Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Steam Roster (Since 1900)

Published: October 14, 2026

In 1926 the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac renumbered its locomotives and classed the roster for the first time. There were still no class letters. Engines were known by their numbering series, and the only ones that received names were the 4-8-4s. The table below is George H. Drury’s list of steam locomotives built since 1900, with the post-1926 numbers in the second column.

Before the renumbering, road power was divided by mileage between the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac and the Washington Southern. Washington Southern switchers worked Potomac Yard. Richmond switchers worked the Richmond yards. After 1904 the engines were lettered Richmond-Washington Line. The Washington Southern itself disappeared into the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac in 1920. Its old numbers survive in the pre-1926 column, marked WS.

Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac 4-8-4 No. 601, Governor Patrick Henry, taking coal at Ivy City in Washington during the 1950s

4-8-4 No. 601, “Governor Patrick Henry,” takes coal at Ivy City, Washington, D.C., during the 1950s. Ed Olsen photograph. American-Rails.com collection. Baldwin works number 62218, October 1938.

On this page: At a glance · Roster since 1900 · Pacifics and Mountains · Switchers and the hump · The named 4-8-4s

At a glance

Item	Detail
Railroad	Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac. Mark RFP. Company history
This table	Steam locomotives built since 1900, in Drury’s post-1926 numbers
Renumbered	1926. No class letters
Named engines	4-8-4s only. Generals 551–555, Governors 601–612, Statesmen 613–622
Last new steam	Statesmen 613–622, Baldwin, 1944–1945
Last revenue steam	December 17, 1954
After that	Statesmen 613–622 leased to the Chesapeake & Ohio about 1955, returned, scrapped in 1959

Roster since 1900

Drury’s columns are the wheel arrangement, the number after 1926, the number before 1926, the quantity, the builder, the year built, the year retired, and a note. A blank post-1926 number means the engine was sold before the renumbering. Richmond is the Richmond works. WS is the Washington Southern. BLW is Baldwin.

Type	Post-1926 numbers	Pre-1926 numbers	Qty	Builder	Built	Retired	Notes
0-6-0	1, 3	RF&P 100, 101	2	Baldwin	1903, 1905	1940, 1941
0-6-0	2, 4, 5	WS 110–112	3	Baldwin	1903, 1905	1939–1945
0-6-0	11–13	RF&P 102–104	3	Baldwin	1906	1936
0-6-0	14, 15	WS 113, 114	2	Baldwin	1906	1936, 1945
0-6-0	21, 22	RF&P 105, 106	2	Baldwin	1912	1945, 1938
0-6-0	25–27	WS 115–117	3	Richmond	1908	1936–1945
0-6-0	31, 32	RF&P 107, 108	2	Baldwin	1919	1949
0-6-0	35, 36	WS 121, 122	2	Baldwin	1918	1947, 1948
0-6-0	41	WS 109	1	Richmond	1918	1949
0-6-0	42–44	RF&P 123–125	3	Richmond	1921, 1923	1949
0-6-0	45, 46	RF&P 127, 128	2	Richmond	1925	1949, 1953
0-6-0	47, 48	—	2	Richmond, Baldwin	1918–1927	—	Sold 1951
0-8-0	71–73	WS 118–120	3	Richmond	1914, 1918	1948–1953
0-8-0	74	RF&P 126	1	Richmond	1923	1953
0-8-0	91, 92	RF&P 130, 131	2	Richmond	1923	1953
2-8-4	571–580	—	10	Lima	1943	1952	Virtual duplicates of Nickel Plate 730–739
2-8-8-2	1–3	—	3	Schenectady	1925	1949	Former Chesapeake & Ohio. Bought 1943 for Potomac Yard hump service. Simple articulateds
4-6-0	101–105	RF&P 25–29	4	Richmond	1903	1930–1946
4-6-0	—	RF&P 30–35	6	Richmond	1900	—	Sold 1916–1923
4-6-0	—	RF&P 36, 37	2	Baldwin	1901	—	Sold 1916
4-6-0	106–113	RF&P 38–46	9	Richmond	1901, 1903	1927–1935	No. 39 retired before renumbering
4-6-2	151–160	WS 60–69	10	Baldwin	1904	1929–1946
4-6-2	161–165	RF&P 70–74	5	Richmond	1905	1929, 1946
4-6-2	201–206	RF&P 80–85	6	Baldwin	1907	1937–1950
4-6-2	251–255	WS 51–55	5	Baldwin	1913	1937–1950
4-6-2	256–259	WS 56–59	4	Richmond	1911	1950
4-6-2	260–263	RF&P 86–89	4	Richmond	1912	1937–1950
4-6-2	264–268	RF&P 90–94	5	Richmond	1913	1937–1950
4-6-2	301–312	RF&P 10–21	12	Baldwin, Richmond	1918–1925	1950, 1952
4-6-2	325–328	—	4	Baldwin	1927	—	Sold to the Chesapeake & Ohio, 1947
4-6-2	401–406	RF&P 1–6	6	Baldwin	1915, 1916	1950	Freight Pacifics. Rebuilt in the late 1920s with Elesco feedwater heaters and booster trailing trucks
4-8-2	501–504	RF&P 200–203	4	Richmond	1924, 1925	1950	Two in 1924 and two in 1925
4-8-2	515–520	—	6	N&W	1926	—	Norfolk & Western class K3. Bought 1944, stored, sold to the Wheeling & Lake Erie in 1948
4-8-4	551–555	—	5	Baldwin	1937	1952	Generals. Works 61974–61978. Freight engines. Names below
4-8-4	601–622	—	22	Baldwin	1938–1945	1953–1954	Governors 601–612 and Statesmen 613–622. 613–622 leased to the Chesapeake & Ohio about 1955 and scrapped in 1959

