Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad















Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad

Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad 116 (GP35) at Doswell, VA on January 12, 1969 (22286471210).jpg
RF&P freight train in 1969

Reporting markRFP
Locale
Maryland, Virginia
Dates of operation1836–1991
SuccessorCSXT
Track gauge
4 ft 8 12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
HeadquartersRichmond, VA

The Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad (reporting mark RFP) was a railroad connecting Richmond, Virginia, to Washington, D.C. The track is now the RF&P Subdivision of the CSX Transportation system; the original corporation is no longer a railroad company.


The RF&P was a bridge line, with a slogan of "Linking North & South," on a system that stretched about 113 miles.[1] Until around 1965 RF&P originated less than 5% of its freight tonnage, probably less than any other Class I railroad. For much of its existence the RF&P connected with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and Seaboard Air Line Railroad at Richmond. At Alexandria and through trackage rights to Union Station in Washington, D.C., connections were made with the Pennsylvania Railroad, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and the Southern Railway. It connected to the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad at Potomac Yard and interchanged with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway at Doswell. It and the former Conrail properties are the only CSX lines to have cab signal requirements on their entire system.




Contents





  • 1 History


  • 2 Passenger service


  • 3 Branches


  • 4 Station listing


  • 5 Footnotes


  • 6 References


  • 7 External links




History



Revenue passenger traffic, in millions of passenger-miles












YearTraffic
1925
132
1933
48
1944
822
1960
168
1970
80
Source: ICC annual reports


The Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad was chartered on February 25, 1834,[2] to run from Richmond north via Fredericksburg to the Potomac River. It opened from Richmond to Hazel Run in 1836, to Fredericksburg on January 23, 1837, and the rest of the way to the Potomac River at Aquia Creek on September 30, 1842. Steamboat service to Washington, D.C., and the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad was provided by the Washington and Fredericksburg Steamboat Company, later renamed the Potomac Steamboat Company, controlled by the railroad after 1845.[3]


Badly damaged during the Civil War, on October 11, 1870,[4] an extension to the north toward Quantico was authorized at a special meeting of the company's stockholders. The company's charter limited this branch to 10 miles, leaving it 1.7 miles short of the Alexandria and Fredericksburg Railroad. This split from the existing line at Brooke and ran north to Quantico, also on the Potomac. The old line to the Aquia Creek wharf was abandoned on the opening of the Quantico wharf on May 1, 1872.[5]


On the other end of the line the Alexandria and Washington Railroad was chartered on February 27, 1854, to build from the south end of the Long Bridge over the Potomac River south to Alexandria. That line opened in 1857. The railroad went bankrupt and was sold July 9, 1887, being reorganized November 23, 1887, as the Alexandria and Washington Railway. In 1873 the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad's branch over the Long Bridge opened, giving a route into Washington, D.C., over which the A&W obtained trackage rights.



Revenue freight traffic, in millions of net ton-miles












YearTraffic
1925
438
1933
265
1944
1462
1960
819
1970
1102
Source: ICC annual reports


The Alexandria and Fredericksburg Railway was chartered February 3, 1864, to continue the line from Alexandria to Fredericksburg. It opened on July 2, 1872, only reaching Quantico, the north end of the RF&P. At Quantico the 1.7-mile (2.7 km) Potomac Railroad, chartered April 21, 1867, and opened May 1, 1872, connected the two lines. It was leased to the RF&P for 28 years from May 17, 1877. On March 31, 1890, the two companies terminating in Alexandria merged to form the Washington Southern Railway. Until November 1, 1901, it was operated by the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad and its successor the Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad (part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system). The Potomac Railroad lease was transferred to the Washington Southern on June 30, 1904. On February 24, 1920, the Washington Southern was formally merged into the RF&P.


