Buckingham Branch

The BBRR is taking over the Virginia Southern line that runs from Burkeville, Va to Oxford, NC. Rail America has been running it. I heard that the tracks were in really bad shape and the stretch from Clarksville, south to Oxford, while still intact is overgrown with trees groing up through the gauge.Looks like they have their work cut out for them.

I don't work for RailAmerica, but have many friends that do and that's RA's calling. Run a line into the ground, don't fix anything or fix it enough to keep the trains on the rail, take as much profit out of it as you can. I'm pretty sure all the business they have left on the line is the coal and maybe, just maybe 1 or 2 other customers. Hopefully BBRR can clean it up and bring some business back to it.

Supoosedly the investment group that owns Rail America may be purging several of its lighter density (i.e. lower profit) lines throughout the system.

The Virginia Southern was the first Thoroughbread Short Line Lease program lease to expire, hence RA did not want to renew the lease, and NS didn't want the line back. Hence BB stepped in. As far as traffic, last time I was there in the late 90s they had coal and ?woodchips?.

I think that's about it as far as customers, there is some power plant down there that uses coal and a couple of chip mills. The BB has a reputation for good service and for seeking out customers that have long been ignored by CSX and NS. At this point their biggest challange is to get the line back in shape. One thing that will be interesting is that the line interchanges with NS both at Burkeville and at Oxford, NC. If they ever decide to clear and rebuild the track between Clarkesville and Oxford, it would be a shortcut from Raliegh to Richmond......that's an awfullot of work though.....

Bump.

So apparently, the BBRR is buying up the trackage they operate over: Railway Age

Buckingham Branch Railroad to Acquire Rail Lines From NS

Buckingham Branch Railroad Company (BBRR) has filed a verified notice of exemption to acquire from Norfolk Southern (NS) approximately 58.1 route miles of a railroad line extending from milepost F86.0 at Burkeville, Va., to milepost F65.8 at Keysville, Va. (historically known as the F Line), and from milepost D0.0 at Keysville, Va., to milepost D37.9 at Clarksville, Va. (historically known as the D Line) from the Class I railroad, according to a Nov. 17 Federal Register report.

According to the verified notice, except for a portion of the F Line between milepost F86.0 and F84.8 at or near Burkville, BBRR has operated the lines pursuant to a lease since 2009. The Class III rail carrier states that the parties “have agreed in principle to the sale of the lines from NS to BBRR under the terms of a draft transaction agreement.” The verified notice, the Federal Register reports, also states that BBRR “intends to consummate the subject transaction on or after the date of this exemption, and that BBRR will provide all rail common carrier service on the lines.”
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