Of all the ways a freight railroad can come about, beginning life as a tiny rural trolley line is definitely one of the more unconventional starting points. Yet, that was exactly how Central Virginia's Nelson & Albemarle Railway began its existence. On Friday, March 14th, 1902, the Commonwealth of Virginia approved the charter for a single track electric trolley line to be built between the towns of Rockfish, Virginia, and Schuyler, Virginia. This railway, to be called the Schuyler Railway after the town in which it connected to the mainstream rail network, would operate approximately 4 miles of road with a trio of Ex Lynchburg Street Railway open platform trolleys as motive power.

As Schuyler, Virginia, continued to grow thanks to the economic opportunities presented by the Schuyler Railway trolley line, businesses began to spring up all throughout the town and surrounding areas. Nelson County, which made up Schuyler and surrounding towns, had long been known for its large seams of soapstone centered around Schuyler. Thanks to this new option of shipping, soapstone quarrying operations began to spring up to take advantage of the available soapstone and the railroad. By 1905, none were larger than the Virginia Soapstone Company and the Albemarle Soapstone Company. It is important to note that the Schuyler Railway was actually constructed by the Virginia Soapstone Company in 1902 to eventually mold into a steam powered freight railroad to serve the many quarries owned by the conglomerate. This idea would finally begin to be realized as on Sunday, September 14th, 1903, the Nelson & Albemarle Railway would be organized by Virginia Soapstone to gradually take over the Schuyler Railway as well as expand east to a point on the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway's Alberene Branch which stretched from Warren, Virginia, to Alberene, Virginia. In 1904, as the Nelson & Albemarle Railway was still being constructed, the Virginia Alberene Company and the Albemarle Soapstone Company would officially merge creating the Virginia Alberene Company.

For a little while, both the Nelson & Albemarle Railway and the Schuyler Railway operated simultaneously, with the line from Schuyler to Rockfish being under electricity and the line from Schuyler north, which was still being constructed, by the Nelson & Albemarle. On Monday, June 19th, 1905, a merger of the Nelson & Albemarle Railway and Schuyler Railway was authorized and on Friday, June 23rd, 1905, the Virginia Corporation Commission officially approved the consolidation of the two railways with the Nelson & Albemarle Railway Company being the official title of the line. For tax reasons, the Nelson & Albemarle Railway was chartered as a common carrier meaning that as long as passenger services were requested by the communities in which the railway served, the railroad had to oblige and provide such services. With the Nelson & Albemarle Railway now controlling the entire line from Rockfish east, the trolley poles were taken down and the Lynchburg Street Railway trolleys scrapped.

It is interesting to add that the contractor chosen for the construction of the Nelson & Albemarle Railway was Virginia's own Henry L. Lane. Lane would settle in Schuyler with his family and eventually assume an executive position with the railroad rising all the way to Vice President. Lane would also run a general merchandise store in the town of Esmont, Virginia, on the Nelson & Albemarle Railway just east of Schuyler and at the time of its completion in 1911, it was considered the largest of its kind in Central Virginia. As part of the construction process, Lane purchased a pair of "dinky" steam locomotives to haul materials for the building of the line from Schuyler to a place called Guthrie, Virginia, which is where the line met up with the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Alberene Branch. Not much is known of these dinky saddle tanks other than the fact they were Vulcan engines.

As Lane continued to oversee the construction of the Nelson & Albemarle Railway east towards the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Alberene Branch, Virginia Alberene approached the C&O to discuss the possibility of establishing a long term lease of the line to serve some of the quarries along the route. The Chesapeake & Ohio agreed to the terms proposed by Virginia Alberene that they would continue to own the land under the rails but the Nelson & Albemarle would be the sole operators of the line and in doin so, perform any track maintenance should it become necessary. Due to this development, the Nelson & Albemarle would move its interchange with the Chesapeake & Ohio to Warren, Virginia. Eventually, the C&O would sell the entire branch line to the N&A including all properties along the line including stations. During the Great Depression, the Nelson & Albemarle would decide to abandon the northernmost portion of the former C&O Alberene Branch from Guthrie, Virginia, to Alberene, the rest of the line would remain in operation until the end.