The Richmond-Washington Company was incorporated September 5, 1901, as a holding company, owning the entire capital stock of the two railroads. The stock of the company was owned equally by the Pennsylvania Railroad, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, Southern Railway, Seaboard Air Line Railway and Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. Four of these companies (B&O, ACL, SAL, C&O) have since become part of CSX. The Southern Railway is now part of Norfolk Southern and does not use the former RF&P; the former Pennsylvania Railroad, in its later incarnation as Conrail, has been split between CSX and Norfolk Southern with most of PRR's routes becoming part of Norfolk Southern. However, the portion of the former PRR that connected to the very north of the RF&P's former Potomac Yard, across the Long Bridge and into Washington DC, became part of CSX following the takeover of Conrail by NS and CSX.[citation needed] The RF&P company became Commonwealth Atlantic Land V Inc.,[2] and a new corporation, named the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railway Company, was formed on October 9, 1991.[6]


On December 31, 1925, RF&P operated 118 miles of road and 432 miles of track; on December 31, 1970, mileages were 118 and 518.[citation needed]












































Company Presidents[7]
John A. Lancaster
1834–1836
Conway Robinson
1836–1838
Joseph M. Sheppard
1836–1840

Moncure Robinson
1840–1847
Edwin Robinson
1847–1860
Peter V. Daniel, Jr.
1860–1871
John M. Robinson
1871–1878

Robert Ould
1878–1881
Joseph P. Brinton
1881–1889
E. D. T. Myers
1889–1905
William J. Leake
1905–1907

William White
1907-1920[8]
Eppa Hunton, Jr.
1920–1932
Norman Call
1932–1955

William T. Rice
1955-1957[9]
Wirt P. Marks, Jr.
1957–1960

Stuart Shumate
1961-1981[10]
John J. Newbauer, Jr.
1981–1985
Richard L. Beadles
1985–1986
Frank A. Crovo, Jr.
1986–1991


Passenger service





The Florida Special hauled by RF&P locomotives north of Ashland, VA on January 12, 1969


As the link between "North and South" the RF&P primarily hosted the trains of other railroads, particularly those on the lucrative New York–Florida run. In March 1950 this included the East Coast Champion, West Coast Champion, Miamian, Palmland, Silver Star, Silver Comet, Orange Blossom Special, Silver Meteor, Vacationer, Havana Special, Palmetto, Florida Special, Cotton Blossom, Sunland, and Everglades.[11]


The RF&P operated comparatively few trains of its own. One was the Old Dominion, a streamliner inaugurated in 1947 between Washington and Richmond. This train used four 70-seat coaches and a cafe-parlor car, all built by American Car and Foundry.[12]



Branches




RF&P train starting out from Richmond, Virginia in 1865.


Richmond Connection

The Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac and Richmond and Petersburg Railroad Connection was chartered March 3, 1866, and opened May 1, 1867, as a connection between the RF&P and the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad (later part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad) west of downtown Richmond. It was operated jointly by those two companies. In addition, a downtown connection was owned by the R&P past Broad Street Station.


Louisa

The Louisa Railroad was chartered in 1836, running from the RF&P at Doswell west to Louisa. At first it was operated as a branch of the RF&P, but it was reorganized as the Virginia Central Railroad in 1850 and merged into the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad in 1868 as its oldest predecessor.


Rosslyn

The short branch from the north end to Rosslyn opened in 1896, and was sold to the Rosslyn Connecting Railroad in 1903, which was controlled by the Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad.



Station listing





































































































































































Milepost
City
Station
Opening date
Connections and notes

CFP110.1

Alexandria

RO Interlocking

north end of the RF&P at Potomac Yard, continues via trackage rights over Baltimore and Potomac Railroad (PRR) to Union Station in Washington, D.C.
junction with Rosslyn Connecting Railroad (PRR)

CFP109.0

Crystal City


Virginia Railway Express Fredericksburg Line and Manassas Line

CFP106.5
Slater's Lane

junction with Norfolk Southern (SOU) branch to Mirant power plant and Robinson Terminal warehouse on the Alexandria waterfront. Defective equipment detector.

CFP105.3

Alexandria
1905

Virginia Railway Express Fredericksburg Line and Manassas Line
Amtrak Carolinian, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Silver Meteor and Silver Star

CFP104.3

AF Interlocking

junction with Orange and Alexandria Railroad (SOU)

CFP99.3

Springfield

Franconia
1870
Closed 1952. Replaced by Franconia–Springfield (WMATA station) with additional Virginia Railway Express Fredericksburg Line and Amtrak NortheastRegional service in 1997.

CFP95.7

Newington

Newington

Station also known at times as "Accotink"; was interchange point with the U.S. Government Branch to Fort Belvoir.

CFP92.5

Lorton

Lorton


Virginia Railway Express Fredericksburg Line
Amtrak Auto Train
junction with Lorton and Occoquan Railroad

CFP89.9

Colchester

Colchester



CFP89.4

Woodbridge

Woodbridge


Virginia Railway Express Fredericksburg Line
Amtrak Northeast Regional; station also known at times as "Occoquan".

