Tracks into History

The railroad later known as the Washington & Old Dominion originated in Alexandria as Northern Virginia businessmen sought to counter Baltimore’s shipping advantage and reclaim Shenandoah Valley produce and other trade being drawn away through the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and its junction with the Winchester & Potomac Railroad, while also hoping to reach the Ohio Valley coalfields. Incorporated in 1847 as the Alexandria & Harper's Ferry Railroad and renamed the Alexandria, Loudoun & Hampshire Railroad Company in 1853, it began construction near Alexandria in 1855, and its first train reached Leesburg on May 17, 1860. Financial problems prevented the line from reaching the farmlands and coalfields it sought, and it ultimately terminated at Bluemont, Virginia. To survive, it carried farm products from the Fairfax and Loudoun countryside into Washington, transported mail for the Federal government, provided freight service for towns and communities along the route, and furnished passenger service for Washington commuters, while also promoting excursion travel to the cooler temperatures and resorts of the Loudoun Valley. Construction and some service were interrupted by the Civil War from 1861 to 1865, but train service from Alexandria to Leesburg was restored on June 1, 1867, and the line was completed to Purcellville on April 1, 1874. The company underwent repeated name and ownership changes, becoming the Washington & Ohio Railroad Company in 1870, the Washington & Western Railroad in 1882, the Washington, Ohio & Western Railroad in 1883, leased by the Richmond & Danville Railroad in 1886, purchased by the Southern Railway Company in 1894 as the Bluemont Branch, completed to Snickersville (Bluemont) by early 1900, and reorganized as the Washington & Old Dominion Railway Company on July 1, 1912. Later that year it converted from steam to electric power, then in the early 1940s changed from electric to diesel power, and in 1936 took its final name, the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Company. Though only modestly successful overall, it experienced a boom during the fuel shortage years of World War II. As roads and motor vehicles improved, business declined rapidly: service west of Purcellville ended in February 1939, passenger service was discontinued in April 1941 and resumed a year later because of World War II, all passenger service ended on May 31, 1951, and freight service ended on August 27, 1968, when the line was abandoned. Virginia Electric and Power Company immediately bought the property to protect existing easements and allow future expansion, and in 1978, after six years of negotiations, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority purchased the right-of-way from Shirlington to Purcellville for a multi-use trail completed in 1988.

Dunn Loring, Virginia · United States