Under Construction

11.

12.

This was a tourist line.

At one time this road operated 250 miles between Norfolk and Danville. There was also a 50 mile branch from near Emporia to Claremont on the James River plus several shorter branches. It was under lease to the Southern Ry when it became independent. It was acquired by the Norfolk & Western in 1962 and operated as NF&D with second generation diesels. The Claremont branch is long gone, and the main line is gone between Lawrenceville and Blanche. It is now operated as a couple of branch lines by Norfolk Southern.

101 thru 106, RS2, were built by Alco in 1949 and 107, RS3, was added in 1951. These were all later traded in to Alco.

102, RS2, was built by Alco in July 1949, #76990, and was traded in to Alco in 1962.

1 and 2, RS36, were built by Alco in 1962 under N&W ownership.

2, RS36, was built by Alco in October 1962, #84393.

They were later supplemented with 201 thru 204, RS11, built by Alco for the Nickle Plate.

203, RS11, was built by Alco in March 1956, #81462, as NYC&StL 561, Class ARS-18A. It became N&W 2561 in 1965 and later NF&D 203.

5, 65 Ton, was built by Porter in April 1944, #7646, as Jackson Iron & Steel Co 5.  It was sold to B&NW as 5 in 1981 and later sold to Lonesome Pine RR.

4960 was built by Baldwin in 1923, #56809, as Chicago Burlington & Quincy 4960, Class O-1A. After retirement it went to the Mid-Continent Railway Museum. In 1981 it was leased to the B&NW as 4960, and in 1995 it was sold the Grand Canyon Ry and rebuilt as 4960.

Buckingham Branch RR

1 "The Pete Peters", GP7, was built by Electro-Motive in April 1951, #12390, as Louisville & Nashville 404, Class GP-7.  It was renumbered 2262 and again renumbered 2380.  It became Seaboard System RR 2380 and sold as BB 8851.  It was renumbered 1.

A narrow gauge railroad was built into the Dismal Swamp in southeastern Virginia for logging operations. It was probably owned by Camp Paper Co., but this is not certain.

6 was apparently built by Porter.

We came back in October, and it was just the wrong time of the day. The best we could do was a shot of the 26 from the tender end. It shows some interesting details including the headlight mounted under the cab roof instead of on the tender deck, which is the usual place, or on the cab roof, which is a common location.

We also found a Milwaukee Locomotive Works gas switcher with no number. I think Milwaukee Locomotive was a part of the Filer & Stowell Co. which had or has a factory at 1^st & Lincoln in Milwaukee.

We came back in November at the proper time of the day, and we got a better photo of the 26 with the light in the right direction.

If anyone has any more information about this operation, I'll be glad to add it to this page.

Keith Taylor tells us a little more about the 26. It was originally Surrey, Sussex and Southampton Ry. 26. It is now in its original livery at Allaire State Park in New Jersey, where it is the featured power on the Pine Creek Central. Keith sends us this photo of Surrey Sussex & Southampton 26 on the Pine Creek. The photo is by Frank Czajkowski.

Jack Huber gave us the builder information on 26 and also tells us that Gray used it and other locomotives on the Southern Railway's Claremont branch which ran from Emporia to the James River. Gray leased the branch until 1936 after the Southern stopped operating the narrow gauge in 1932. After that the 26 was used on a short 3 rail spur moving finished lumber to the Norfolk & Western main line.

This was a short coal line at Haysi near Bristol.

5, 65 Ton, was built by Porter in April 1944, #7646, as Jackson Iron & Steel Co 5.  It was sold to Bristol & North Western as 5 in 1981 and later sold to LPRR.

10.

This was probably one of those roads which could be included in the least successful category. Track was laid in the late 1940s from the Smithfield Ham factory to a carfloat landing on the James River, a distance of less than a mile. Opening day was June 9, 1948. Cars were to be floated to Newport News, but apparently the C&O would not interchange. When I visited in late 1952, the railroad was intact but no traffic had moved. I did get a picture of their entire roster.

6 was built by Baldwin in October 1891, #12288.  It was rebuilt in 1918 and rebuilt as Argent Lumber Co 6 in 1930.  It was rebuilt in 1953 and rebuilt as Midwest Central RR 6 in 1960.

26 was built by Baldwin in October 1920, #53796, as SS&S 26. It was acquired in July 1930 by Gray Lumber. He was lucky to get it when the weeds weren't overpowering.

288, 8 Ton GM, was built by Vulcan in 1940, #4302, as United States Army 106.  It was sold as TCCo 288 and resold as Chesapeake RR 4302.

The Virginia Blue Ridge Railway dates back to 1915, beginning at the Tye River Depot and ending in Massies Mill, branching out at times to Lowesville and into the mountains. The railway was built to haul chestnut timber out of the Piney River area to local mills. Timber runs were halted during World War I, since they were not essential to the war effort, and a chestnut blight wiped out much of the crop. Passenger service carried the line through 1936. The line saw a true resurgence when a company began extracting titanium dioxide from the Piney River and needed transport. Also, three companies were built to extract aplite from the area and used the rail for transport and the line thrived until the late 1960s. Hurricane Camille destroyed some of the tracks in 1969 and Cyanamid, the company that began the line's industrial boom in the 1930s, closed in 1970.

5 was built by Schenectady in November 1942, #70421, as United States Army 4039.  It was sold to VBR as 5 on February 17, 1947.  It was then sold to Morris County Central 4039 in 1966.

8 was built by Schenectady in November, 1942, #70420, as USA 4038. It was renumbered 618 in 1954 and sold to VBR as 8 of August 15, 1958. It later became Delaware-Otsego RR 2 and later Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley 2.

9 was built by Schenectady in October, 1942, #70402, as USA 4023. It was renumbered 616 in 1954 and was sold to the Virginia Blue Ridge Ry as 9 on August 15, 1958. In 1967 it became New Hope & Ivyland 9.

12, SW1, was built on April 19, 1940, #1053, as Delaware Lackawanna & Western 432. It became Erie Lackawanna 354, Class SE-6, in 1960 and sold to VBR as 12 in October 1964. After the VBR was abandoned it was sold to Union Tank Car Co in April 1985.

Virginia Electric & Power Co.

1175, S3, was built by Alco in September 1950, #78391, as Boston & Maine 1175, Class DS-3b.  It was sold as VE&P 1175 on January 22, 1965, and resold to Stone & Webster Co in 1965.  It was sold as Continental Forest Products Co 1175 and resold as Otter Valley RR 1.  It was sold as Seaview Transportation Co 3 in 1981 and leased as Cape Cod & Hyannis 3.  It was returned as Seaview 3 "Hamilton".