Northern Virginia trolleys
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The earliest electric railway, or streetcar line, in Northern Virginia opened in 1892. At their peak, when merged into a single interurban system (the Washington-Virginia Railway), the successors of this and several other lines ran between downtown Washington, D.C., Rosslyn and Arlington Junction – present day Crystal City – and out to Mount Vernon, Fairfax City and Nauck (in Arlington County). Electric rail also went west from Georgetown and Rosslyn on the Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) Railway's Bluemont Division via Leesburg to the town of Bluemont at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains and on the W&OD's Great Falls Division via Cherrydale and McLean to Great Falls Park. Despite early success, the streetcars were unable to compete with the automobile and with each other, and, plagued with management and financial problems, ceased operations in the 1930s and 1940s.
Northern Virginia's trolleys were originally operated by three different companies and were never integrated with the Washington streetcar network. The lines were laid when most of the area was undeveloped, and so the trains ran mostly on separate rights-of-way.
The lines of the Washington-Virginia Railway terminated in downtown Washington, D.C., at 12th and D Streets, NW, (within the present Federal Triangle between Pennsylvania Avenue and the Federal Triangle Metrorail Station) after crossing the Potomac River near the site of the present 14th Street bridges over the Long Bridge and, beginning in 1906, the Highway Bridge. The W&OD Railway entered Georgetown after crossing the Potomac River from Rosslyn over the Aqueduct Bridge.
The Washington-Virginia Railway and the W&OD Railway used adjacent terminals in Rosslyn near the present location of the Key Bridge Marriott Hotel. After the Francis Scott Key Bridge replaced the Aqueduct Bridge in 1923, all of the Virginia lines terminated in Rosslyn, but Washington streetcars now crossed the river into Rosslyn where there was a turnaround loop. There, passengers could transfer to the Virginia lines.
Contents
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[edit] Washington-Virginia Railway
[edit] Washington, Alexandria, and Mount Vernon Railway
[edit] Washington-Mount Vernon line
Opened in 1892 between Alexandria and Mount Vernon, the Washington, Alexandria, and Mount Vernon Railway was extended in 1896 across the Long Bridge to downtown Washington, D.C., terminating at 12th and D Streets, NW, near the present location of the Federal Triangle Metro Station. The streetcars ran in Arlington near and along the present routes of Interstate 395 (I-395) and S. Eads Street, travelling largely on the grade of a towpath on the west side of the defunct Alexandria Canal. Near Arlington's southern border, the railroad and its affiliates constructed an amusement park (Luna Park) and a rail yard containing a car barn and power plant.
After crossing Four Mile Run into Alexandria, the streetcars ran along the present route of Commonwealth Avenue until reaching the city's Old Town area at King Street. The St. Elmo station (located on the present route of Commonwealth Avenue in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria) allowed transfers with the Bluemont branch of the Southern Railway and later, with the Bluemont Division of the W&OD Railway, which crossed over the Mount Vernon line on a bridge near the station.
At Mount Vernon, when the electric railway began service, the estate's proprietors insisted that only a modest terminal be constructed next to the trolley turnaround. They were afraid that the dignity of the site would be marred by unrestricted commercial development and persuaded financier Jay Gould to purchase and donate thirty-three acres outside the main gate for protection.
By 1906, the railway had transported 1,743,734 passengers along its routes with 92 daily trains. During World War I, the line was extended to Camp Humphreys (now Fort Belvoir).
In 1913, the Washington, Alexandria, and Mount Vernon Railway merged with the Washington, Arlington & Falls Church Railroad to form the Washington-Virginia Railway. The trolley company went into receivership in 1923 when buses became the dominant form of local public transportation.
In 1927, the two railways were separated and sold at auction. The last trolleys of the line ran on January 18, 1932. Later that year the tracks were removed when some of the right-of-way was used for the George Washington Memorial Parkway. The path of the trolley turnaround at Mount Vernon remains as a traffic circle at the south end of the Parkway, while the former rail yard in southern Arlington now serves as a Metrobus yard.
