Billy Garris, Norfolk Southern’s Longest-Serving Active Railroader, Marks 53 Years and Counting

In 1972, Billy Garris took a job on the railroad for a $0.07-an-hour pay raise and a shot at better benefits than the job he had been working since graduating high school. He could never have guessed that the job he took at the recommendation of his father — who himself retired with more than three decades of service to the railroad — would become his lifelong calling.

Fifty-three years later, Billy is Norfolk Southern’s longest-serving active railroader. And while a lot has changed in that time, one thing hasn’t: his love for the railroad.
 

After beginning his railroading career as a painter helper in 1972, sandblasting and painting Bridge 7, he eventually made his way into a post as a drawbridge operator. For the last 20+ years, he has reported to the South Branch rail bridge in Chesapeake, where he facilitates the movement of trains between Portsmouth and Chesapeake, Va., and enables waterway traffic to pass beneath the bridge unimpeded by train traffic.
 

For Billy, railroading isn’t just a job — it’s part of who he is. Retirement, he says, is nowhere on the horizon. Being a part of something larger than yourself, as large as the railroad, is too meaningful.
 

“I feel good. I’m happy. And I can’t imagine my life being any better without the railroad,” Garris said. “I just can’t.  I hope the railroad lets me do this for a long time.”
 

For Billy and thousands of railroaders like him, this job is more than work. With decades of grit and dedication, Billy embodies the Thoroughbred spirit that powers Norfolk Southern every day. Committed to safety, service, and connecting communities, our railroaders don’t just move freight — they power America.