I would like to know any infromation on the line from danville to richmond va. I know there were 4 passenger trains on the line what were they and how many freights. also any infromation on the station and freight depot would be helpful.

-- louis grundman (grundmam@bellsouth.net), May 04, 2002

Answers

I've lived next to it for years. What EXACTLY are you looking for.

There were passenger trains. I rode them. Last one was mid-50's.

Freights connected Danville and Richmond. Most traffic generated on line is pulpwood headed for WEst POint VA.

NHRS used to run 4501 etc. from Ricmond to Keyesville. (There was a Y there to turn engine.

Still running but connection is now with old N&W main in Burkeville. Couple of freights a day depending on demand.

Write me for more specifics.

Only station left near Richmond is the Richmond station being refurbed by NRHS. (And there are doing it VERY SLOWLY.

-- Gordon Andrews (southernry_n@hotmail.com), June 05, 2002.

Now 2 trains a day (one each way) between Richmond and Burkeville. This was originally the Richmond & Danville RR, the route over which Jefferson Davis and his Cabinet fled Richmond as it was about to fall to the yanks. Also was a key component of the makeup of the Southern Railway in the 1890's. The revovation of SR's Hull St Station in Southside Richmond is about to pick up steam...within the past 10 days an additional Transportation grant has been received bringing the total available renovation funds to over a quarter of a million dollars. (including dollars ponied up out of pocket by some of us in the ODC-NRHS.) The delay has been primarily the fault of the architect and gov't red tape...but thoes issues are pretty much taken care of and serious renovation work should be underway soon.

-- Greg Hodges (ghodges@smpsfa.com), June 05, 2002.

Depot and tracks still in place at Ringgold (near Danville). Virginia Southern now running trains as far as Keysville but tracks are gone between there and Ringgold. Line from Ringgold Eastward is now a walking trail. There is a great old stone trestle worth seeing.

-- Larry Scott (lscott@pcs.k12.va.us), May 17, 2003.

was this line a victim of the NS merger?

-- richard lea (grandsound@hotmail.com), October 02, 2004.

The line is still active from Richmond to Keysville. NS is still operating the portion from Richmond to Burkeville (as well as the line east from Richmond to West Point. The former Southern freight station at Richmond (14th & Canal sts) still stands and has been redone as offices. The former Manchester (South Richmond) passenger station had sustained flood damage several times (1969 and 1972 for sure) before Richmond's flood wall was built, but should be safe now when it is restored by the Old Dominion Chapter NRHS, which also has some rolling stock onsite.

-- Mark Fisher (vaoverland@aol.com), October 02, 2004.