Much to RF&P's credit, their track was superbly maintained. The MofW forces were laying rail at Elmont on Oct. 13, 1978 as southbound TOFC hotshot No. 275 passed with three units.

At the time this image was taken on July 12, 1978, three of RF&P's classic wooden overhead bridges remained on the railroad. These bridges were built by the railroad to carry county roads over th... (more)

I never understood why, but Southern Railway usually held its Annual Shareholder Meeting in Richmond, VA. The old Southern freight house in Richmond had been refurbished for that purpose. Since ... (more)

I must admit, I took every opportunity to view RF&P 250 ton wreck derrick No. 1 when it was being used. It didn't get used often, but when it did, I tried to be there. Still, being steam powered... (more)

Southbound RF&P No. 275 was approaching Vaughan's Crossing at the north end of Ashland, VA on Feb. 11, 1978 with two GP35s and a GP7. The sharp eye will notice the SCL caboose spliced into the tr... (more)

1978 seemed to be the year that we got nailed with lots of ice storms. Manifest No. 176 was passing through Hunton, VA on Jan. 21, 1978 in a landscape where eveything is literally ice covered. I... (more)

RF&P's northbound local freight No. 3 (Acca Local) was leaving Elletts, VA on Jan. 14, 1978 after switching the Best Products Co. distribution center. Considering we had one of central Virginia's... (more)

Southbound RF&P manifest No. 109, led by GP40 No. 123, was being overtaken by Amtrak No. 89, the "Palmetto," led by P30CH No. 714, at Franconia, VA on Nov. 27, 1977.

As a rule, RF&P tried pretty hard to keep its power clean, especially during the 1970's and 1980's. They didn't have a wash rack and washing was done with a scrub brush when the unit was in for m... (more)

At less than 1%, as far as railroad grades are concerned, RF&P's Rutherglen Hill was pretty lame. That said, it could still take the wind out of the sails of a freight train as is passed over the... (more)

Southbound RF&P No. 105 was passing through Elmont, VA on April 13, 1977, the first day of an experimental pool power arrangement with Conrail. If I recall correctly, RF&P tried it in order to ge... (more)

There is a bit of the past and the future in this photograph. In the background is the boom of RF&P Acca wreck derrick No. 1 working to clear a derailment at Brooke, VA on Sept. 25, 1976. Wreck ... (more)

Some people may remember yellow and white dots on freight cars, applied in the late 1970's, to identify whether or not the car had a certain type of wheel suspected of causing derailments. Specif... (more)

On the evening of Sept. 24, 1976, as RF&P manifest No. 110 worked its way north, a wheel began of disintegrate on a SCL boxcar. It began around Dahlgren Junction (MP 61.1) and by the time the car... (more)

TOFC business on the RF&P really started to mushroom in the early 1970s, much in part because of UPS. The piggyback ramp at Potomac Yard became increasingly important, with most of the southbound... (more)