I worked for NS (hired out on Sou. Ry in 79) in Alexandria in the early 80’s, and boy what a show the RF&P put on back then! They always saw to it that odd numbered engines were pointed south, even numbers north. And their switchers, as I remember, were geared for mainline speeds, and they wouldn’t hesitate for a minute to put a switcher in a consist if they were short on road engines for whatever reason! The statement about C&O freight trains not running through Pot yard isn’t entirely true. C&O (and CSX later) had a trackage rights agreement with Southern (NS later) between Orange, Va. near Charlottesville and Pot yard. I believe by my years up there it was mostly just coal trains, and I remember working Southerns Van Dorn street piggyback yard in the middle of the night, and a northbound C&O coal drag was approaching CR Tower at speed but the dispatcher couldn’t get the crew to answer the radio to advise they’d be facing a stop signal! A trainmaster and I stood by the mainline throwing ballast at the cab of the lead unit trying to wake up the crew! It evidently worked, as the train suddenly went into emergency immediately after we’d stoned it! Those were great times in the railfan world though!
Great video, most of those scenes were shot in my old stomping grounds of Alexandria. Grew up right down the street from Potomac Yard. My neighbor used to work there. As a kid/teenager in the 80s we used to hop on slow moving freights at Telegraph Rd. and ride them up to Braddock Rd where the PotYard began. Thanks for the great memories!
I remember the Orange Blossom Special, I still go down to ACCA yard in Richmond. I know people that works in machinist shop and road foreman. Richmond turned the RF&P station into a science museum which still has an RF&P Steam on display.
I was at Doswell in 1979 and the old general store there was still open. We even went inside. An old relic of the past. Photoed an RFP train there too.
The Richmond, Frederick and Potomac was a railroad that also hosted Amtrak auto Train. Also, this video has several ads inserted from Google, TH-cam ad servers
I worked for NS (hired out on Sou. Ry in 79) in Alexandria in the early 80’s, and boy what a show the RF&P put on back then! They always saw to it that odd numbered engines were pointed south, even numbers north. And their switchers, as I remember, were geared for mainline speeds, and they wouldn’t hesitate for a minute to put a switcher in a consist if they were short on road engines for whatever reason! The statement about C&O freight trains not running through Pot yard isn’t entirely true. C&O (and CSX later) had a trackage rights agreement with Southern (NS later) between Orange, Va. near Charlottesville and Pot yard. I believe by my years up there it was mostly just coal trains, and I remember working Southerns Van Dorn street piggyback yard in the middle of the night, and a northbound C&O coal drag was approaching CR Tower at speed but the dispatcher couldn’t get the crew to answer the radio to advise they’d be facing a stop signal! A trainmaster and I stood by the mainline throwing ballast at the cab of the lead unit trying to wake up the crew! It evidently worked, as the train suddenly went into emergency immediately after we’d stoned it! Those were great times in the railfan world though!
Great video, most of those scenes were shot in my old stomping grounds of Alexandria. Grew up right down the street from Potomac Yard. My neighbor used to work there. As a kid/teenager in the 80s we used to hop on slow moving freights at Telegraph Rd. and ride them up to Braddock Rd where the PotYard began. Thanks for the great memories!
Those green and white covered wagons are beautiful!
I remember the Orange Blossom Special, I still go down to ACCA yard in Richmond. I know people that works in machinist shop and road foreman. Richmond turned the RF&P station into a science museum which still has an RF&P Steam on display.
THANK YOU FOR DETAIL VIDEO
Ah, the clean, balanced lines of non-dynamic brake equipped GP40s..
I was at Doswell in 1979 and the old general store there was still open. We even went inside. An old relic of the past. Photoed an RFP train there too.
Steel on steel , nice comparison.
Amazing. You even know the Caboose was former Clinchfield. Damn bro how u know these things?
0:51 is incorrect. Northern connection was not C&O. It was PRR and B&O.
The Richmond, Frederick and Potomac was a railroad that also hosted Amtrak auto Train. Also, this video has several ads inserted from Google, TH-cam ad servers