[edit] Stations
The stations on the Washington-Mount Vernon Line of the Washington, Alexandria, and Mount Vernon Railway were (with locations of sites in 2008):
Station | Location[1] | Jurisdiction | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Camp Humphreys | Fort Belvoir | Fairfax County | |
Mount Vernon | South side of traffic circle at Mount Vernon Estate | Fairfax County | |
Deenwood | Fairfax County | ||
Miller | Fairfax County | ||
Riverside | Wittington Boulevard | Fairfax County | |
Hunter | Fairfax County | ||
North Mount Vernon | Fairfax County | ||
Grassymead | Fairfax County | ||
Snowden | East Boulevard Drive | Fairfax County | |
Herbert Springs | Boulevard Drive and Herbert Springs Road | Fairfax County | |
Arcturus (East Fairfax County) | Boulevard Drive and Arcturus Lane | Fairfax County | |
Wellington | East Boulevard Drive | Fairfax County | |
Belmont | Fairfax County | ||
Happy Home | Fairfax County | ||
Warwick | Fairfax County | ||
Dyke | Fairfax County | ||
Oaks | Fairfax County | ||
New Alexandria | Fairfax County | ||
Alexandria | Prince and Royal Streets | City of Alexandria | |
Rosemont | Rosemont Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue | City of Alexandria | |
Braddock | Braddock Road and Commonwealth Avenue | City of Alexandria | |
North Braddock | Commonwealth Avenue | City of Alexandria | |
Lloyds | Windsor Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue | City of Alexandria | |
Del Ray | Del Ray Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue | City of Alexandria | |
Mount Ida | Mount Ida Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue | City of Alexandria | |
St. Asaph | Commonwealth Avenue, between Forrest St. and Ancell St. | City of Alexandria | Served St. Asaph racetrack (1896-1897)[2] |
Hume | Hume Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue | City of Alexandria | |
St. Elmo | Commonwealth Avenue near Ashby St. | City of Alexandria | Crossing of W&OD Railway's Bluemont Division |
Four Mile Run | Near present intersection of S. Glebe Road and S. Eads St. | Arlington County | |
Car Barn | In bus yard east of S. Eads St. | Arlington County | Formerly in rail yard |
Luna Park | West side of Eads St. | Arlington County | Adjacent to amusement park in present site of present sewage treatment plant |
Aurora Hills | S. Eads St. | Arlington County | |
Virginia Highlands | 22nd St. S. and S. Eads St. | Arlington County | |
Addison | 18th St. S. and S. Eads St. | Arlington County | |
Arlington Junction | Between Army-Navy Drive and 12th St. S and between S. Eads St. and Jefferson Davis Highway (U.S. Route 1) | Arlington County | Junction with South Arlington branch of Washington, Arlington & Falls Church Railroad and East Arlington Branch of Washington, Alexandria, and Mount Vernon Railway |
South Washington | Near I-395 | Arlington County | |
Alexander Island | Near I-395 between Boundary Channel Drive and George Washington Memorial Parkway | Arlington County | |
Washington Terminal | West side of 12th St. NW between Federal Triangle Metro Station and Pennsylvania Avenue NW | District of Columbia | Formerly on west side of 12th St. NW between D St. NW and Pennsylvania Avenue NW |
[edit] Remnants of the Washington-Mount Vernon Line
- Roads
- Wittington Boulevard, Fairfax County
- East Boulevard Drive, Fairfax County
- Potomac Avenue, Fairfax County
- Commonwealth Avenue, Alexandria
- South Eads Street, Arlington
- Metrobus yard
- Former rail yard at S. Eads Street (east side) and S. Glebe Road (north side), Arlington
- Traffic circle
- Former trolley turnaround at Mount Vernon estate, Fairfax County)
[edit] East Arlington branch
The Washington, Alexandria, and Mount Vernon Railway constructed a branch line that traveled to the Virginia end of the Aqueduct Bridge in Rosslyn from a point named Arlington Junction on the railroad's Alexandria-Mount Vernon line. Along most of its route, the branch traveled along a section of Arlington Ridge Road that is now within Arlington National Cemetery.
Construction of this branch permitted visitors from Washington, D.C., to reach the Cemetery by rail for the first time. However, after leaving the trolley at the Cemetery's Sheridan Gate, the visitors needed to ascend a steep hill to reach most of the Cemetery's well-known features and burial sites.
