Buckingham Branch
"Virginia's Rail Connection to North America"
With four divisions utilizing 280 miles of trackage, the Buckingham Branch Railroad has grown from its humble beginnings as a 17-mile branchline operator to become the largest shortline operation in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As a handling line railroad, the shortline moves freight for local shippers to a variety of interchanges with both major Class 1 mainline operations in the state: Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation.
The Buckingham Branch Railroad is a family-owned, short line railroad that operates 275 miles of railroad in Virginia. Bob Bryant began his railroad career the day after graduating from high school in the early 1950s when he went to work for the former Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. After more than 30 years of railroading Bob retired and returned home with his wife, Annie, and family to Buckingham County from Baltimore when the C & O and Baltimore & Ohio merger eventually led to the creation of CSX Transportation. Bob and Annie created the Buckingham Branch in 1988, acquired from CSXT the 17 mile branch line between Bremo, VA and Dillwyn, VA, the Buckingham Branch Division, and ran the first BB train on March 6, 1989. Operation began with one locomotive and two employees.
The Buckingham Branch Railroad is a independent shortline system operating in the commonwealth of Virginia. First organized in 1989 to take over from CSX Transportation a castoff Chesapeake & Ohio branchline in rural Buckingham County, today the Branch operates 280 miles of track, has numerous train crews utilizing more than a dozen locomotives, and serves more than 40 freight customers. The company has grown to operate four sections of frieght railroad around the state:
- Buckingham: the original segment, 17 miles of former Chesapeake & Ohio branch line, from Dillwyn across the James River to Bremo and a CSX connection at Strathmore
- Richmond & Alleghany: the longest segment, 199 miles from Richmond through Charlottesville to Clifton Forge, leased from CSX since 2004. The BB is responsible for dispatching BB, CSX and Amtrak trains through a rail traffic control department.
- Virginia Southern: 59 miles from Burkville to Clarksville, leased from Norfolk Southern since 2009
- Norfolk: the newest segment, leased in 2018 from Norfolk Southern, 5 miles from Norfolk to Virgnia Beach
Interchange is maintained with CSX Transportation at Strathmore, Doswell, Coleman Place, and Clifton Forge; with Norfolk Southern at Burkeville, Charlottesville, Waynesboro, and Portlock Yard in Norfolk.
Buckingham Branch also operates the Virginia Scenic Railway, a tourist operation based out of the Amtrak station at Staunton, Virginia — served by Amtrak's three-days-a-week Cardinal service between New York City and Chicago. The VSR's Allegheny Special and Blue Ridge Flyer offer 3-hour excursions with diesel power. Seasonal Shenandoah Valley Limited trains are sometimes run in the fall, often utilizing Norfolk & Western Railway Class J #611 steam locomotive.
Bridgeport, Va / Nov 2016 / RWH
Buckingham Branch system map / web
1994 Official Guide ad / collection
Dillwyn to Strathmore, 17 mi
Richmond to Clifton Forge, 199 mi
Burkville to Clarksville, 59 mi
Norfolk to Virgnia Beach, 5 mi
Dillwyn, Virginia
Staunton, Virginia
Doswell, Virginia
4 with CSX Transportation
4 with Norfolk Southern
Chesapeake & Ohio
Chessie System
CSX Transportation
none (active)
RWH
RWH and collection
The Buckingham Branch Railroad provides eight interchanges with Class 1 railroads, four each with CSX and Norfolk Southern. The availability of interchanges with competing Class 1 railroads for connections to North America and the world ensures our customers can find the best possible freight rates and schedule. The BB has excellent working relationships with both CSX and Norfolk Southern and can help prospective freight customers cut through the red tape to get accurate and timely freight rate and delivery information.
Charlottesville, Va / Nov 2016 / RWH
Scrapbooks
The Buckingham Branch offers world-class freight service to customers as part of our 7-day-a-week operations. As a short line railroad the BB can give individual attention to our freight customers in terms of modifying schedules if needed to accommodate changes in production schedules. The BB has 40+ freight customers across our three rail divisions, ranging from international corporations like Klockner Pentaplast to local customers like Luck Stone quarries. The Buckingham Branch moves a wide variety of freight, from heavy industrial materials like stone and lumber, to chemicals required for fertilizer production, to gases such as butane, to finished food and beverage products like beer and wine. Our freight trains run regular schedules Monday through Friday and special trains as needed on weekends. We have seven train crews. Some of our freight customers include Augusta Cooperative, Bakery Feed, Bear Island, Buckingham Slate, Builders Specialty, Dominion Power, Essroc, Kopprs, Klockner Pentaplast, Luck Stone, Martin Marietta, Stella Jones, Sound Structure and Sunoco.
