Note: railroads that existed only in present-day West Virginia before 1863 are not listed.
| Name | Mark | System[1] | From | To | Successor | Notes |
|---|
| Abingdon Coal and Iron Railroad | | N&W | 1887 | 1894 | Virginia Western Coal and Iron Railway |
| Alberene Railroad | | C&O | 1895 | 1902 | Chesapeake and Ohio Railway |
| Alexandria and Fredericksburg Railway | | RF&P | 1864 | 1890 | Washington Southern Railway |
| Alexandria, Loudoun and Hampshire Railroad | | SOU | 1853 | 1870 | Washington and Ohio Railroad |
| Alexandria and Harper's Ferry Railroad | | SOU | 1847 | 1853 | Alexandria, Loudoun and Hampshire Railroad |
| Alexandria and Washington Railroad | | RF&P | 1854 | 1887 | Alexandria and Washington Railway |
| Alexandria and Washington Railway | | RF&P | 1887 | 1890 | Washington Southern Railway |
| Appomattox Railroad | | N&W | 1847 | 1854 | Southside Railroad |
| Atlantic Coast Line Railroad | ACL | ACL | 1898 | 1967 | Seaboard Coast Line Railroad |
| Atlantic and Danville Railway | AD | N&W | 1882 | 1962 | Norfolk, Franklin and Danville Railway |
| Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad | | N&W | 1870 | 1881 | Norfolk and Western Railroad |
| Baltimore and Ohio Railroad | B&O, BO | B&O | 1867 | 1987 | Chesapeake and Ohio Railway |
| Baltimore and Potomac Railroad | | PRR | 1890 | 1891 | Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad |
| Bay Coast Railroad | BCR | | 2006 | 2018 | Delmarva Central Railroad |
| Beaver Dam Railroad | | | 1910 | | |
| Big Sandy Railway | | C&O | 1902 | 1906 | Chesapeake and Ohio Railway of Kentucky |
| Big Sandy and Cumberland Railroad | BS&C | N&W | 1900 | 1932 | Norfolk and Western Railway |
| Big Stone Gap and Powell's Valley Railroad | | | 1912 | | |
| Big Stone Gap and Powell's Valley Railway | | | 1892 | 1912 | Big Stone Gap and Powell's Valley Railroad |
| Big Stony Railway | | N&W | 1892 | 1915 | Norfolk and Western Railway |
| Black Mountain Railway | | SOU | 1903 | 1908 | Virginia and Southwestern Railway |
| Blackstone and Lunenburg Railroad | | N&W | 1905 | 1910 | Norfolk and Western Railway |
| Blackstone and Southern Railroad | | N&W | 1900 | 1905 | Blackstone and Lunenburg Railroad |
| Blue Ridge Railroad | | C&O | 1849 | 1870 | Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad |
| Brighthope Railway | | | 1877 | 1889 | Farmville and Powhatan Railroad |
| Bristol Coal and Iron Narrow-Gauge Railroad | | SOU | 1876 | 1882 | South Atlantic and Ohio Railroad |
| Buchanan and Clifton Forge Railway | | C&O | 1876 | 1880 | Richmond and Alleghany Railroad |
| Buckingham Railroad | | C&O | 1879 | 1897 | Chesapeake and Ohio Railway |
| Cape Charles Railroad | | PRR | 1906 | 1918 | New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad |
| Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway | CC&O | ACL/ L&N | 1908 | 1990 | CSX Transportation |
| Carolina and Northwestern Railway | CRN | SOU | 1982 | 1988 | Southern Railway |
| Carolina and Northwestern Railway | CR&N | SOU | 1951 | 1974 | Norfolk Southern Railway |
| Catawba Valley Railway and Mining Company | | N&W | 1902 | 1909 | Norfolk and Western Railway |
| Charleston, Cincinnati and Chicago Railroad | | ACL/ L&N | 1887 | 1893 | Ohio River and Charleston Railroad |
| Charlottesville and Rapidan Railroad | | SOU | 1876 | 1914 | Southern Railway |
| Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad | | C&O | 1868 | 1878 | Chesapeake and Ohio Railway |
| Chesapeake and Ohio Railway | C&O, CO | C&O | 1878 | 1987 | CSX Transportation |
| Chesapeake and Ohio Railway of Kentucky | | C&O | 1906 | 1907 | Chesapeake and Ohio Railway |
| Chesapeake, Shendun and Western Railroad | | N&W | 1892 | 1895 | Chesapeake and Western Railroad |
| Chesapeake and Western Railroad | | N&W | 1895 | 1943 | Chesapeake Western Railway |
| Chesterfield Railroad | | | 1828 | 1851 | N/A |
| Chowan and Southern Railroad | | ACL | 1887 | 1889 | Norfolk and Carolina Railroad |
| City Point Railroad | | N&W | 1836 | 1847 | Appomattox Railroad |
| Clarksville and North Carolina Railroad | | SOU | 1887 | 1894 | Southern Railway |
| Clinch Valley Railroad | | N&W | 1887 | 1887 | Norfolk and Western Railroad |
| Clinchfield Railroad | CRR | ACL/ L&N | 1924 | 1983 | Seaboard System Railroad |
| Clinchfield Northern Railway | | ACL/ L&N | 1911 | 1912 | Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway |
| Clover Hill Railroad | | | 1841 | 1877 | Brighthope Railway |
| Consolidated Rail Corporation | CR | | 1976 | 1999 | Norfolk Southern Railway |
| Covington and Ohio Railroad | | C&O | 1853 | 1868 | Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad |
| Cumberland Valley Railroad | | PRR | 1890 | 1919 | N/A | Leased the Cumberland Valley and Martinsburg Railroad |
| Cumberland Valley and Martinsburg Railroad | | PRR | 1889 | 1958 | Penndel Company |
| Danville, Mocksville and Southwestern Railroad | | SOU | 1880 | 1899 | Danville and Western Railway |
| Danville and New River Railroad | | SOU | 1873 | 1890 | Danville and Western Railway |
| Danville and Seaboard Railroad | | NS | 1887 | 1891 | Norfolk, Albemarle and Atlantic Railroad |
| Danville and Western Railway | D&W | SOU | 1891 | | |
| Delaware, Maryland and Virginia Railroad | | PRR | 1883 | 1956 | Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad |
| Dismal Swamp Railroad | | | 1896 | 1941 | N/A |
| East River Railroad | | N&W | 1881 | 1882 | Norfolk and Western Railroad |
| Eastern Shore Railroad | ESHR | | 1981 | 2006 | Bay Coast Railroad |
| Eastern Shore Railroad | | PRR | 1867 | 1878 | Peninsula Railroad |
| Elizabeth City and Norfolk Railroad | | NS | 1875 | 1883 | Norfolk Southern Railroad |
| Elizabeth River Railroad | | | 1901 | 1910 | Norfolk and Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad |
| Elkhorn Southern Railway | | ACL/ L&N | 1906 | 1911 | Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway, Clinchfield Northern Railway |
| Farmville and Powhatan Railroad | | | 1884 | 1905 | Tidewater and Western Railroad |
| Franklin and Carolina Railroad | | | 1945 | 1958 | Atlantic Coast Line Railroad |
| Franklin and Pittsylvania Railroad | | | 1878 | 1932 | N/A |
| Fredericksburg and Gordonsville Railroad | | | 1853 | 1876 | Potomac, Fredericksburg and Piedmont Railroad |
| Fredericksburg, Orange and Charlottesville Railroad | | | 1872 | 1873 | Fredericksburg and Gordonsville Railroad |
| Gladeville Railroad | | | 1892 | 1902 | Virginia and Kentucky Railway |
| Greensville and Roanoke Railroad | | ACL | 1834 | 1855 | Petersburg Railroad |
| Haysi Railroad | | L&N/ SCL | 1969 | 1983 | Seaboard System Railroad |
| Henrico Railroad | | | 1882 | | |
| Laurel Railway | | | 1906 | | |
