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[Anonymous]

Hi all, I'm visiting Richmond Va for 5 weeks from March 29th and am keen on taking photographs of railways in and around Richmond (I'm staying in Lakeside). Do any of you have any suggestions as to good locations for lineside photos, etc? Also it would be a great help to have some hints and tips about the general protocol in the US regarding what we in the UK call trainspotting! Is there anywhere that would be out of bounds (other than the PW of course!) and do the cops have a problem with guys with cameras alongside railway lines?

I understand there's a museum at Roanoke - are there any other places of railway interest I should definitely visit in Va?

With thanks to any of you kind enough to answer this plea.

Chris

[coborn35]

Major Norfolk Southern and CSX action. Make sure to stay on public property AT ALL TIMES while taking pics. If a cop talks to you be respectful and courteous.

[Anonymous]

Be careful-Richmond can be ROUGH.

[nanaimo73]

The busiest line in Richmond is the CSX line (former Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac) from the north which splits near Lakeside.
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=13&Z=18&X=176&Y=2600&W=1&qs=%7crichmond%7c%7c
These Terraserver links can be moved, and switched to Topo or Aerial.

Most of the traffic, and the Amtrak trains, take the line to the SW and miss the downtown and cross this RF&P-ACL bridge over the James River.
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=12&Z=18&X=349&Y=5196&W=1&qs=%7crichmond%7c%7c
South from the middle of the bridge the heritage is Atlantic Coast Line.

There are Amtrak trains to Newport News that do go through downtown.

The other busy line at Richmond is the CSX (former Chesapeake and Ohio) line along the north bank of the James River from coal country to the west. It runs under the north end of the RF&P-ACL bridge and then has this C&O bridge (parallel to the River) near downtown before heading to Newport News.
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=12&Z=18&X=355&Y=5195&W=1&qs=%7crichmond%7c%7c

Norfolk Southern does not run a lot of trains through Richmond, their coal line from the west to Norfolk passes through Petersburg, 25 miles to the south. The NS line in Richmond is along the south bank of the James River, and runs under the south end of the RF&P-ACL bridge. After crossing the River it heads off east to West Point (not the Academy)
In this view, the 4 bridges are, from the left, Norfolk Sothern (southern RR), highway bridge, CSX (Seaboard) and then Interstate 95.
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=11&Z=18&X=712&Y=10390&W=1&qs=%7crichmond%7c%7c

At the north end of the Seabord bridge is Triple Crossing, with three rail lines at different levels.
http://www.piedmontsub.com/Richmond.shtml
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=10&Z=18&X=1425&Y=20782&W=1&qs=%7crichmond%7c%7c

I think you should visit Triple Crossing, and try to get a shot of the C&O bridge with a downtown skyline, perhaps taken from the Robert E Lee Bridge.
The best place would seem to be either end of the RF&P-ACL bridge.


http://maps.google.com/?ll=37.564174,-77.478333&spn=0.14478,0.303497&t=h

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locThumbs.aspx?id=149622

http://www.thedieselshop.us/MPR.html

[Anonymous]

Many thanks, exactly what I was hoping for. I have visited Richmond before (I live in Cornwall, in the UK, by the way) and was aware that you have to be careful in some areas! I am praying for good weather but it seems that at least the first few days are going to be wet and cold. Keep the information coming guys, it would be great to meet any of you who are local to Richmond st some point.

[tree68]

Five weeks in Richmond? Sounds to me like day trips to Roanoke, Baltimore (B&O Museum), Spencer, and maybe even Strasburg (you could combine Balto and Strasburg into an overnighter).