Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad: The Capital Cities Route

Excerpt from the Introduction: In the early morning hours of October 10, 1991, documents were signed, bank drafts cleared, and the deal was struck to end the 157-year independent operation of the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad Company. Born during the earliest stage of railroad development, its unique arrangement of stock ownership had enabled the RF&P to retain independent status long after other railroad companies succumbed to the rail industry's modern merger movement. This is my second book on the RF&P. The first - A Hundred and Fifty Years of History Along the RF&P - was published by the Company in 1983 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of its corporate existence. That work focused on the RF&P's history as it related to the communities along its right-of-way. With the demise of the Company, I resolved to tell the story of the RF&P in a more comprehensive manner. This book has been written to fulfill that goal. Herein, we'll review the RF&P's corporate history from birth to merger; the Company's motive power and rolling stock; its passenger and freight operations; and, the special train operations that won so many friends for the RF&P in the Commonwealth of Virginia.