Richmond & Danville Railroad

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Richmond & Danville Railroad

The Richmond & Danville (R&D) Railroad was a significant player in the 19th-century Southern railway network, notable for its strategic importance during the Civil War and its later role as the core component of a massive, but ultimately overextended, holding company. The railroad was chartered in 1847, and its 141-mile main line connecting Richmond and Danville, Virginia, was completed in 1856.

Civil War

During the Civil War, the R&D served as a crucial supply route for the Confederacy, especially in the last stages of the war. Its lines moved troops and supplies and, toward the end of the conflict, carried Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his cabinet as they fled the fallen capital. Though heavily damaged by Union forces, the railroad was quickly rebuilt following the war. The R&D’s charter allowed it to acquire and control connecting railroads, a power it used to expand its network rapidly.

Richmond Terminal Holding Company

The railroad’s expansionist ambitions were turbocharged in 1880 with the creation of its holding company, the Richmond & West Point Terminal Railway & Warehouse Company, often known simply as the Richmond Terminal. The Terminal was created to bypass charter restrictions and acquire railroads that did not directly connect with the R&D. The Terminal began a rapid and aggressive campaign of acquisitions, eventually gaining control of a vast web of railroads across the South, including the East Tennessee, Virginia, and Georgia Railway. By 1891, the Richmond Terminal system commanded over 8,500 miles of track, an impressive size but also a source of great financial instability.

Financial ruin due to overexpansion and debt

The Richmond Terminal’s immense size and rapid growth, however, masked serious financial problems. Overexpansion, poor physical condition, and a massive debt load left the conglomerate vulnerable. In 1892, amidst an economic depression, the Richmond Terminal and its subsidiary railroads, including the R&D, entered receivership and declared insolvency. The subsequent reorganization by J.P. Morgan & Co. in 1894 led to the consolidation of these bankrupt holdings, forming the Southern Railway, which would become one of the nation’s great rail systems. The R&D’s story thus illustrates both the ambition and the risks of unchecked railroad consolidation in the late 19th century.

R&D Stats

  • Founded/Chartered: 1847 Operated: 1847-1894
  • Initial Route: Richmond VA to Danville VA Gauge: 5′, then 4’8.5″
  • Initial Length: 145 Miles Final Length: 3,300 Miles
  • Related Railroads: Chesterfield Railroad, Virginia Central Railway
  • Headquarters: Richmond VA
  • Cities: Richmond VA, Danville VA, Greensboro NC, Charlotte NC, Asheville NC, Greenville SC, Columbia SC, Atlanta GA, Birmingham AL
  • Key Individuals: Whitmell Pugh Tunstall, Andrew Talcott
  • Successor: Southern Railway
  • Today: Norfolk Southern Railway

Richmond & Danville Map – 1882

Travelers’ Official Railway Guide for the United States and Canada

Richmond & Danville Railroad Map

Richmond & Danville Map – 1891

Poor’s Manual of the Railroads of the United States

Richmond & Danville Railroad Map - 1891

Piedmont Air-Line Advertisement – 1882

Advertisement appearing in Chataigne’s Directory of Richmond

Piedmont Air-Line System - Richmond and Danville Railroad Map

Richmond & Danville Map – 1893

Richmond & Danville Railroad Map - 1893

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Southern-Railroads.org Sources and Resources

The following are excellent resources for those of you wanting to explore and learn more about the Southern Railway and its predecessors. These sources of information also serve as reference and historical materials for Southern-Railroads.org. Much of the content on the website is verified across multiple sources.

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