Virginia & Maryland Railway, of the late '70s

Anybody have any info on the trackage and customer base of the short-lived Virginia & Maryland Railway back in the late '70s? I believe their locomotive roster was comprised of former LIRR Alco C420s, which had been returned coming off-lease to their lessor in late '76 and early '77. Thanks.

I believe that the Virginia & Maryland Railway inherited some trackage in Little Creek, Virginia, near Norfolk, when they bought the line from Conrail in the '70s. Little Creek was the end point for the car ferry route originating in Cape Charles that stayed in business into the 2000s. I've seen photos of one of the V&M's Alco C420s hauling scrap filled gondolas so maybe there was a metal processing plant nearby? I know that there was a cement plant in Cape Charles that may have been one of the last main customers of the Bay Coast Railway before it shut down in 2018. As an interesting fact, I believe that former Virginia & Maryland Railway Alco C420 High Hood #200 survives on the Livonia Avon & Lakeville Railroad as their #420.

All The Best,

Nick Jobe
Centreville, VA

I read somewhere else on this website that one of the V&M's Alco C420s, #210, was deep-sixed whilst switching the floatbridge, but I don't recall on which side, Cape Charles or Little Creek, and was later scrapped. I believe #213 survives to this day, on the Dakota Southern.

You're right about one of the locos sinking and subsequently being scrapped, although, I believe it was #203, originally Long Island Railroad #210 instead. It fell off a barge and was scrapped soon after it was recovered. The recovery effort would have definitely been something I would've payed to see! Little Billie's out on his boat and he sees a crane "fishing". Suddenly out of the depths pops a locomotive! On another note, it appears Dakota Southern #213 is down with a prime mover issue, but I don't believe it's going anywhere. Livonia Avon & Lakeville #420 on the other hand appears to be operable and in good condition.

All The Best,

Nick Jobe
Centreville, VA

The 200's original 1963 as-delivered gray & orange livery is peeking through the post-1968 blue & yellow. She is doing quite well in upstate NY, wearing beautiful black & gold LA&L livery, and exquisitely maintained.

Did the V&M have any rolling stock of it's own, such as boxcars, like so many other shortlines did from the mid-70s on???

When I was in the Navy in 1990 I went over to Cape Charles and saw the 203 sitting in the yard, highly corroded. I have some pix someplace.

Also V&M 202 survives, originally LIRR 221....went to NYS&W around 1982 and operated out of Utica with C-420 2000. She was numbered 2002 IAW NYS&W practice of even numbers if locomotive had MU. Then it was renumbered to 260 for a few years for some unknown reason and then was renumbered to 2010 in the late 80s. Ended up at Buffalo Southern where it exists today, OOS, still 2010.

Teutobergerwald wrote: ↑Thu Feb 04, 2021 8:02 pm Did the V&M have any rolling stock of it's own, such as boxcars, like so many other shortlines did from the mid-70s on???

I don't believe V&M had any interchange freight cars although I think the Maryland & Delaware did.

The V&M's principal business was overhead traffic but in addition to the Bayshore precast concrete plant at Cape Charles I believe they served a couple of fertilizer dealers, food companies, propane distributors . . . none high volume sources of traffic.

The V&M's corporate charter was recycled when the owners started up the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad.

And it's locomotive livery, too.

VAMD had 50 "IPD" boxcars with "The Delmarva Gateway" slogan on it. FMC 5347 cuft in burgundy with yellow lettering. My IPD color guide has them with VAMD from 80-81 (likely gone when ESHR took over). You can find some pix online when they were remarked LRWN but still in VAMD paint.

I'd love a pair in HO scale from Athearn or Atlas. Maybe one or the other will offer it at some point.

Bev-Bel produced one eons ago. Kit #373. Good luck finding one.

I went down a rabbit hole researching the Amtrak service site in Norfolk, after coming across it on a bike ride. I found the state wants to spend $1.8m in 2022 to finally buy the site it fixed up and Amtrak started using in 2012. You can even go to Google Street View, click the time clock, and see the wye under construction in 2012.

But the part that might interest you is the current owner. Accomack and Northampton are the counties that make up the Virginia Eastern Shore, as you probably know.

St. Julian’s Yard in Norfolk, Virginia is the site on which Amtrak services its passenger trains that terminate and originate from Norfolk Station. The land and some rail assets are currently owned by Canonie Atlantic, a private company owned by the Accomack-Northampton Transportation District Commission. Purchase of Amtrak train service facility in Norfolk, VA from Canonie Atlantic will secure the site for current and future Amtrak service to Norfolk.

http://www.drpt.virginia.gov/media/3298 ... -final.pdf

Found the pix of 203