In 1851, the authority to build the line was finally obtained followed many years of lobbying by Norfolk area politicians who were attempting to overcome opposition in the Virginia General Assembly.

The representatives of inland port cities such as Richmond and Petersburg correctly foresaw that building the new railroad would lessen their role in export shipping trade.

A civil engineer and graduate of Virginia Military Institute, he designed and built drawbridges across the busy Eastern and Southern Branches of the Elizabeth River near Norfolk.

He is also responsible for engineering and building the famous 52 mile-long tangent track between Suffolk and Petersburg which is also part of a major artery of modern Norfolk Southern rail traffic.

Ever frugal, Mahone was widely credited with staying within a very tight budget while maintaining his high engineering standards, earning considerable public esteem along the line.

Popular legend has it that Otelia and William Mahone traveled along the newly completed railroad naming stations from Ivanhoe, a book she was reading by Sir Walter Scott.

Mahone was envisioning joining his 2 neighboring railroads to the west to create a through-line across the entire southern tier of Virginia to Bristol, Tennessee.

Combined with carefully placed misinformation to those manning the shipyard, the ruse worked, and not a single Confederate soldier was lost as the Union authorities quickly set fire to the yard and ships and abandoned the area, retreating to Fort Monroe across Hampton Roads.

Once Norfolk fell in the spring of 1862, most of his railroad was in enemy hands and Mahone became a full-time military leader, leading troops in many campaigns in and around Virginia.

After several years of operating under receiverships, Mahone's role as a railroad builder ended in 1881 when northern interests purchased the AM&O and renamed it Norfolk and Western.

After several years of operating under receiverships, Mahone's role as a railroad builder ended in 1881 when northern interests purchased the AM&O and renamed it Norfolk and Western.

The N&W merged with the smaller but also highly efficient Virginian Railway in 1959, facilitating a more favorable route for eastbound coal than offered by the former South Side Railroad west of Burkeville.

On December 11, 2012, Amtrak began "Northeast Regional" passenger service to the Hampton Roads area over this trackage, with a connection to the mainline built near the Collier yard south of Petersburg.