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Victoria Point Railway (reporting mark '''VPRY''') is a Class II regional railroad operating in South Carolina and Georgia, United States. As of writing, VPRY has over 1,000 employees and 600 miles of track, and is headquartered in Charleston, SC. It operates an extensive passenger service with a heavy commuter operation out of Charleston Union Station, serving 101 stations across the system. There are over 250 locomotives on the roster.
Victoria Point Railway (reporting mark '''VPRY''') is a Class II regional railroad operating in South Carolina and Georgia, United States. As of writing, VPRY has over 1,000 employees and 600 miles of track, and is headquartered in Charleston, SC. It operates an extensive passenger service with a heavy commuter operation out of Charleston Union Station, serving 101 stations across the system. There are over 250 locomotives on the roster.
Line 23: Line 16:
Victoria Point Railway operates freight and passenger trains on most of its network. Most run daily.
Victoria Point Railway operates freight and passenger trains on most of its network. Most run daily.


=== Passenger trains ===
=== Train symbols ===
 
==== Passenger ====


Passenger trains can be divided into commuter, regional, long-distance, and mail trains. The central point of the passenger network is Charleston Union Station, where almost all trains stop, and the majority terminate. Passenger trains use numeric symbols.
Passenger trains can be divided into commuter, regional, long-distance, and mail trains. The central point of the passenger network is Charleston Union Station, where almost all trains stop, and the majority terminate. Passenger trains use numeric symbols.
Line 84: Line 79:
| 600-699 || Charleston, SC || Kingstree, SC || Moultrie Line commuter
| 600-699 || Charleston, SC || Kingstree, SC || Moultrie Line commuter
|}
|}
==== Freight ====
VPRY freight trains use alphanumeric codes comprised of a train type, destination codes, and a sequential number. An example would be IDI-1, an intermodal (I) from Downtown Yard (D) to Chicago (I for interchange).
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto"
|+ VPRY Freight Train Type Codes
|-
! Code !! Train type !! Notes
|-
| A || Amtrak || Run-through Amtrak trains and detours
|-
| B || Bulk commodities ||
|-
| C || Loaded coal ||
|-
| D || Deadheads || Non-revenue equipment moves
|-
| E || Empty coal ||
|-
| G || Grain ||
|-
| H || Manned helpers || Congaree Hill only
|-
| I || Intermodal ||
|-
| J || Dimensional moves ||
|-
| K || Automotive ||
|-
| L || Local ||
|-
| M || Merchandise ||
|-
| O || Non-scheduled passenger || Office Car Special and steam excursions
|-
| P || Passenger || Used in computer sytems only
|-
| Q || Emergency trains || Mostly hurricane evacuation
|-
| R || Road local ||
|-
| S || Special moves || Mostly military and windmill trains
|-
| T || Transfer ||
|-
| U || Recrews ||
|-
| W || Work trains ||
|-
| Y || Yard ||
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto"
|+ Destination codes
|-
! Code !! Facility !! City
|-
| A || Amtrak Station || North Charleston, SC
|-
| B || Beaufort Yard || Beaufort, SC
|-
| C || Belt Yard || Columbia, SC
|-
| D || Downtown Yard || Charleston, SC
|-
| E || Jungle Yard || Edisto Beach, SC
|-
| F || Cosgrove Yard || North Charleston, SC
|-
| G || Shaw Yard  || Georgetown, SC
|-
| H || Marshland Yard || Hilton Head, SC
|-
| I || Interchange || Various
|-
| J || Walterboro Yard || Walterboro, SC
|-
| K || Cross Yard || Cross, SC
|-
| L || Nucor Steel || Berkeley, SC
|-
| M || Shoreline Yard || Myrtle Beach, SC
|-
| N || Shaw AFB || Oakland, SC
|-
| O || Magnolia Yard || Orangeburg, SC
|-
| P || Seven Mile Yard || North Charleston, SC
|-
| Q || Camden Yard || Camden, SC
|-
| R || BP Oil Refinery || Wando, SC
|-
| S || Hutchinson Yard || Savannah, GA
|-
| T || Industrial parks || Various
|-
| U || Power plants || Various
|-
| V || Ports || Various
|-
| W || Work sites || Various
|-
| X || Sumter Yard || Sumter, SC
|-
| Y || Cruise Terminal || Charleston, SC
|-
| Z || Sand Terminal || Bulls Island, SC
|}
=== Subdivisions ===
Victoria Point Railway is divided into subdivisions, each covering varying amounts of track.
*Charleston Terminal Subdivision
*Columbia Subdivison
*Georgetown Subdivision
