonwealth of Virginia's official transportation museum, where full-size historic locomotives, cars, and other transportation artifacts are displayed. Along the route and nearby are views of the Amtrak station, the Market Square bridge linking Hotel Roanoke with the Roanoke City Market area, the throat of the Roanoke Yard, and the former Norfolk and Western General Office Buildings. The area remains active with rail traffic, including double-stack trains, grain trains, and coal trains moving through Roanoke, with coal still an important commodity bound largely for power plants in the Northeast or North Carolina.

Roanoke, Virginia · United States