CHICAGO, May 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --  A vintage F7 locomotive in Southern Railway's "tuxedo" paint scheme, a Heritage locomotive in Pennsylvania Railroad livery, and Norfolk Southern's Exhibit Car will represent Norfolk Southern's past, present and future at the National Train Day celebration in Chicago May 12.

Norfolk Southern will participate in Amtrak's fifth annual National Train Day by having this equipment on exhibit at Union Station from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., along with exhibits from other railroads and private railcar owners. In addition, Norfolk Southern employees will be on hand to discuss the equipment and talk about modern freight rail operations in general and to hand out Norfolk Southern 30th anniversary commemorative souvenir pins.

In 2006, Norfolk Southern replaced the modern engines that used to haul its executive train with a set of vintage diesels, including the one to be on display in Chicago. The black-and-white paint scheme on these F units harks back to Norfolk Southern's predecessor, Southern Railway, but incorporates the company's distinctive Thoroughbred symbol.

The Pennsylvania Railroad Heritage unit is one of 20 that Norfolk Southern is painting in schemes that honor the company's predecessor railroads. Billing itself as the "Standard Railroad of the World," the PRR was for many years the largest American railroad by tonnage and revenues. It eventually became part of Conrail and formed the core of the portion of Conrail that Norfolk Southern acquired in 1999.

Norfolk Southern's Exhibit Car illustrates how people and technology support the company's vision to be the safest, most customer-focused and successful transportation company in the world. A restored passenger coach, the Exhibit Car has been in operation on Norfolk Southern since 1971. The car houses interactive exhibits about the history and operations of the Norfolk Southern system. A major overhaul of the Exhibit Car has just been completed, and National Train Day in Chicago will be its first public appearance with all new exhibits.

National Train Day celebrates train travel and the ways trains touch the lives of people across America. May 12 will be the day where train stations and other venues across the country, host activities and exhibits that highlight the past, present and future of trains and travel. Amtrak will host major events in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) is one of the nation's premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway subsidiary operates approximately 20,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serves every major container port in the eastern United States, and provides efficient connections to other rail carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is a major transporter of coal and industrial products.

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SOURCE Norfolk Southern Corporation