Roanoke (Railwalk)

The David R. and Susan S. Goode Railwalk runs roughly one-third of a mile along the active Norfolk Southern mainline through downtown Roanoke, from Market Street to Warehouse Row along Norfolk Avenue Southwest. A low open fence is all that separates visitors from the ballast — trains pass within arm's reach at 25–35 mph, close enough to read builder's plates on passing locomotives. Several elevated viewing platforms with benches and historical placards line the route, recounting Roanoke's railroad heritage through visual and audio displays.

A standout feature is the working radio scanner mounted on the Railwalk, tuned to NS frequencies: 161.190 MHz (Channel 1, road operations), 161.250 MHz (Channel 2, yard), and 160.440 MHz (Channel 3, secondary road). Visitors can listen to live engineer-dispatcher communications while watching trains roll past — a rare amenity at any public railfan site.

Parking is available in paid lots along Norfolk Avenue (no free parking downtown). The Railwalk connects directly to Hotel Roanoke via the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Pedestrian Bridge, which doubles as an elevated viewing point. The Virginia Museum of Transportation anchors the west end, so the entire corridor can be explored on foot in a natural loop. Downtown Roanoke's Market Square — Virginia's oldest continuous farmers' market — sits one block south for food between trains. Evening and nighttime spotting works well thanks to area street lighting and the glow of the illuminated Mill Mountain Star on the ridgeline above.

Downtown Roanoke sits at roughly 905 feet elevation in the upper Roanoke River valley, enclosed by the Blue Ridge Mountains to the southeast and Allegheny ridges to the northwest. The Railwalk parallels Norfolk Avenue Southwest, running east–west through the city's historic warehouse district. Brick warehouses, converted loft buildings, and modern office towers line the corridor, with the forested ridgeline of Mill Mountain — topped by the 88.5-foot Roanoke Star at 1,847 feet elevation, the world's largest freestanding illuminated man-made star — visible directly to the south.

Vegetation along the right-of-way is minimal, keeping sight lines open year-round. Fall brings crisp air and vivid foliage on the surrounding slopes, making October through mid-November a favorite season for photographers. Summers are warm and humid with afternoon thunderstorms typical of the southern Blue Ridge, while winter mornings can produce atmospheric valley fog. Between train passages the corridor feels surprisingly calm, and the mix of museum visitors, downtown workers, and fellow railfans creates a welcoming atmosphere.

Norfolk Southern's former Norfolk & Western mainline runs east–west through downtown Roanoke, and the Railwalk sits at what was historically the throat of Roanoke Yard. Expect approximately 40 train movements in a 24-hour period — a mix of manifest freight, unit coal trains from Appalachian mines, intermodal double-stacks, and grain trains. NS motive power is typically GE ES44AC, EMD SD70ACe, and newer ET44AC "Tier 4" units; heritage-painted locomotives in predecessor road schemes occasionally lead manifest freights.

Since October 31, 2017, Amtrak's Northeast Regional extension has served Roanoke station (RNK), located two blocks east of the Railwalk. Weekday service includes two departures — 6:32 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. — running northbound to Washington, D.C., with corresponding southbound arrivals around 1:00 p.m. and 10:06 p.m. The Amtrak platform is visible from the eastern end of the Railwalk and from the Hotel Roanoke pedestrian bridge.

From Roanoke, NS lines radiate in four directions: westward toward Bristol, eastward to Norfolk, northward to Hagerstown, and southward toward Winston-Salem. This junction geography means trains arriving and departing from multiple corridors funnel through the downtown corridor.

The Railwalk's proximity to the tracks — roughly 15–25 feet from rail centerline — means standard zoom lenses handle most compositions. A 24–70mm covers platform-level shots with the downtown skyline as backdrop, while a 70–200mm isolates locomotive details or compresses approaching trains against Mill Mountain.

Viewing Platforms (Norfolk Avenue): The slightly elevated platforms put photographers near cab-window height for passing trains. Morning light favors eastbound movements until about 11 a.m., with the angular downtown skyline behind.

MLK Jr. Memorial Pedestrian Bridge: This bridge connecting Hotel Roanoke to downtown provides a bird's-eye three-quarter view looking down on both mainline tracks with Mill Mountain rising behind. Late afternoon golden light streams down the valley from the west — ideal for roster-style shots of westbound trains.

Virginia Museum of Transportation Grounds: Standing near the preserved N&W 1218 (Class A 2-6-6-4, built 1943 at Roanoke East End Shops) or N&W 611 (Class J 4-8-4, built 1950) lets you frame modern NS diesels passing alongside historic steam power — a composition unique to Roanoke. Night photographers favor this area for long exposures using streetlight and museum lighting.

Tripods are welcome on the Railwalk platforms, though space can be limited during organized railfan events.

Roanoke exists because of the railroad. In 1881, the Norfolk & Western Railway chose the small hamlet of Big Lick as its new headquarters and renamed it Roanoke. The company built the East End Shops here, which over 139 years produced and maintained some of America's most celebrated steam locomotives — including the N&W Class J No. 611 (rolled out May 29, 1950, at a cost of $251,344) and Class A No. 1218 (built June 1943), both now preserved at the adjacent Virginia Museum of Transportation.

The Roanoke Shops continued to build and repair rolling stock until May 18, 2020, when Norfolk Southern closed the facility and transferred operations to the Juniata Locomotive Shops in Altoona, Pennsylvania, ending 139 years of continuous railroad shop operations. Many original shop buildings still stand just west of the Railwalk. In 1982, Norfolk & Western merged with the Southern Railway to form Norfolk Southern Corporation, which maintains its operational presence in the city.

The O. Winston Link Museum, housed in the former N&W passenger station (built 1905, redesigned by industrial designer Raymond Loewy in 1949) at 101 Shenandoah Avenue NE, displays over 300 photographs documenting the final days of N&W steam operations in the 1950s. The museum opened in January 2004.

The Railwalk itself was first developed in the 1990s and is formally named the David R. and Susan S. Goode Railwalk, honoring the retired Norfolk Southern chairman and CEO (served until 2006) who helped deliver artifacts and historic locomotives — including the 1218 — to Roanoke's transportation museum.

Roanoke's Railwalk is one of the few purpose-built railfan viewing facilities in the United States, offering safe, fenced curbside access to a busy Class I mainline averaging 40 trains per day. What sets it apart is the unmatched concentration of rail heritage within a quarter-mile radius: the Virginia Museum of Transportation (housing the operational N&W 611 and static N&W 1218), the O. Winston Link Museum (300+ photographs of N&W steam's final era), the Railwalk's own interpretive displays, and a working trackside radio scanner — all on flat, accessible terrain in a walkable downtown.

Hotel Roanoke, built the same year the railroad arrived (1882), stands directly above the tracks and connects via a pedestrian bridge, making this one of the rare spots where a railfan can watch trains from their hotel room. Add Amtrak Northeast Regional service since 2017, and Roanoke functions as a rail-accessible railfan destination — you can arrive by train to watch trains, surrounded by 140 years of railroad history.