*Beach Subdivision
*Myrtle Beach Terminal Subdivision
*Hollywood Subdivision
*Savannah Subdivision
*Savannah Terminal Subdivision
*Sullivan Subdivision
*Kiawah Subdivision
*Hilton Head Subdivision
*Port Royal Subdivision
*Myrtle Beach Industrial Track
*Walterboro Subdivision
*Cosgrove Running Track
*Federal Industrial Track
*Shipyard Industrial Track
*Cross Industrial Track
*Wando Subdivision
*Piedmont Subdivison
**Wateree Industrial Track
**Sumter Industrial Track
**Camden Industrial Track
**Shaw Industrial Track
== Equipment ==
=== Locomotives ===
Victoria Point Railway operates a diverse fleet of locomotives and rolling stock, ranging from steam locomotives to relatively modern diesels.
=== Rolling stock ===
Most of VPRY's owned rolling stock is either passenger or maintenance equipment, however a sizeable fleet of varying types of freight cars is available for customer needs.
=== Maritime ===
VPRY operates a small fleet of ships and boats, most of which are used for maintenance on bridges and other infrastructure. However, there are five passenger vessels under VPRY ownership. These are used for charter and ferry services.
On December 21, 2023, VPRY executives announced the formation of Palmetto Line, a subsidiary in maritime cargo. This venture is currently in talks to acquire several ships, but have not yet decided whether to buy new or used container ships and oil tankers.
On April 2, 2024, Palmetto Line announced its Fleet Plan. This calls for six container ships, four vehicle carriers, four luxury passenger ships, three new ferries, three tugs, four barges, and a floating crane. Tankers will also be purchased at a later date. The first ship in the new plan, container ship MV ''Charleston'', is scheduled to be laid down at Newport News, VA, in summer of 2024. Palmetto Line also announced that has worked with the State of South Carolina to expand the drydocks at the former Charleston Navy Yard to accept these new ships.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Class
!Vessels
!Type
!Estimated tonnage
!Capacity
|-
|''Charleston''
|MV ''Charleston''
MV ''Mount Pleasant''
MV ''Sullivan's Island''
MV ''Folly Beach''
MV ''Isle of Palms''
MV ''Morris Island''
|Container ship
|65,000 deadweight
|4,000 TEUs
|-
|''Kiawah Island''
|MV ''Kiawah Island''
MV ''Seabrook Island''
MV ''Hilton Head Island''
MV ''Daniel Island''
|ACE-type RO-RO vehicle carrier
|56,000 deadweight
|5,500 autos
|-
|''Crab Bank''
|SS ''Crab Bank''
SS ''Lighthouse Inlet''
SS ''Patriot's Point''
SS ''Intracoastal''
|Luxury passenger ship
|10,000 GRT
|400 passengers
|-
|Ashley
|MF ''Ashley''
MF ''Cooper''
MF ''Wando''
|Passenger ferry
|300
|150 passengers
|-
|''Fort Moultrie''
|TB ''Fort Moultrie''
TB ''Fort Sumter''
TB ''Battery Point''
|Tug
|200 gross tons?
|7,000 HP
|-
|''Ablemarle Point''
|YWN ''Ablemarle Point''
YWN ''Shutes Folly Island''
YWN ''Bird Key''
|Hopper barge
|?
|2,000T
|-
|
|YWN ''Goat Island''
|Deck barge
|?
|2,000T
|-
|
|DB ''Ravenel''
|Crane barge
|?
|150T lifting capacity
|}
The ''Fort Moultrie'' and ''Ablemarle Point'' classes, plus the barges, will likely be built locally. All passenger ships will be designed along the lines of those of the early 20th century.

Latest revision as of 01:48, 3 April 2024

Victoria Point Railway (reporting mark VPRY) is a Class II regional railroad operating in South Carolina and Georgia, United States. As of writing, VPRY has over 1,000 employees and 600 miles of track, and is headquartered in Charleston, SC. It operates an extensive passenger service with a heavy commuter operation out of Charleston Union Station, serving 101 stations across the system. There are over 250 locomotives on the roster.

History

Victoria Point Railway was formed on January 1, 1969 by the sale of three ex-Seaboard Coast Line lines, which consisted of the old Seaboard Air Line mainline between Little River, SC, and Savannah, GA, and several associated branch lines. At the time, all of these lines were suffering from deferred maintenance, and passenger numbers were declining. After major investment, the mainline was in good condition by 1971. VPRY refused to join Amtrak on May 1, 1971, continuing to run its own passenger services. The hostile attitude from Amtrak ended in 1982, and since then through services have operated to great success.

