Robert Buckner Claytor was an American railroad administrator. He became President of the Norfolk and Western Railway

Norfolk and Western Railway

The Norfolk and Western Railway , a US class I railroad, was formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It had headquarters in Roanoke, Virginia for most of its 150 year existence....

 in 1981 and was instrumental in the merger of the Southern Railway

Southern Railway (US)

The Southern Railway is a former United States railroad. It was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894...

 and the Norfolk & Western in 1982. He was the first chairman and CEO of the new Norfolk Southern, and is credited with locating the headquarters of the Fortune 500

Fortune 500

The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...

 company in Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....

, within sight of the massive coal pier

Coal pier

A coal pier is a transloading facility designed for the transfer of coal between rail and ship.The typical facility for loading ships consists of a holding area and a system of conveyors for transferring the coal to dockside and loading it into the ship's cargo holds...

 at Lambert's Point

Lambert's Point

Lamberts Point is a point of land on the south shore of the Elizabeth River near the downtown area of the independent city of Norfolk in the South Hampton Roads region of eastern Virginia, United States...

 on the Elizabeth River

Elizabeth River (Virginia)

The Elizabeth River is a tidal estuary forming an arm of Hampton Roads harbor at the southern end of Chesapeake Bay in southeast Virginia in the United States. It is located along the southern side of the mouth of the James River, between the cities of Portsmouth and Norfolk...

 at Hampton Roads

Hampton Roads

Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...

.

Robert B. Claytor is best remembered by many railfans for reactivating Norfolk and Western's steam program, which rebuilt steam locomotive

Steam locomotive

A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...

s J-611 and A-1218 at the Roanoke Shops

Roanoke Shops

thumb|250px|[[Norfolk Southern]] Roanoke Shops in 2004.The Roanoke Shops of the Norfolk and Western Railway in Roanoke, Virginia were founded in 1881 as the Roanoke Machine Works. It came under the control of the railroad in 1883. Locomotive production started in 1884 and 152 locomotives were...

 at Roanoke, Virginia

Roanoke, Virginia

Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...

, and operated excursion trips. He would occasionally take the helm as engineer with his brother, W. Graham Claytor Jr.

W. Graham Claytor Jr.

William Graham Claytor, Jr. was an American lawyer, naval officer, and railroad, transportation and defense administrator for the United States government, working under the administrations of three US presidents....

, who had also been a railroad president.

He was the son of W. Graham Claytor

W. Graham Claytor

William Graham Claytor , of Roanoke, Virginia, was the vice president of Appalachian Power Company, an electric utility service....

 (1886-1971), who as vice president of Appalachian Power

Appalachian Power

Appalachian Power is a subsidiary of American Electric Power of Columbus, Ohio. It is based in Charleston, West Virginia and owns the rights to Appalachian Power Park in Charleston...

 Company supervised construction of the dam and creation of a 4,500 acre (18 km²), 21 mile (34 km) long lake on the New River at Claytor Lake State Park

Claytor Lake State Park

Claytor Lake State Park in Pulaski County, Virginia is located on Claytor Lake, a 4,500 acre , 21 mile long artificial lake on the New River created for a hydroelectric project of the Appalachian Power Company. It is named for W...

 in Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

, and of Gertrude Harris Boatwright Claytor

Gertrude Harris Boatwright Claytor

Gertrude Harris Boatwright Claytor was an American poet.Born in Staunton, Virginia, she later moved with her family to Roanoke, Virginia, where she was privately educated. In 1908 she married William Graham Claytor , an engineer at the Roanoke Railway and Electric Company...

, a poet. One of his brothers, W. Graham Claytor Jr.

W. Graham Claytor Jr.

William Graham Claytor, Jr. was an American lawyer, naval officer, and railroad, transportation and defense administrator for the United States government, working under the administrations of three US presidents....

 (1914-1994), was president of the Southern Railway from 1967-1977, a United States Deputy Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Navy from 1977-1979 under President Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter

James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...

, an acting U.S. Secretary of Transportation in the cabinet of President Carter in 1979, and president of Amtrak

Amtrak

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...

 from 1982 until 1993.

Robert B. Claytor died of cancer

Cancer

Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

 on April 9, 1993.

"The Claytor Brothers: Virginians Building America's Railroad" is a semi-permanent exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Transportation

Virginia Museum of Transportation

The Virginia Museum of Transportation is a museum devoted to the topic of transportation located in Downtown Roanoke, Virginia, U.S.A..- History :...

 in Roanoke, Virginia

Roanoke, Virginia

Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...

.