In 1916, the Virginia Alberene Company was renamed the Virginia Alberene Corporation and in February of 1917, the year old company merged with the nearby Old Dominion Soapstone Company of Damon, Virginia. With the acquisition of Old Dominion, Virginia Alberene took ownership of two 0-4-0T saddletank locomotives, one of which survives to this day. Both locomotives entered the Nelson & Albemarle Railway's roster as #1 and #2 respectively. 20 years later, the Virginia Alberene Corporation would merge with the neighboring Alberene Stone Corporation and in so, adopt the name of the latter company. No change occurred to the Nelson & Albemarle as a result of this merger.

For the next 20 or so years, the Nelson & Albemarle Railway would continue to operate, first with steam locomotives and then with diesels, until the next major corporate change occurred in 1956. In that year, Alberene Stone Corporation, after existing for more than half a century, was absorbed by the Georgia Marble Company of Tate, Georgia. Georgia Marble would continue to operate the railway, Schuyler mill, and various quarries under the Virginia Alberene name until finally in 1963, the new owners decided the costs of upkeeping the property were not worth the profits. The Nelson & Albemarle Railway was quietly abandoned and the mill shuttered in a move that devastated the local community and economy.

Although the railway has since faded into history, the Schuyler mill has since been restarted under a new name, Polycor, and continues to produce quality soapstone products impossible to find anywhere else in the country. Vulcan 0-4-0T 1st #2 and GE 25 tonner #3 have both survived to the present day and many of the since abandoned quarries have been turned into beautiful nature preserves. The Nelson & Albemarle Railway's legacy remains as strong as ever!

Long after its days on the Nelson & Albemarle, General Electric 44 tonner #3 sits on a storage track awaiting its next assignment at Georgia Marble Company's Tate, Georgia, facility in July of 1971. When the Nelson & Albemarle folded in 1963, what was left of the railroad infrastructure including the locomotives were transferred down south by Georgia Marble. This included 25 tonner #1, 35 tonner #2, and 44 tonner #3. All three locomotives would bounce around Georgia Marble properties until being sold off in the 1970's and 80's.

Vulcan 2-6-2T #9 glides across a small creek somewhere in Schuyler, Virginia, sometime in the 1940's. Old #9 was one of the longest tenured locomotives on the Nelson & Albemarle and served the railroad for 31 years only beaten by 2-4-2T #11. Like the majority of other Nelson & Albemarle steam locomotives, #9 met her fate at the Peck Iron & Metal Company's Deepwater Terminal facility in Richmond, Virginia.

Vulcan 2-4-2T #11 idles in the Virginia Alberene Company soapstone complex in Schuyler, Virginia, sometime in the 1940's. A rather unusual wheel arrangement for a tank locomotive, this interesting engine would end up being considered one of the Nelson & Albemarle's most reliable locomotives as it would serve the line hauling soapstone to and from Schuyler for 32 years. In 1951, #11 would meet the same fate as all the rest of the Nelson & Albemarle Railway's steam locomotives being scrapped at Peck Iron & Metal Company's Deepwater Terminal facility in Richmond, Virginia.

Vulcan 0-4-0T #12 shunts soapstone flatcars around the Virginia Alberene Company Schuyler mill complex sometime in the late 1940's. Note the uncut soapstone to the right of the locomotive in the background, these chunks of soapstone would be cut at the mill and then shipped out to become table tops or other pieces of furniture. Schuyler was the worlds largest soapstone mill at the time of this photograph and a majority of the United States soapstone still comes from Schuyler and surrounding towns.

Vulcan 0-4-0T #14 sits at the engine facility in Schuyler, Virginia, sometime in the 1940's. #14 was identical to #12 and both were used in and around Schuyler to switch cars and do other terminal based chores. Both engines also met the same fate being shipped out for scrap in 1953. However, one of the Nelson & Albemarle Railway's 0-4-0T's did survive into preservation. This was 1st #2 which was originally owned by the nearby Old Dominion Soapstone Company of Damon, Virginia. Old Dominion Soapstone would be absorbed by Virginia Alberene in 1917.