Richmond & Rappahannock River Railway

the Richmond & Rappahannock River Railway terminal building in Richmond was at 29th and P Street
the Richmond & Rappahannock River Railway terminal building in Richmond was at 29th and P Street
Source: ESRI, ArcGIS Online

The Richmond & Rappahannock River Railway and the Rappahannock Land & Development Corporation were chartered in 1912. The investors planned to build a 75-mile railroad connecting Richmond and Urbanna on the Northern Neck, and to develop the land along the route. A ferry was planned for the initial crossing of the Pamunkey River.

Construction required tearing down earthwork fortifications built by the Confederate Army at Gaines's Mill and by the Union Army at Cold Harbor. 16 miles of track was completed to the Pamunkey River by 2014, and trains made the one-hour trip twice a day from Richmond to Pamunkey Station. The railroad established its Richmond terminal at 29th and P Street in a building formerly used for the city's trolley car system.

the Richmond & Rappahannock River Railway terminal building in Richmond was at 29th and P Street
the Richmond & Rappahannock River Railway terminal building in Richmond was at 29th and P Street
Source: Ronnie Pitman, Richmond & Rappahannock River Railway Terminal (2018)

The railroad published the Battlefields Around Richmond: Reached by Richmond & Rappahannock River Railway, which said:1

Until recently the battlefields, while close at hand, were difficult of access. In 1914, with the opening of the Richmond and Rappahannock River Railway, these memorable fields were brought within a few minutes ride of the city. This railway, offering clean and comfortable travel, penetrates the heart of the battlegrounds, cutting often through the ancient entrenchments themselves.

Richmond & Rappahannock River Railway timetable in 1915
Richmond & Rappahannock River Railway timetable in 1915
Source: Virginia Chronicle, Richmond Times-Dispatch (June 20, 1915)

Residents north of the Pamunkey River in King William County were unwilling to sell land at prices the railroad was willing to pay. There were few sales of land, and the lack of industrial development minimized freight traffic. The railroad was auctioned off in December 2017. The track route was abandoned, ending up as part of adjacent farms. Remnants of the railbed are still visible at the site of the Gaines Mill battle in 1862.2

the Richmond & Rappahannock River Railway never crossed the Pamunkey River
the Richmond & Rappahannock River Railway never crossed the Pamunkey River
Source: US Geological Survey (USGS), King William, VA 1:62,500 topographic quadrangle (1920)

Links

References

1. "On Richmond's Front Line," Richmond Battlefields Association, December 2023 http://www.saverichmondbattlefields.org/pdf/2023_Dec_newsletter.pdf; "The Richmond & Rappahannock River Railway," Forgotten Lands, Places and Transit, August 13, 2020, https://www.frrandp.com/2020/08/the-richmond-rappahannock-river-railway.html (last checked December 11, 2024)
2. "On Richmond's Front Line," Richmond Battlefields Association, December 2023 http://www.saverichmondbattlefields.org/pdf/2023_Dec_newsletter.pdf (last checked December 11, 2024)

Railroads of Virginia
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