| Lick Creek and Lake Erie Railroad | | ACL/ L&N | 1902 | 1908 | Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway |
| Louisa Railroad | | C&O | 1836 | 1850 | Virginia Central Railroad |
| Louisville and Nashville Railroad | L&N, LN | L&N | 1887 | 1983 | Seaboard System Railroad |
| Lynchburg Belt Line and Connecting Railway | | N&W | 1907 | 1910 | Norfolk and Western Railway |
| Lynchburg and Danville Railroad | | SOU | 1866 | 1872 | Virginia and North Carolina Railroad |
| Lynchburg and Durham Railroad | | N&W | 1887 | 1896 | Norfolk, Lynchburg and Durham Railroad |
| Lynchburg, Halifax and North Carolina Railroad | | N&W | 1884 | 1887 | Lynchburg and Durham Railroad |
| Lynchburg and Tennessee Railroad | | N&W | 1848 | 1849 | Virginia and Tennessee Railroad |
| Manassas Gap Railroad | | SOU | 1850 | 1867 | Orange, Alexandria and Manassas Railroad |
| Marion and Rye Valley Railroad | | | 1891 | 1900 | Marion and Rye Valley Railway |
| Marion and Rye Valley Railway | | | 1900 | 1931 | N/A |
| Martinsburg and Potomac Railroad | | PRR | 1870 | 1890 | Cumberland Valley and Martinsburg Railroad |
| Meherrin Valley Railroad | | | 1878 | | |
| Milton and Sutherlin Railroad | | | 1876 | 1894 | N/A |
| Mount Airy and Eastern Railway | | | 1899 | 1910 | Virginia and Mount Airy Railway |
| Nansemond Land, Lumber and Narrow Gauge Railway Company | | NS | 1873 | 1884 | Suffolk and Carolina Railway |
| Nelson and Albemarle Railway | | | 1903 | 1963 | N/A |
| New River Railroad | | N&W | 1877 | 1882 | Norfolk and Western Railroad |
| New River Railroad, Mining and Manufacturing Company | | N&W | 1873 | 1877 | New River Railroad |
| New River, Holston and Western Railroad | NH&W | N&W | 1900 | 1919 | Norfolk and Western Railway |
| New River Plateau Railway | | N&W | 1888 | 1889 | Norfolk and Western Railroad |
| New York and Norfolk Railroad | | PRR | 1872 | 1878 | Peninsula Railroad |
| New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad | | PRR | 1882 | 1958 | Penndel Company |
| Norfolk, Albemarle and Atlantic Railroad | | NS | 1891 | 1896 | Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Southern Railroad |
| Norfolk and Carolina Railroad | | ACL | 1889 | 1900 | Atlantic Coast Line Railroad |
| Norfolk, Franklin and Danville Railway | NFD | N&W | 1962 | 1983 | Norfolk and Western Railway |
| Norfolk, Lynchburg and Durham Railroad | | N&W | 1896 | 1896 | Norfolk and Western Railroad |
| Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad | | N&W | 1851 | 1871 | Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad |
| Norfolk, Roanoke and Southern Railroad | | N&W | 1896 | 1896 | Norfolk and Western Railroad |
| Norfolk and Sewalls Point Railroad | | NS | 1872 | 1882 | Norfolk and Virginia Beach Railroad and Improvement Company |
| Norfolk Southern Railroad | NS | NS | 1910 | 1942 | Norfolk Southern Railway |
| Norfolk Southern Railroad | | NS | 1883 | 1891 | Norfolk and Southern Railroad |
| Norfolk Southern Railway | NS | NS | 1942 | 1982 | Carolina and Northwestern Railway |
| Norfolk and Southern Railroad | | NS | 1891 | 1906 | Norfolk and Southern Railway |
| Norfolk and Southern Railway | | NS | 1906 | 1910 | Norfolk Southern Railroad |
| Norfolk Terminal Company | | N&W | 1882 | 1889 | Norfolk and Western Railroad |
| Norfolk Terminal Railway | | NS/ N&W | 1910 | | |
