surveyors during the summer of 1880 into Pennsylvania indicating a desire to build a line to Harrisburg to connect with the competing Philadelphia and Reading Railroad line. The bluff worked and a contract was worked out. But the split with PRR was now inevitable. Also in 1880, service began on the section south of the Shenandoah River between Elkton and Waynesboro. In 1881 the north and south sections were connected. Finally, in 1882, it stretched south to meet the Norfolk and Western Railroad in the new railroad town of Roanoke, Virginia. The track was now complete. Meanwhile, rival Valley Railroad (VRR) was trying to raise capital. With Robert E. Lee as its spokesman, it convinced Baltimore to authorize $1,000,000 to secure funding by other Virginia counties. Baltimore was to gain considerably by having the traffic from the richest parts of the south directed its way. Many delays occurred, particularly after the recession on the 1870s, but traffic finally began between Harrisonburg and Staunton in 1883. The southern section was never constructed. Recession, strikes and bankruptcy (1882–1890) The financial panic of 1873 brought a deep recession that suppressed business into the 1880s. In 1882 SVRR received a loan of $79,000 from Philadelphia financiers E.W. Clark & Co. to cover that year’s shortfall. The life of all the bridges was ending and significant funds would be needed in the coming years. In 1882, N&W made a deal with PRR to swap the SVRR share capital for N&W common stock. SVRR got a loan from N&W of $600,000, plus up to $200,000 per year for 3 years. PRR kicked in $150,000 as advanced payment for highly discounted future traffic contracts. Control of SVRR stock was now with N&W. In 1883, SVRR floated $1.8 million of income bonds. Revenues continued to be far below forecast due to the bad economy. In early 1885, SVRR defaulted on its loan interest, taxes, payrolls, and bills. A Roanoke judge put the line in a receivership, but in December, the mortgage company holding its notes filed suit for liquidation of the road’s assets. The Norfolk and Western Railroad fought a legal battle for the next four years to regain control. On September 30, 1890, the SVRR was reorganized as the Shenandoah Valley "Railway", with stockholders approval to sell to N&W. On December 2, the Shenandoah Valley Railway acquired the rights to the franchise of the Washington and Western