Freight traffic was sparse at first. The largeest customers at first were a steel mill and oil refinery, which still account for a large portion of carload freight. For many years, executives pursued every potential customer, and this paid off. In 1974, the first Flying Wren intermodal service ran between Charleston and Savannah, followed by service to Myrtle Beach the next year.

Commuter service upon formation was sparse and run with then-unreliable first-generation diesels. Rolling stock consisted of worn-out coaches dating from the 1910s. Over the course of the 1970s, new coaches joined the fleet, and the old power was rebuilt. In 1994, VPRY bought 25 ex-Burlington Northern E9As which took over all commuter runs. The commuter fleet has since expanded.

The railroad expanded over the years, gaining the Port Royal Railroad in 2006, and a large area of Norfolk Southern trackage in 2023. The ex-NS lines include the former Charleston District to Columbia, Cosgrove Yard, and a network of branch lines. In 2001, VPRY gained trackage rights on CSX between North Charleston and Kingstree, in order to begin commuter service.

Operations

Victoria Point Railway operates freight and passenger trains on most of its network. Most run daily.

Train symbols

Passenger

Passenger trains can be divided into commuter, regional, long-distance, and mail trains. The central point of the passenger network is Charleston Union Station, where almost all trains stop, and the majority terminate. Passenger trains use numeric symbols.

Even numbers are northbound, odd southbound, except commuter, where odd numbers are inbound, even outbound regardless of geographic or timetable direction. Not all spots used at all times.

VPRY Passenger Train Symbols
Numbers Origin Destination Notes
1 Chicago, IL Charleston, SC Carolina Special
2 Charleston, SC Chicago, IL Carolina Special
3 New York, NY Miami, FL/Naples, FL Silver Gull
4 Miami, FL/Naples, FL New York, NY Silver Gull
5 New York, NY Savannah, GA Vacationer, sections for Sea Islands, South Islands, Beaufort, Hilton Head
6 Savannah, GA New York, NY Vacationer, sections from Hilton Head, Beaufort, South Islands, Sea Islands
7 Greenville, SC Charleston, SC Midnight Special
8 Charleston, SC Greenville, SC Midnight Special
9 Kansas City, MO Charleston, SC Midwest Auto Train, sections from Chicago and St. Louis
10 Charleston, SC Kansas City, MO Midwest Auto Train, sections to Chicago and St. Louis
11-18 Myrtle Beach, SC Savannah, GA Coast Parlor
19-24 Georgetown, SC Edisto Beach, SC Islands Parlor
25-30 Charleston, SC Greenville, SC Inland Parlor
31-40 Charleston, SC Myrtle Beach, SC Regionals
41-50 Charleston, SC Greenville, SC Regionals
51-60 Charleston, SC Savannah, GA Regionals
61-72 Charleston, SC Hilton Head, SC/Beaufort, SC Regionals, alternating between destinations
73-80 Myrtle Beach, SC Savannah, GA Regionals
81-98 Various Various Mail trains
100-199 Charleston, SC Woodville, SC Mount Pleasant Line commuter
200-299 Charleston, SC Bulls Island, SC Sea Islands Line commuter
300-399 Charleston, SC Willtown Bluff, SC Hollywood Line commuter
400-499 Charleston, SC Edisto Beach, SC South Islands Line commuter
500-599 Charleston, SC St. George, SC Dorchester Line commuter
600-699 Charleston, SC Kingstree, SC Moultrie Line commuter

Freight

VPRY freight trains use alphanumeric codes comprised of a train type, destination codes, and a sequential number. An example would be IDI-1, an intermodal (I) from Downtown Yard (D) to Chicago (I for interchange).