Pacifics and Mountains

The first Pacifics were freight engines. Baldwin built Washington Southern Nos. 60–69 in 1904, later 151–160, and Richmond built Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Nos. 70–74 in 1905, later 161–165. Drivers were 68 inches. Cylinders were 20 by 26 inches or 21 by 26 inches. Sixty-nine-inch drivers later became the standard. Three engines of the 151 class were superheated and given outside-bearing trailing trucks, and they lasted until 1946. The rest of that early group was scrapped before the Second World War.

The 1907 Pacifics, Nos. 201–206, were passenger engines: 73-inch drivers, saturated steam, slide valves, Walschaerts gear, and inside-bearing trailing trucks. Nos. 256–263 were the same general engine, heavier at 252,000 pounds against 238,000 pounds, superheated, with piston valves and new trailing trucks. The 1913 engines still had inside-bearing trailing trucks. Baldwin’s 251–255 weighed 240,000 pounds and were slippery. Richmond’s 264–268 weighed 258,340 pounds. In the end the 200s had 23 by 28 inch cylinders and 34,500 pounds of tractive effort, and most of them finished in freight.

Baldwin’s six freight Pacifics, Nos. 401–406, were built in 1915 and 1916. They had 68-inch drivers, later 69, cylinders 26 by 28 inches, and 47,320 pounds of tractive effort. In the late 1920s they were rebuilt with Elesco feedwater heaters and cast trailing trucks with boosters. Nos. 301–312, Richmond in 1918 and 1920 and Baldwin in 1924 and 1925, had 75-inch drivers. Drury places them between the United States Railroad Administration light and heavy Pacifics, and about 14,000 pounds heavier than the heavy USRA engine. The last passenger Pacifics, Nos. 325–328, came from Baldwin in 1927: 75-inch drivers, 27 by 28 inch cylinders, 342,600 pounds, and 48,580 pounds of tractive effort. They were sold to the Chesapeake & Ohio in 1947.

Four Mountains, Nos. 501–504, were ordered from Richmond as two in 1924 and two in 1925. They were heavier than the USRA heavy Mountain, with smaller cylinders, 73-inch drivers, and slightly less power. The other six 4-8-2s were Norfolk & Western class K3 engines, built in 1926 with 63-inch drivers. The Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac bought them in 1944, stored them through the war, and sold them to the Wheeling & Lake Erie in 1948, where they met four other K3s that had spent the war on the Rio Grande.

The ten 2-8-4s, Nos. 571–580, were the quick wartime freight engines. Lima built them in 1943 as virtual duplicates of Nickel Plate 730–739, and at the same time. They were retired in 1952.

Switchers and the hump

The early 0-6-0s were slide-valve engines weighing from 110,000 to 150,000 pounds. Later six-wheel switchers had piston valves, were not superheated, and weighed about 170,000 pounds. The 0-8-0s were hump engines for Potomac Yard. Nos. 71–74 had 24 by 28 inch cylinders, 51-inch drivers, and weighed 229,000 pounds. The last two, Nos. 91 and 92, had 26-inch cylinders, 53-inch drivers, and weighed 259,000 pounds. Wartime traffic through the yard outgrew even those engines. In 1943 the railroad bought three simple 2-8-8-2s from the Chesapeake & Ohio, Nos. 1–3, built at Schenectady in 1925. They were retired in 1949.

The named 4-8-4s

They were 4-8-4s, and the railroad named them Generals, Governors, and Statesmen. The five Generals were freight engines. Drury gives the reason: too wide for the Capitol Hill tunnel into Washington, and too heavy for the Long Bridge across the Potomac. Roller bearings were fitted only on the lead trucks. The other axles had friction bearings. Frames were one-piece cast steel. The 1947 Locomotive Cyclopedia card, as carried by Locobase, gives 77-inch drivers, 27 by 30 inch cylinders, 275 pounds of boiler pressure, 66,391 pounds of tractive effort, and an engine weight of 466,040 pounds. The tender held 20,000 gallons. Weight on the drivers was 277,245 pounds, and engine and tender together were 842,940 pounds. Valve gear was Walschaerts. Baldwin’s works numbers are 61974 through 61978. Drury’s year is 1937. Wiley Bryan rates them above 66,000 pounds of tractive effort, good for 3,000 tons northbound and 2,500 tons southbound.

