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Virginia's first railroad retained its operational independence and the name Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac from its founding in the 1830s until 1992, when it was folded into CSX Transportation. Almost from the beginning, the road carried bridge traffic and inter-road passenger trains. It was as a vital link between north and south, connecting the Pennsylvania Railroad and B&O of the north with the Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line of the south. Both ends of the property had major yards. Richmond's Acca Yard is still a major CSX hub and maintenance facility. Potomac Yard in Alexandria is completely abandoned. The line is heavy duty construction: two main tracks over its entire length, except for the bridge at Quantico. Note: this bridge is scheduled to be upgraded with the additional of a parallel double-track structure. Federal BESTEA funding will pay for the work. Frequently spaced crossovers allow for easy bi-directional movement. VRE has funded the construction of an additional set of crossovers at Featherstone. Wayside signals are coupled to a cab signal and automatic train control system between RO, just south of the Potomac and Greendale, at the north end of Richmond's Acca Yard. Audible defect detectors are shown at left as red dots. Other defect detectors on the line are tied to the signal system. Scenic highlights of the line include a series of bridges which carry the tracks over inlets from the Potomac. These include Neabsco, Quantico and Aquia Creek bridge. Below Fredericksburg the line enters the gently rolling countryside of the Virginia Piedmont, reaching the its highest point at Summit. At the southern end of the line, Milford, Doswell and Ashland afford easy access to the tracks. The RF&P bisects the town of Ashland. Traffic densities on the line are the heaviest in the state. The line hosts ten long-distance Amtrak trains per day (Silver Service trains, the Carolinian and Autotrain) as well as Amtrak's Northeast Direct Service to Richmond and Newport News. Added to this mix are hot intermodal trains of owner CSXT and well as the road's lesser drag freights. Virginia Railway Express operates rush hour commuter service north of Fredericksburg. Upwards of forty trains per day run over the line south of Fredericksburg. C&O Business Unit coal trains operate over the line to Virginia Power's Possum Point plant as well as to customers north of Washington. Most empties turn west at Doswell to return to the coal fields. Cumberland Coal Business Unit trains travel south to customers in Virginia and the Carolinas. See chart below for typical trains. |
RF&P Subdivision Trains | |||||
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Symbol | Type | Origin | Destination | Days of Oper. | Notes |
Passenger | |||||
P052 | Autotrain | Sanford, Fla. | Lorton | Daily | Arrives Lorton 9am |
P053 | Autotrain | Lorton | Sanford, Fla. | Daily | Departs Lorton 4:30pm |
P066 | "Twilight Shoreliner" | Newport News | Boston | Daily | 5:45pm at Richmond Amtrak symbol for this train is 76 on Fri. & Sat. It remains P066 on CSX on those days. |
P067 | "Twilight Shoreliner" | Boston | Newport News | Daily | 9:05am at Richmond |
P079 | "Carolinian" | New York | Charlotte | Daily | 12:27pm at Richmond |
P080 | "Carolinian" | Charlotte | New York | Daily | 3:50pm at Richmond |
P084 | "Virginian" | Richmond | Boston | Daily, ex. Sun. | 6:25am at Richmond |
P085 | "Colonial" | Boston | Richmond | Daily | 10:22pm at Richmond |
P086 | "Colonial" | Richmond | Boston | Daily | 7:45am at Richmond |
P089 | "Silver Palm" | New York | Miami | Daily | 2:26pm at Richmond |
P090 | "Silver Palm" | Miami | New York | Daily | 1:58pm at Richmond |
P091 | "Silver Star" | New York | Miami | Daily | 6:31pm at Richmond |
P092 | "Silver Star" | Miami | New York | Daily | 9:18am at Richmond |
P093 | "Virginian" | Boston | Richmond | Mon.-Thu. | 7:47pm at Richmond |
P094 | "Old Dominion" | Newport News | Boston | Ex. Sat. | 10:25am at Richmond |
P095 | "Old Dominion" | Boston | Newport News | Ex. Sun. | 5:16pm at Richmond |
P097 | "Silver Meteor" | New York | Miami | Daily | 12:57am at Richmond |
P098 | "Silver Meteor" | Miami | New York | Daily | 3:39am at Richmond |
P099 | "Virginian" | Boston | Newport News | Fri., Sun. | 7:47pm at Richmond |
P194 | "Old Dominion" | Newport News | New York | Sat. | 10:25am at Richmond |
P195 | "Old Dominion" | New York | Richmond | Sun. | 5:16pm at Richmond |
Intermodal | Q173 | TOFC/single level COFC | Kearny NJ (CR) | Jacksonville | Daily ex. Mon. | arr. Acca Yd. 1615, operates as L173 on Mon. | Q174 | TOFC/single level COFC | Jacksonville | Kearny NJ (CR) | Daily ex. Sun. | dep. Acca Yd. 0420, operates as L174 on Sun. | Q175 | TOFC/single level COFC | Philadelphia | Jacksonville | Daily ex. Mon. | arr. Acca Yd. 1730 | Q176 | TOFC/single level COFC | Jacksonville | Philadelphia | Daily ex. Sun. | dep. Acca Yd. 1330 |
Manifest | |||||
Q400 | Mixed | Hamlet NC | Cumberland MD | Daily | 8-12 Mid. |
Q401 | Mixed | Cumberland MD | Hamlet NC | Daily | 3-7PM |
Q405 | Mixed | Philadelphia | Hamlet NC | Daily | 5-9AM |
Q406 | Mixed | Hamlet NC | Philadelphia | Daily | 10AM-2PM |
Q409 | Mixed | Baltimore (Mt. Clare) | Tampa | Daily | 1-3PM |
Q410 | Mixed | Waycross GA | Baltimore (Bay View) | Daily | 1-5AM |
Q412 | Merchandise | Jacksonville | Philadelphia | Daily | 8-12Noon |
Q413 | Merchandise | Baltimore (Mt. Clare) | Rocky Mount | Daily | 10-1PM |
Q414 | Mixed | Richmond | Cumberland | Daily | 2-6AM |
Q415 | Mixed | Cumberland | Richmond | Daily | 10-3AM |
Other | |||||
D726 | Local | Fredericksburg | -- | Local serving Fredericksburg and Sealston | |
K275 | Solid waste | Sealston | Annapolis Jct., Md. | Mon, Wed., Fri. | Trash train serves Sealston on the Dahlgren Industrial Track. Empties depart at 1800 and return at 0430 |
K650 | Tropicana Juice | Bradenton, FL | Kearny, NJ | As needed | empties return on other trains. |
Note: times shown for freight trains are approximate and may vary widely |
Baltimore Service Lane--RF&P Subdivision | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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96 Road Channel 161.550 20 Dispatcher 160.410 45 Maintenance of Way 160.785 88/16 PBX (Richmond) 161.430/160.350 77/19 PBX (Summit) 161.265/160.395 Jacksonville AE Dispatcher (CQ Desk M-F 1st and 2nd tricks)