Clippings
from The Short Line magazine #96 (Jan 1989) / collection
from The Short Line magazine #97 (Mar 1989) / collection
from Railfan & Railroad magazine (Feb 2020) / collection
Rolling Stock
Buckingham Branch #223
caboose / Charlottesville, Va / Nov 2016 / RWH
Charlottesville, Va / Nov 2016 / RWH
Charlottesville, Va / Nov 2016 / RWH
Buckingham Branch #224
caboose / Dillwyn, Va / Nov 2016 / RWH
Buckingham Branch #222
bay window caboose / Dillwyn, VA / May 2006 / RWH
Buckingham Branch #810
excursion commissary / Dillwyn, VA / May 2006 / RWH
Buckingham Branch #301
excursion car / Dillwyn, Va / Nov 2016 / RWH
Buckingham Branch #302
excursion car / Dillwyn, Va / Nov 2016 / RWH
Buckingham Branch #115
boxcar / Alpha, Va / May 2004 / RWH
Buckingham Branch #1508
boxcar / Alpha, Va / May 2004 / RWH
Buckingham Branch #2001
box / Doswell, Va / Dec 2017
Chesapeake & Ohio #2112
track speeder / Dillwyn, Va / May 2004 / RWH
Dillwyn, Va / May 2004 / RWH
Orange, Va / Nov 2016 / RWH
Amtrak's Cardinal
Likely the only shortline in the United States to host a scheduled Amtrak route, the Buckingham Branch makes room for the Cardinal among its freight work three times per week in each direction. Westbound #51 leaves the Norfolk Southern mainline at Orange, Virginia, following the short BB spur to Gordonsville where it joins the BB Alleghany Division through Charlottesville, Waynesboro, and Staunton. At Clifton Forge, Virginia, the end of the BB, #51 joins the CSX Transportation mainline for the route east across West Virginia. Eastbound #50 follows the reverse pattern. Amtrak trains are managed by Buckingham Branch dispatchers while in this territory.
RWH
Charlottesville, Va / Nov 2016 / RWH
Nov 2016 / RWH
Charlottesville, Va / Nov 2016 / RWH
North Mountain, Va / Oct 2023 / RWH
See also our complete Amtrak Cardinal Route Scrapbook in Mainlines
Lagniappe
Ready for Action
Dillwyn, Va / May 2004 / RWH
Temptation
Staunton, Va / Jul 2016 / RWH
Come On In
Dillwyn, Va / Nov 2016 / RWH
Bremo Boy
Bremo, Va / Nov 2016 / RWH
Ladies in Waiting
Dillwyn, Va / May 2004 / RWH
Take Me Down to the River
New Canton, Va / May 2004 / RWH
The Menagerie Limited
May 2004 / RWH
Number One on the Point
May 2006 / RWH
James River Crossing
Nov 2016 / RWH
Two Twenty Two at Penlan
Penlan, Va / Nov 2016 / RWH
Top of the Morning
Dillwyn, Va / Nov 2016 / RWH
Orange, Va / Nov 2016 / RWH
Orange, Va / Nov 2016 / RWH
Orange, Va / Nov 2016 / RWH
Orange, Va / Nov 2016 / RWH
Special Delivery
Charlottesville, Va / Nov 2016 / RWH
Snapshots
During my nine years of living in central Virginia, I enjoyed several trips over to rural Buckingham County to photograph and ride the Buckingham Branch Railroad. I made it to two of their annual May excursions (2004 and 2006) put on in conjunction with the Old Dominion Chapter of the NRHS; my brother-in-law and I rode in 2004, and dad and I made the 2006 trip together. As a fan of first generation diesel power, I was glad to get better acquainted with the BB and to see firsthand their great stable of factory Geeps and Seaboard Coast Line rebuilds. Seeing the well known Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac #101 in operation was a real treat as well. In 2004 it was the power on the excursion, but by 2006 it had been stripped down and prepared for repainting. The original Buckingham Branch branchline out of Dillwyn is a treat to ride: slow, meandering shortline trackage through several interesting industrial sites ... finally culminating in a terrific overhead view of the muddy James River. Of course, the little BB became famous in the railfan world for taking on operation of the 200+ mile CSX subdivision between Richmond and Clifton Forge. I have yet to see this operation up close, but I'm impressed by any shortline that hosts regular Amtrak trains over its rails!
Dillwyn, Va / May 2006 / RWH
Dillwyn, Va / May 2004 / Will Hankins
Dillwyn, Va / May 2004 / RWH
Dillwyn, Va / May 2004 / RWH
During my nine years of living in central Virginia, I enjoyed several trips over to rural Buckingham County to photograph and ride the Buckingham Branch Railroad. I made it to two of their annual May excursions (2004 and 2006) put on in conjunction with the Old Dominion Chapter of the NRHS; my brother-in-law and I rode in 2004, and dad and I made the 2006 trip together. As a fan of first generation diesel power, I was glad to get better acquainted with the BB and to see firsthand their great stable of factory Geeps and Seaboard Coast Line rebuilds. Seeing the well known Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac #101 in operation was a real treat as well. In 2004 it was the power on the excursion, but by 2006 it had been stripped down and prepared for repainting. The original Buckingham Branch branchline out of Dillwyn is a treat to ride: slow, meandering shortline trackage through several interesting industrial sites ... finally culminating in a terrific overhead view of the muddy James River. Of course, the little BB became famous in the railfan world for taking on operation of the 200+ mile CSX subdivision between Richmond and Clifton Forge. I have yet to see this operation up close, but I'm impressed by any shortline that hosts regular Amtrak trains over its rails!
Links / Sources
- Buckingham Branch company website
- Diesel Shop roster for Buckingham Branch
- Old Dominion NRHS chapter excursions on the Buckingham Branch
- Virginia Railway Association Buckingham Branch listing
- Central Virginia Railfan page for the Buckingham Branch
- Wikipedia article for Buckingham Branch
- Edward A. Lewis, American Shortline Railway Guide - Fifth Edition (Kalmbach, 1996) 51