CFP85.7

Rippon


Virginia Railway Express Fredericksburg Line

CFP82.4

Cherry Hill

Cherry Hill



CFP78.8

Quantico

Quantico
1872
Rebuilt in 1919 and 1953. Virginia Railway Express Fredericksburg Line
Amtrak Carolinian and Northeast Regional

CFP74.1

Widewater

Widewater



CFP70.7

Aquia

Aquia



CFP68.1

Stafford

Brooke


Virginia Railway Express Fredericksburg Line

CFP63.4

Falmouth

Leeland


Virginia Railway Express Fredericksburg Line

CFP59.4

Fredericksburg

Fredericksburg
1910

Virginia Railway Express Fredericksburg Line
Amtrak Carolinian and Northeast Regional
junction with Virginia Central Railway

CFP51.5


Summit



CFP46.9

Guinea

Guinea

Freight ramp still exists diagonally across the tracks from the entrance to the Stonewall Jackson Shrine

CFP44.5

Woodford

Woodford

Still exists next to the Woodford Post Office



Bowling Green Park



CFP37.8

Milford

Milford
1891
Still exists across from the corner of Antioch Road and Colonial Road

CFP33

Penola

Penola
1886


CFP27.1

Ruther Glen

Ruther Glen



CFP21.8

Doswell

Doswell

Rebuilt in 1928. Junction with Virginia Central Railroad (C&O).

CFP14.8

Ashland

Ashland
1866
Rebuilt 1890 and 1923. Currently serves Amtrak's Northeast Regional line

CFP11.5

Elmont

Elmont



CFP8.1

Glen Allen

Glen Allen

Closed in 1956.

CFP6.4

Laurel

Laurel



CFP4.6

Richmond

Staples Mill Road
1975

Amtrak Carolinian, Palmetto, Northeast Regional, Silver Meteor and Silver Star

CFP1.7

AY Interlocking

junction with Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac and Richmond and Petersburg Railroad Connection at Acca Yard

CFP0.0

Broad Street Station
1917
Closed in 1975, and now is the home of the Science Museum of Virginia.


Footnotes




  1. ^ Griffin, Jr (1994), p. 2-3.


  2. ^ ab Virginia State Corporation Commission, Commonwealth Atlantic Land V Inc. (formerly Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad Company); accessed 2018.02.15.


  3. ^ Griffin, Jr (1994), p. 4-5.


  4. ^ Griffin, Jr (1994), p. 6.


  5. ^ Griffin, Jr (1994), p. 7.


  6. ^ Virginia State Corporation Commission, Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railway Company; accessed 2018.02.15.


  7. ^ Griffin, Jr (1994), p. 21.


  8. ^ "The Jackson Shrine Along the RF&P". Bull Sheet Monthly News. October 1993. Archived from the original on 2007-11-07. Retrieved 2008-04-15..mw-parser-output cite.citationfont-style:inherit.mw-parser-output .citation qquotes:"""""""'""'".mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registrationcolor:#555.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration spanborder-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output code.cs1-codecolor:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-errordisplay:none;font-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-errorfont-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-maintdisplay:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-formatfont-size:95%.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-leftpadding-left:0.2em.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-rightpadding-right:0.2em


  9. ^ "William Thomas Rice Obituary Prepared by his Family". CSX Transportation. 2006-02-06. Retrieved 2008-04-15.


  10. ^ "The Academy of Engineering Excellence" (PDF). Virginia Tech College of Engineering. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-08-20. Retrieved 2008-04-15.


  11. ^ Official Guide of the Railways. New York: National Railway Publication Co. March 1950. pp. 595–597. OCLC 6340864.


  12. ^ Wayner, Robert J., ed. (1972). Car Names, Numbers and Consists. New York: Wayner Publications. p. 73. OCLC 8848690.



References



  • Griffin, Jr, Dr. William E. (1994). Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad : The Capital Cities Route. Lynchburg, Va.: TLC Publications. ISBN 9781883089122. OCLC 32064855.


External links





  • Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad Historical Society, Inc.

  • Pictures and information on the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad

  • Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac (TrainWeb)

  • Railroad History Database

  • Corporate Genealogy - Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac

  • Corporate Genealogy - Washington Southern

  • Mileposts from CSX Transportation Timetables








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