Buckingham Branch Railroad finds big, small ways to spur growth
9/7/2021
By Jeff Stagl, Managing Editor
The Buckingham Branch Railroad (BBR) is counting on a traffic-building boost from some large and small endeavors undertaken of late.
The 275-mile short line — which operates in central Virginia and interchanges with CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway — developed two new transload yards over the past year-plus with another on the way, and more recently upgraded a line from excepted to Class I track. Those moves can be characterized as big-time railroading, BBR President Steve Powell says.
The railroad also earlier this year established a two-man operation at its Norfolk Division operation. That effort falls more into basic short-line railroading, he says.
The three new transload yards are located in Buckingham, Doswell and Keysville, Virginia. BBR now offers a dozen transload sites on its lines. The short line also provides car switching and storage services, and operates excursion trains on weekends during spring and fall in collaboration with the National Railway Preservation Society’s Old Dominion Chapter.
The railroad followed the “build it and they will come” approach to establishing the new transload yards, which took several years to develop and now are being marketed, says Powell. A transload facility typically works best when it handles small volumes over a short term.
“Then, hopefully a customer will build their own facility on land nearby to handle bigger volumes,” says Powell.
The railroad spent $2.5 million to upgrade a 5-mile mainline on its Norfolk line by replacing rail, ties and switches. The work was completed on April 30. Buckingham Branch RailroadThat happened recently at the Doswell transload yard when customer North Branch Resources LLC built a facility two miles away. The shipper transports lime kiln dust used for soil stabilization.
The Keysville transload yard — which opened in summer 2020 — is attracting business, too. For example, Tucker Timber Products Inc. uses the facility to transport green crossties to a wood treating facility.
As for the Buckingham yard, it will be able to handle more transload volume after an expansion is completed in spring 2022, says Powell. The work includes new tracks that are under construction.
BBR also plans to eventually develop a new transload yard on land purchased in Gordonsville, Virginia, but no timetable for the project has been set, says Powell.
In the meantime, a vital $2.5 million infrastructure project on the Norfolk line conducted earlier this year is being counted on to pay off in better track conditions and more business. BBR upgraded a 5-mile mainline by replacing rail, ties and switches. The work was completed on April 30.
The track’s condition was sketchy at best, says Powell. Excepted track — which the Federal Railroad Administration allows under narrowly defined conditions — has a 10 mph speed limit for freight trains and can’t be used by passenger trains.
With the excepted track now upgraded to Class I standards, BBR can move more than five hazardous material cars at a time and tap storage-in-transit opportunities, he says.
Within the next two years, the short line plans to upgrade its Little Creek Yard on the line to improve transload access.
Within the next two years, the short line plans to upgrade its Little Creek Yard on the Norfolk line to improve transload access. Buckingham Branch RailroadMeanwhile, BBR hopes to gain solid efficiency benefits from a new two-man operation at the Norfolk Division. A 5-mile line between Norfolk and Virginia Beach, Virginia, became BBR’s fourth division in 2018. Part of the line — which includes a transload site at Little Creek Yard — is leased from NS and another part is leased from Canonie Atlantic Co.
Two employees at the division now handle communications with customers, train-crew services, track inspections, facility maintenance and minor track repairs. BBR provides additional support when needed, says Powell.
Each of the two employees either are trained or soon will be trained to serve as an engineer, conductor and track inspector.
“It is the real basic short-line model,” says Powell. “We don’t need to have all the necessary departments staffed when two people can cover it all.”
The 5-mile line was going to be abandoned, but several customers along the route still needed rail service, he says. BBR stepped in as the new operator three years ago.
