Cluttered And Classic
Just another shot I like of this Buckingham Branch Railroad local working the interchange with CSXT north of the Doswell diamond. Despite the cluttered scene I really liked the rusted old school goal post signas from Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac days and wanted to frame up this job beneath them.
BB12 is a GP40-3 rebuild originally blt. Nov. 1968 as straight GP40 as PC 3178 and passing to Conrail and then later working for the KCS) seen framed up beneath the sign at the entrance to the shortline's small transload terminal. People I know don't like this scheme, but with this being my first time checking out this shortline I think they look pretty sharp.
The BB has been the operator of the east west line through here since 2004 when they leased the old Richmond and Alleghany Division from CSXT, 199 miles from Richmond to Clifton Forge. This route is the historic core of the mighty Chesapeake and Ohio which was created in August 1868, when the Virginia Central (this route) was merged with the Covington and Ohio to form the new C&O. But the rails here can trace back to 1840 when the Louisa Railroad which was chartered in 1836 built west from a connection with the RF&P at Doswell to Gordonsville. Largely supplanted by the low grade route along the James River which had been built in 1880 and acquired by the growing C&O in 1889 this route remained as a secondary mainline for succesors Chessie System and CSXT. A tentative agreement is in place to sell this line to the Commonwealth of Virginia in the coming years though BB will remain the frieght operator and overhead CSXT trackage rights trains should continue to run. To learn about that deal check out this link: www.railwayage.com/passenger/csx-starts-sale-for-virginia...
And for a history of the BB and a system map check out their excellent corporate page: buckinghambranch.com/
Unincorporated Doswell
Hanover County, Virginia
Friday March 31, 2023
Cluttered And Classic
Just another shot I like of this Buckingham Branch Railroad local working the interchange with CSXT north of the Doswell diamond. Despite the cluttered scene I really liked the rusted old school goal post signas from Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac days and wanted to frame up this job beneath them.
BB12 is a GP40-3 rebuild originally blt. Nov. 1968 as straight GP40 as PC 3178 and passing to Conrail and then later working for the KCS) seen framed up beneath the sign at the entrance to the shortline's small transload terminal. People I know don't like this scheme, but with this being my first time checking out this shortline I think they look pretty sharp.
The BB has been the operator of the east west line through here since 2004 when they leased the old Richmond and Alleghany Division from CSXT, 199 miles from Richmond to Clifton Forge. This route is the historic core of the mighty Chesapeake and Ohio which was created in August 1868, when the Virginia Central (this route) was merged with the Covington and Ohio to form the new C&O. But the rails here can trace back to 1840 when the Louisa Railroad which was chartered in 1836 built west from a connection with the RF&P at Doswell to Gordonsville. Largely supplanted by the low grade route along the James River which had been built in 1880 and acquired by the growing C&O in 1889 this route remained as a secondary mainline for succesors Chessie System and CSXT. A tentative agreement is in place to sell this line to the Commonwealth of Virginia in the coming years though BB will remain the frieght operator and overhead CSXT trackage rights trains should continue to run. To learn about that deal check out this link: www.railwayage.com/passenger/csx-starts-sale-for-virginia...
And for a history of the BB and a system map check out their excellent corporate page: buckinghambranch.com/
Unincorporated Doswell
Hanover County, Virginia
Friday March 31, 2023