Residents of Buckingham have recently noticed a renewed look on one of the locomotives of the Buckingham Branch Railroad. Everyone is familiar with the red and grey color scheme of the BB, but now a shiny cobalt blue and grey engine is traveling the rails. Rail fans and historians will immediately recognize this color scheme as that of the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad Company (RF&P) and the freshly painted locomotive is the RF&P 101.
Until its demise in October 1991, the RF&P had the distinction of being the oldest railroad in America still operating under its original name and charter. It remained in continuous operation for 157 years until it was acquired by CSX Corporation. While one of the shortest railroads in the country with only 113 miles of track, it was also one of the most successful due to its strategic location. It formed one of the principal routes between the northern and southern cities of the Atlantic seaboard.
The RF&P 101 was one of four GP-7 diesel locomotives placed in service in the early 1950s. It is a 1500 horsepower unit built by EMD in 1951. While originally place into freight service, it was built to accommodate passenger service with the inclusion of a steam generator and an expanded underbelly tank partitioned for additional fuel and water. The 101 made its initial trip on January 4, 1951 and remained in continuous service until 1980 when it was placed in storage.
In 1986 the mechanics at the RF&P Bryan Park Terminal began a painstaking restoration of the 101 using parts from all four of the now retired GP-7s. The “new” 101 was restored to its original appearance and recommissioned on June 19, 1986 at Acca Yard in Richmond. The locomotive was placed back into service and was utilized in freight service for one year.
In 1987 the RF&P donated the 101 to the Old Dominion Chapter of the National Railroad Historical Society. That group retains ownership of the locomotive, but has leased it to the Buckingham Branch Railroad since 1991. The Old Dominion Chapter and the Buckingham Branch have partnered for many years in providing passenger excursions in Central Virginia. This partnership led to the joint decision to preserve this historically significant locomotive and resulted in the only surviving example of an RF&P locomotive left that is still painted and lettered in its original RF&P paint and decoration scheme. Thus a locomotive that started its life moving passengers and freight from Richmond to Washington now moves wood products, minerals and occasional passengers from Dillwyn to Bremo Bluff. The next time you see the RF&P 101 go by, give a wave to a piece of history.
(Historical information on the RF&P was taken from Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad, The Capital Cities Route by William E. Griffin, Jr., TLC Publishing, Inc. 1994.)