Victoria's importance as a rail point declined sharply in the 1950s when the change to diesel-electric locomotives greatly reduced the labor and facilities needed. The last Virginian passenger train served Victoria in January, 1956. VGN steam operations ended completely in June, 1957. Then, on December 1, 1959, the Virginian Railway merged with the larger Norfolk and Western Railway. Under combined operations, the through coal traffic was shifted from Victoria to the bigger road's main line through Crewe, Virginia, within commuting distance for N&W's Victoria-based employees. Local customers on the former VGN line through Victoria and nearby Kenbridge were few, and the portion of the line through Victoria and Kenbridge was eventually abandoned in the 1980s. All tracks and virtually all structures were removed, and a portion of the land donated to the community by N&W.