VPRY Freight Train Type Codes
Code Train type Notes
A Amtrak Run-through Amtrak trains and detours
B Bulk commodities
C Loaded coal
D Deadheads Non-revenue equipment moves
E Empty coal
G Grain
H Manned helpers Congaree Hill only
I Intermodal
J Dimensional moves
K Automotive
L Local
M Merchandise
O Non-scheduled passenger Office Car Special and steam excursions
P Passenger Used in computer sytems only
Q Emergency trains Mostly hurricane evacuation
R Road local
S Special moves Mostly military and windmill trains
T Transfer
U Recrews
W Work trains
Y Yard
Destination codes
Code Facility City
A Amtrak Station North Charleston, SC
B Beaufort Yard Beaufort, SC
C Belt Yard Columbia, SC
D Downtown Yard Charleston, SC
E Jungle Yard Edisto Beach, SC
F Cosgrove Yard North Charleston, SC
G Shaw Yard Georgetown, SC
H Marshland Yard Hilton Head, SC
I Interchange Various
J Walterboro Yard Walterboro, SC
K Cross Yard Cross, SC
L Nucor Steel Berkeley, SC
M Shoreline Yard Myrtle Beach, SC
N Shaw AFB Oakland, SC
O Magnolia Yard Orangeburg, SC
P Seven Mile Yard North Charleston, SC
Q Camden Yard Camden, SC
R BP Oil Refinery Wando, SC
S Hutchinson Yard Savannah, GA
T Industrial parks Various
U Power plants Various
V Ports Various
W Work sites Various
X Sumter Yard Sumter, SC
Y Cruise Terminal Charleston, SC
Z Sand Terminal Bulls Island, SC

Subdivisions

Victoria Point Railway is divided into subdivisions, each covering varying amounts of track.

  • Charleston Terminal Subdivision
  • Columbia Subdivison
  • Georgetown Subdivision
  • Beach Subdivision
  • Myrtle Beach Terminal Subdivision
  • Hollywood Subdivision
  • Savannah Subdivision
  • Savannah Terminal Subdivision
  • Sullivan Subdivision
  • Kiawah Subdivision
  • Hilton Head Subdivision
  • Port Royal Subdivision
  • Myrtle Beach Industrial Track
  • Walterboro Subdivision
  • Cosgrove Running Track
  • Federal Industrial Track
  • Shipyard Industrial Track
  • Cross Industrial Track
  • Wando Subdivision
  • Piedmont Subdivison
    • Wateree Industrial Track
    • Sumter Industrial Track
    • Camden Industrial Track
    • Shaw Industrial Track

Equipment

Locomotives

Victoria Point Railway operates a diverse fleet of locomotives and rolling stock, ranging from steam locomotives to relatively modern diesels.

Rolling stock

Most of VPRY's owned rolling stock is either passenger or maintenance equipment, however a sizeable fleet of varying types of freight cars is available for customer needs.

Maritime

VPRY operates a small fleet of ships and boats, most of which are used for maintenance on bridges and other infrastructure. However, there are five passenger vessels under VPRY ownership. These are used for charter and ferry services.

On December 21, 2023, VPRY executives announced the formation of Palmetto Line, a subsidiary in maritime cargo. This venture is currently in talks to acquire several ships, but have not yet decided whether to buy new or used container ships and oil tankers.

On April 2, 2024, Palmetto Line announced its Fleet Plan. This calls for six container ships, four vehicle carriers, four luxury passenger ships, three new ferries, three tugs, four barges, and a floating crane. Tankers will also be purchased at a later date. The first ship in the new plan, container ship MV Charleston, is scheduled to be laid down at Newport News, VA, in summer of 2024. Palmetto Line also announced that has worked with the State of South Carolina to expand the drydocks at the former Charleston Navy Yard to accept these new ships.

Class Vessels Type Estimated tonnage Capacity
Charleston MV Charleston

MV Mount Pleasant MV Sullivan's Island MV Folly Beach MV Isle of Palms MV Morris Island

Container ship 65,000 deadweight 4,000 TEUs
Kiawah Island MV Kiawah Island

MV Seabrook Island MV Hilton Head Island MV Daniel Island

ACE-type RO-RO vehicle carrier 56,000 deadweight 5,500 autos
Crab Bank SS Crab Bank

SS Lighthouse Inlet SS Patriot's Point SS Intracoastal

Luxury passenger ship 10,000 GRT 400 passengers
Ashley MF Ashley

MF Cooper MF Wando

Passenger ferry 300 150 passengers
Fort Moultrie TB Fort Moultrie

TB Fort Sumter TB Battery Point

Tug 200 gross tons? 7,000 HP
Ablemarle Point YWN Ablemarle Point

YWN Shutes Folly Island YWN Bird Key

Hopper barge ? 2,000T
YWN Goat Island Deck barge ? 2,000T
DB Ravenel Crane barge ? 150T lifting capacity

The Fort Moultrie and Ablemarle Point classes, plus the barges, will likely be built locally. All passenger ships will be designed along the lines of those of the early 20th century.

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