Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad

Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad

A Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad freight train passing through Doswell, Virginia in 1969
Overview
Headquarters	Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Reporting mark	RFP
Locale	Maryland, Virginia, U.S.
Dates of operation	1836–1991
Successor	CSXT
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad (reporting mark RFP) was a railroad connecting Richmond, Virginia, to Washington, D.C. The track is now the RF&P Subdivision of the CSX Transportation system; the original corporation is no longer a railroad company.

The RF&P was a bridge line, with a slogan of "Linking North & South," on a system that stretched about 113 miles.^[1] Until around 1965, RF&P originated less than 5% of its freight tonnage, probably less than any other Class I railroad. For much of its existence, the RF&P connected with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and Seaboard Air Line Railroad at Richmond. At Alexandria and through trackage rights to Washington Union Station in Washington, D.C., where connections were made with the Pennsylvania Railroad, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and the Southern Railway.

The railine connected to the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad at Potomac Yard and interchanged with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway at Doswell. Until 2024, it (along with the former Conrail properties) was the only CSX line to have cab signal requirements on their entire system; the railroad ended this practice on the line in June of that year in favor of positive train control.