https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/tags/tag/roanoke/ Roanoke News en Breaking Travel News Copyright 2026 2026-07-08T01:00:12+00:00 https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/roanoke-boasts-a-unique-rail-past/ https://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/roanoke-boasts-a-unique-rail-past/ Rail lines weave romantically throughout Roanoke, tying the town to ports and portals, far from the beckoning Blue Ridge. Once a place called “Big Lick,” Roanoke took its present name - for an Indian word meaning “shell money” - not long after the railroad arrived in western Virginia in the 1850s.   Sun, 02 Oct 2011 01:00:58 +0000