Number	Name	Works	Built
551	General Robert E. Lee	61974	1937
552	General T. J. Jackson	61975	1937
553	General J. E. B. Stuart	61976	1937
554	General A. P. Hill	61977	1937
555	General J. E. Johnson	61978	1937

The Governors used the same cylinders and the same 77-inch drivers. Drury’s weight for the 1938 engines is 406,810 pounds, about 60,000 pounds under the Generals. They had long Vanderbilt tenders. Like the Generals they had one-piece cast steel frames, and the 1938 engines had friction bearings on all axles. Bryan rates the Governors and the Statesmen at about 63,000 pounds of tractive effort. Nos. 601–606 are Baldwin works 62218–62223. Nos. 607–612, works 64625–64630, arrived in 1942. On 607–622 the tender water rose to 18,000 gallons. The 1938 tenders had been 16,000 gallons.

Number	Name	Works	Built
601	Governor Patrick Henry	62218	1938
602	Governor Thomas Jefferson	62219	1938
603	Governor Thomas Nelson	62220	1938
604	Governor Benjamin Harrison	62221	1938
605	Governor James Monroe	62222	1938
606	Governor John Tyler	62223	1938
607	Governor Edmund Randolph	64625	1942
608	Governor Henry A. Wise	64626	1942
609	Governor John Letcher	64627	1942
610	Governor Fitzhugh Lee	64628	1942
611	Governor William Smith	64629	1942
612	Governor Claude A. Swanson	64630	1942

The ten Statesmen, Nos. 613–622, are Baldwin works 71992–72001, built in 1944 and 1945. They followed the Governors, with rectangular tenders and Timken roller bearings on all axles. The engine weight on the later card is 409,400 pounds. Drury’s retirement column for the whole 601–622 group is 1953–1954. The last revenue day for Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac steam was December 17, 1954. The Generals had already been retired in 1952. The Statesmen were leased to the Chesapeake & Ohio about 1955, returned, and scrapped in 1959.

Number	Name	Works	Built
613	John Marshall	71992	1944–1945
614	George Washington	71993	1944–1945
615	Henry Clay	71994	1944–1945
616	George Mason	71995	1944–1945
617	John Randolph	71996	1944–1945
618	James Madison	71997	1944–1945
619	William Byrd	71998	1944–1945
620	George Wythe	71999	1944–1945
621	Richard Henry Lee	72000	1944–1945
622	Carter Braxton	72001	1944–1945

Sources

George H. Drury, Guide to North American Steam Locomotives, revised edition, pp. 279–280. The roster grid above, including builders, dates, quantities, and the pre-1926 numbers. Prose dimensions for the Pacifics, the 0-6-0s, the 0-8-0s, the 1927 passenger Pacifics, the Mountains, the Generals’ service limits, and the Governor weight of 406,810 pounds. Simple former Chesapeake & Ohio 2-8-8-2s, bought in 1943. Lima 2-8-4s as virtual duplicates of Nickel Plate 730–739. K3s bought in 1944 and sold to the Wheeling & Lake Erie in 1948. Statesmen leased to the Chesapeake & Ohio about 1955 and scrapped in 1959. Drury cites the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad Historical Society and recommends Richard E. Prince, The Richmond-Washington Line and Related Railroads (1973). Published rosters: Railroad magazine, November 1932, p. 554, and March 1952, p. 102.
Wiley Bryan, “Capital Cities Route,” Trains, November 1941. No class letters. Generals above 66,000 pounds of tractive effort, 3,000 tons northbound and 2,500 southbound. Governors and Statesmen about 63,000 pounds.
Locobase, steamlocomotive.com, cards 10076 and 276, from the 1947 Locomotive Cyclopedia. General works 61974–61978. Drivers, cylinders, 275 psi, tractive effort 66,391 pounds, engine 466,040 pounds, drivers 277,245 pounds, engine and tender 842,940 pounds, tender 20,000 gallons. Governor and Statesman works 62218–62223, 64625–64630, and 71992–72001. Tender water 16,000 gallons, then 18,000 gallons on 607–622. Timken roller bearings on all axles and rectangular tenders on the last ten. Later engine weight 409,400 pounds. The name list, with George Wythe on 620 and James Monroe on 605.
E. L. Thompson, “Richmond-Washington,” Trains, November 1946, for the immediate postwar count of about 115 locomotives. Last revenue steam on December 17, 1954, as carried on the company page.

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