| Norfolk Terminal and Transportation Company | | C&O | 1896 | 1945 | Chesapeake and Ohio Railway |
| Norfolk and Virginia Beach Railroad | | NS | 1887 | 1891 | Norfolk, Albemarle and Atlantic Railroad |
| Norfolk and Virginia Beach Railroad and Improvement Company | | NS | 1882 | 1887 | Norfolk and Virginia Beach Railroad |
| Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Southern Railroad | | NS | 1896 | 1900 | Norfolk and Southern Railroad |
| Norfolk and Western Railroad | | N&W | 1881 | 1896 | Norfolk and Western Railway |
| Norfolk and Western Railway | N&W, NW | N&W | 1896 | 1998 | Norfolk Southern Railway |
| Norfolk Wharf, Warehouse and Terminal Company | | C&O | 1893 | 1896 | Norfolk Terminal and Transportation Company |
| North and South Railroad | | PRR | 1853 | 1878 | Peninsula Railroad |
| Norton and Northern Railway | | | 1916 | 1934 | N/A |
| Ohio River and Charleston Railroad | | ACL/ L&N | 1894 | 1894 | Ohio River and Charleston Railway |
| Ohio River and Charleston Railway | | ACL/ L&N | 1894 | 1902 | South and Western Railway |
| Orange and Alexandria Railroad | | SOU | 1848 | 1867 | Orange, Alexandria and Manassas Railroad |
| Orange, Alexandria and Manassas Railroad | | SOU | 1867 | 1872 | Virginia and North Carolina Railroad |
| Orange and Fredericksburg Railroad | | | 1925 | 1926 | Virginia Central Railway |
| Peninsula Railroad | | PRR | 1878 | 1882 | New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad |
| Penn Central Transportation Company | PC | | 1968 | 1976 | Consolidated Rail Corporation |
| Penndel Company | | PRR | 1958 | 1976 | Consolidated Rail Corporation |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | PRR | PRR | 1918 | 1968 | Penn Central Transportation Company |
| Petersburg and Lynchburg Railroad | | | | | |
| Petersburg Railroad | | ACL | 1830 | 1898 | Atlantic Coast Line Railroad |
| Petersburg and Asylum Railway | | ACL | 1888 | 1896 | Petersburg and Western Railroad |
| Petersburg and Western Railroad | | ACL | 1896 | 1898 | Petersburg Railroad |
| Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad | | PRR | 1902 | 1918 | Pennsylvania Railroad |
| Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad | | PRR | 1891 | 1902 | Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad |
| Piedmont Railroad | | SOU | 1862 | 1894 | Southern Railway |
| Pocahontas and Western Railroad | | N&W | 1904 | 1910 | Norfolk and Western Railway |
| Portsmouth and Roanoke Railroad | | SAL | 1832 | 1846 | Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad |
| Potomac Railroad | | RF&P | 1867 | 1917 | Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad |
| Potomac, Fredericksburg and Piedmont Railroad | | | 1876 | 1925 | Orange and Fredericksburg Railroad |
| Prince George and Chesterfield Railway | | SAL | 1929 | 1946 | Seaboard Air Line Railroad |
| Radford-Southern Railroad and Mining Company | | N&W | 1898 | 1903 | Norfolk and Western Railway |
| Richmond and Alleghany Railroad | | C&O | 1878 | 1889 | Richmond and Alleghany Railway |
| Richmond and Alleghany Railway | | C&O | 1889 | 1890 | Chesapeake and Ohio Railway |
| Richmond and Danville Railroad | | SOU | 1847 | 1894 | Southern Railway |
| Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad | RF&P, RFP | RF&P | 1834 | 1991 | Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railway |
| Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railway | RFP | | 1991 | | | Still exists as a subsidiary of CSX Transportation |
| Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac and Richmond and Petersburg Railroad Connection Company | | RF&P | 1866 | 1919 | N/A (operated by Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad) |
| Richmond and Lynchburg Railroad | | C&O | 1860 | 1873 | Straight-Shoot Railroad |
| Richmond and Mecklenburg Railroad | | SOU | 1875 | 1950 | Southern Railway |
| Richmond and Petersburg Railroad | | ACL | 1836 | 1898 | Atlantic Coast Line Railroad |
| Richmond, Petersburg and Carolina Railroad | | SAL | 1892 | 1900 | Seaboard Air Line Railway |
| Richmond Terminal Railway | | ACL/ RF&P | 1916 | 1976 | N/A |
| Richmond and York River Railroad | | SOU | 1853 | 1873 | Richmond, York River and Chesapeake Railroad |
| Richmond, York River and Chesapeake Railroad | | SOU | 1873 | 1894 | Southern Railway |
| Roanoke and Southern Railway | | N&W | 1887 | 1896 | Norfolk, Roanoke and Southern Railroad |
| Roanoke Valley Railroad | | SOU | 1850 | 1880 | Richmond and Mecklenburg Railroad |
| Roaring Fork Railroad | | | 1904 | | |
| Rockbridge Alum and Goshen Railroad | | | 1889 | | |
| Rosslyn Connecting Railroad | RC | PRR | 1904 | 1969 | Penndel Company |
| Seaboard Air Line Railroad | SAL | SAL | 1946 | 1967 | Seaboard Coast Line Railroad |
| Seaboard Air Line Railway | | SAL | 1900 | 1945 | Seaboard Air Line Railroad |
| Seaboard Air Line System | | SAL | 1893 | 1900 | Seaboard Air Line Railway |
| Seaboard Coast Line Railroad | SCL | | 1967 | 1983 | Seaboard System Railroad |
| Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad | | SAL | 1846 | 1911 | Seaboard Air Line Railway |
| Seaboard System Railroad | SBD | | 1983 | 1986 | CSX Transportation |
| Shenandoah Valley Railroad | | N&W | 1867 | 1890 | Shenandoah Valley Railway |
| Shenandoah Valley Railway | | N&W | 1890 | 1890 | Norfolk and Western Railroad |
| South Atlantic and Ohio Railroad | | SOU | 1882 | 1898 | Virginia and Southwestern Railway |
| South and Western Railroad | | ACL/ L&N | 1905 | 1908 | Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway |
| South and Western Railway | | ACL/ L&N | 1902 | 1906 | South and Western Railroad |
| Southeastern and Atlantic Railroad | | | 1896 | 1898 | Norfolk and Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad |
| Southern Railway | SOU | SOU | 1894 | 1990 | Norfolk Southern Railway |
| Southside Railroad | | N&W | 1846 | 1871 | Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad |
| Straight-Shoot Railroad | | C&O | 1873 | 1878 | Richmond and Alleghany Railroad |
| Suffolk and Carolina Railway | | NS | 1884 | 1906 | Norfolk and Southern Railway |
| Sulphur Mines Railroad | | C&O | 1884 | | |
| Surry, Sussex and Southampton Railway | | | 1886 | 1930 | N/A |
| Tidewater Railway | | N&W | 1904 | 1907 | Virginian Railway |
| Tidewater and West Virginia Railroad | | N&W | 1900 | 1901 | Chesapeake Western Railway |
| Tidewater and Western Railroad | | | 1905 | 1917 | N/A |
| Tuckahoe and James River Railroad | | | 1837 | | |
| Valley Railroad | | B&O | 1866 | | |
| Valley Street Railway | | | 1890 | 1892 | Big Stone Gap and Powell's Valley Railway |
| Virginia Air Line Railway | | C&O | 1906 | 1912 | Chesapeake and Ohio Railway |
