FORM 3

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 INITIAL STATEMENT OF BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

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(Print or Type Responses)

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person *   Squires James A 2. Date of Event Requiring Statement (Month/Day/Year) 10/01/2004 3. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol NORFOLK SOUTHERN CORP [NSC] (Last) (First) (Middle) THREE COMMERCIAL PLACE 4. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable) _____ Director _____ 10% Owner __X__ Officer (give title below) _____ Other (specify below) Sr. V.P. - Law 5. If Amendment, Date Original Filed(Month/Day/Year) (Street) NORFOLK, VA 23510 6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing(Check Applicable Line) _X_ Form filed by One Reporting Person ___ Form filed by More than One Reporting Person (City) (State) (Zip) Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned

1.Title of Security (Instr. 4) 2. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned (Instr. 4) 3. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 5) 4. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 5) Common Stock (1) 8,100 D   Common Stock 808 (2) I By 401(k) Plan

Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.			SEC 1473 (7-02)
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Table II - Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)

1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 4)	2. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year)		3. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security (Instr. 4)		4. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security	5. Ownership Form of Derivative Security: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 5)	6. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 5)
	Date Exercisable	Expiration Date	Title	Amount or Number of Shares
Option (granted 1998) (3)	02/02/1999	02/01/2008	Common Stock	7,500	$ 32.1563	D	Â
Option (granted 1999) (3)	02/01/2000	01/31/2009	Common Stock	9,000	$ 27.6875	D	Â
Option (granted 2000) (3)	01/31/2001	01/30/2010	Common Stock	9,000	$ 16.9375	D	Â
Option (granted 2001) (3)	01/29/2002	01/28/2011	Common Stock	15,000	$ 15.475	D	Â
Option (granted 2002) (3)	01/28/2003	01/27/2012	Common Stock	15,000	$ 22.49	D	Â
Option (granted 2003) (3)	02/03/2004	02/02/2013	Common Stock	12,000	$ 19.625	D	Â
Option (granted 2004) (3)	01/31/2005	01/29/2014	Common Stock	13,000	$ 22.02	D	Â
Stock Units (Deferred) (4)	  (4)	  (4)	Common Stock	1,125.0657 (4)	$ (4)	D	Â
Restricted Stock Units	  (5)	  (5)	Common Stock	5,400 (5)	$ (5)	D	Â

Reporting Owners

Reporting Owner Name / Address	Relationships
	Director	10% Owner	Officer	Other
Squires James A THREE COMMERCIAL PLACE NORFOLK, VA 23510	Â	Â	  Sr. V.P. - Law	Â

Signatures

D. M. Martin via P.O.A. for J. A. Squires		10/07/2004
**Signature of Reporting Person		Date

Explanation of Responses:

*	If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 5(b)(v).
**	Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations. See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
(1)	At its meeting on September 28, 2004, the Corporation's Board of Directors elected the reporting person to his current position and designated him an "Executive Officer" for purposes of Section 16, effective October 1, 2004. Accordingly, this Form 3 reports the reporting person's direct and indirect holdings of Common Stock and derivative securities on the effective date of his designation.
(2)	Represents the approximate number of whole shares of Common Stock estimated -- on the basis of the unit accounting system used by the Plan Administrator -- as of October 1, 2004, the last date on which a formal statement was available, to have been credited to the reporting person's account in the Norfolk Southern Corporation Thrift and Investment Plan (TIP), a trusteed 401(k) plan. In accordance with TIP's terms applicable to all participants, acquisitions were made at various times and at various prices.
(3)	Employee stock options (right to buy) granted under the Norfolk Southern Corporation Long-Term Investment Plan.
(4)	Reports the total number of Deferred Stock Units (Units) credited to the account of the reporting person under the Norfolk Southern Corporation Long-Term Incentive Plan. In accordance with procedures applicable to all participants, these Units were credited on the common stock dividend payment date (most recently, September 10, 2004) on the basis of the market value of the Corporation's common stock on that date. These Units ultimately will be satisfied in cash and not in shares of stock.
(5)	Reports the total number of Restricted Stock Units granted to the reporting person under the terms of the Norfolk Southern Corporation Restricted Stock Unit Plan. These units ultimately will be satisfied in cash and not in shares of stock.

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