The railroad that later became the Washington & Old Dominion began in Alexandria as an effort by Northern Virginia businessmen to counter Baltimore's shipping advantage and recapture Shenandoah Valley farm trade being diverted through the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and its junction with the Winchester & Potomac Railroad. Incorporated first as the Alexandria & Harper's Ferry Railroad in 1847 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. Intended to extend to farmlands and the Ohio Valley coalfields, the line never achieved that goal because of financial problems and ultimately terminated at Bluemont, Virginia. Its construction and some service were interrupted during the Civil War, but service from Alexandria to Leesburg resumed on June 1, 1867. Over time the railroad served many roles, hauling farm products from Fairfax and Loudoun countryside into Washington, carrying mail for the federal government, moving freight to and from growing towns along the route, transporting commuters to Washington, and operating excursion service for vacationers headed to the cooler Loudoun Valley. The company passed through a series of name changes and ownerships, became the Bluemont Branch under Southern Railway Company in 1894, reached Snickersville, later called Bluemont, in the early 1900s, became the Washington & Old Dominion Railway Company in 1912, converted from steam to electric power later that year, changed its name for the last time in 1936, discontinued service west of Purcellville in 1939, briefly ended passenger service in 1941 before reviving it during World War II, changed from electric to diesel power in the early 1940s, and enjoyed a wartime boom during the fuel shortage years. After World War II, improved roads and motor vehicles quickly reduced business, all passenger service ended on May 31, 1951, freight service ended on August 27, 1968, and the line was abandoned. Virginia Electric and Power Company immediately bought the property to protect existing easements and allow future expansion, and after negotiations the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority purchased the right-of-way from Shirlington to Purcellville in 1978 for a multi-use trail completed in 1988.