N&W vis-a-vis C&O

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

The thought occurred to me today, while reading some C&O history, that the N&W was singularly fortunate to have escaped, throughout its history, the pillage of outside  manipulators, a fate which definitely befell the C&O.

The C&O was controlled, at various times, by C.P. Huntington (late 1860s,) Morgan and Vanderbilt (1888,) the Van Sweringens (1903) and Robert R. Young's interests (late 1940s.)

By contrast, the only big railroading player to have invested heavily in the N&W appears to have been the PRR in the 1920s, and the PRR was not allowed to attain a "controlling interest."  Indeed, the PRR's investment seems to have been for cash-cow purposes, not for purposes of integrating the company or directing its commercial affairs.

Two similar and proximate railroads, two completely diverse histories in this respect.

Has anyone thought about how all this "came to be" ?

-- abram burnett
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