| Virginia Anthracite Coal and Railway Company | | N&W | 1902 | 1911 | Norfolk and Western Railway |
| Virginia Blue Ridge Railway | VBR | | 1914 | 1980 | N/A |
| Virginia and Carolina Railroad | | SAL | 1882 | 1892 | Richmond, Petersburg and Carolina Railroad |
| Virginia–Carolina Railway | | N&W | 1898 | 1919 | Norfolk and Western Railway |
| Virginia and Carolina Coast Railroad | | NS | 1905 | 1906 | Norfolk and Southern Railway |
| Virginia–Carolina and Southern Railway | | N&W | 1906 | 1912 | Virginia–Carolina Railway |
| Virginia Central Railroad | | C&O | 1850 | 1868 | Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad |
| Virginia Central Railway | VC | | 1926 | 1983 | N/A |
| Virginia and Kentucky Railroad | | SOU | 1852 | 1876 | Bristol Coal and Iron Narrow-Gauge Railroad |
| Virginia and Kentucky Railway | | | 1902 | 1916 | Norton and Northern Railway |
| Virginia and Maryland Railroad | VAMD | | 1977 | 1981 | Eastern Shore Railroad |
| Virginia Midland Railway | | SOU | 1880 | 1898 | Southern Railway |
| Virginia and Mount Airy Railway | | | 1920 | | N/A | Never operated |
| Virginia and North Carolina Railroad | | SOU | 1872 | 1873 | Washington City, Virginia Midland and Great Southern Railway |
| Virginia and Potts Creek Railroad | | N&W | 1906 | 1910 | Big Stony Railway |
| Virginia and Southeastern Railway | | SOU | 1904 | 1908 | Virginia and Southwestern Railway |
| Virginia Southern Railroad | | | 1902 | 1931 | N/A |
| Virginia and Southwestern Railway | | SOU | 1899 | | | Still exists as a lessor of the Norfolk Southern Railway |
| Virginia and Tennessee Railroad | | N&W | 1849 | 1871 | Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad |
| Virginia Western Coal and Iron Railway | | N&W | 1894 | 1898 | Virginia–Carolina Railway |
| Virginian Railway | VGN | N&W | 1907 | 1959 | Norfolk and Western Railway |
| Virginian Terminal Railway | | N&W | 1907 | 1936 | Virginian Railway |
| Washington, Alexandria and Georgetown Railroad | | RF&P | 1862 | 1868 | Alexandria and Washington Railroad |
| Washington City, Virginia Midland and Great Southern Railway | | SOU | 1873 | 1880 | Virginia Midland Railway |
| Washington and Ohio Railroad | | SOU | 1870 | 1882 | Washington and Western Railroad |
| Washington, Ohio and Western Railroad | | SOU | 1883 | 1894 | Southern Railway |
| Washington Southern Railway | WSN | RF&P | 1890 | 1920 | Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad |
| Washington and Western Railroad | | N&W | 1889 | 1890 | Shenandoah Valley Railway |
| Washington and Western Railroad | | SOU | 1882 | 1883 | Washington, Ohio and Western Railroad |
| Western Branch Railway | | ACL | 1888 | 1888 | Chowan and Southern Railroad |
| White Top Railway | | | 1913 | | |
| Winchester Railroad | | | 1929 | 1929 | Winchester and Wardensville Railroad |
| Winchester and Potomac Railroad | | B&O | 1831 | 1988 | CSX Transportation |
| Winchester and Strasburg Railroad | | B&O | 1867 | 1988 | CSX Transportation |
| Winchester and Wardensville Railroad | | | 1929 | 1941 | Winchester and Western Railroad |
| Winchester and Western Railroad | | | 1916 | 1930 | Winchester and Wardensville Railroad |
| Wise Terminal Company | | SOU | 1900 | 1913 | Interstate Railroad |
| Worcester Railroad | | PRR | 1876 | 1883 | Delaware, Maryland and Virginia Railroad | |