[edit] Stations
The stations of the East Arlington branch were (with locations of sites in 2008):
Station | Location | Jurisdiction | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Rosslyn | N. Lynn St. near Key Bridge Marriott Hotel | Arlington County | East of W&OD Railway station. 1925 photo[3] |
Arlington | Arlington National Cemetery | Arlington County | Outside of former Sheridan Gate of Arlington National Cemetery (location now inside of cemetery) |
Queen City | Arlington National Cemetery | Arlington County | |
Mount Vernon Junction | Near present east crossing of Columbia Pike (Virginia Route 244) and Washington Boulevard (Virginia Route 27) | Arlington County | Junction with South Arlington branch of Washington, Arlington & Falls Church Railroad |
Relee | I-395 between S. Fern St. and S. Eads St. | Arlington County | |
Arlington Junction | Between Army-Navy Drive and 12th St. S and between S. Eads St. and Jefferson Davis Highway (U.S. Route 1) | Arlington County | Junction with Washington-Mount Vernon line |
[edit] Washington, Arlington & Falls Church Railroad
During its forty years of life, this interurban trolley company operated under a variety of names, as it repeatedly expanded, reorganized or contracted (voluntarily or involuntarily).
Washington & Arlington — 1892–1896
The system started in 1892, under the name Washington & Arlington Railway, as a horsecar line with tracks from Rosslyn up the hill to Ft. Myer. In late 1895 it was electrified.
Washington, Arlington & Falls Church — 1896–1913
In 1896, track was laid from Rosslyn through Clarendon and Ballston to Falls Church and the name was changed to the Washington, Arlington & Falls Church (WA&FC). The track to Fort Myer was extended through Penrose in 1900 and to Nauck, just north of Four Mile Run, in 1901. That same year saw the opening of about a mile of additional track, extending from East Falls Church to West Falls Church. Work on a far more ambitious extension began at West Falls Church in 1903, and the line eventually reached Fairfax City in 1904.
Washington - Virginia — 1913–1927
In 1913, the WA&FC and Washington, Alexandria & Mt. Vernon were merged to form the Washington - Virginia (W-V) Railway. The company fell upon hard times and in 1924 declared bankruptcy. In 1927, the two companies were split and sold at auction.
Arlington & Fairfax — 1927–1936
The Arlington & Fairfax was organized by local governments to take control of the WA&FC line after the W-V went bankrupt. In 1932, the company lost the right to travel into D.C., and, on January 17, 1932, the last Arlington & Fairfax streetcar departed from 12th & D Streets, NW, abandoning all service in Washington, D.C.
Arlington & Fairfax Auto Railroad — 1936–1939
In 1936, the company was sold to Detroit's Evans Products Company, an innovative railway and automotive industry supplier that had developed the first version of the present hy-rail system called auto-railers, small busses that can run on rails on flanged wheels or on roads with rubber. In 1937, Evans replaced the trolleys with auto-railers. On rail, they went to Rosslyn where they were intended to switch to tires and cross the Key Bridge into Georgetown, eliminating the change in Rosslyn, but Capital Transit prevented that service by objecting that its franchise gave it exclusive service across the bridge. The auto-railers last ran in September 1939.
[edit] Nauck line (Fort Myer line)
The Nauck line (Fort Myer line) ran south from Rosslyn through Fort Myer to an originally undeveloped area in South Arlington near Four Mile Run. After leaving the railroad's Rosslyn terminal near the Aqueduct Bridge, the line travelled south along the present routes of N. Lynn Street and N. Meade Street to reach the Fort. The line then turned to the southwest and entered the Fort near today’s Wright Gate. Within the Fort, trolleys on the line climbed a hill along the present route of McNair Road near the western wall of Arlington National Cemetery to reach a station (Arlington Fort Myer) located within the Fort at the present intersection of McNair Road and Lee Avenue, near the Cemetery's Fort Myer Gate (Chapel Gate of Fort Myer).
After disembarking at the Arlington Fort Myer station, visitors could enter the Cemetery at its highest elevation, thus avoiding the ascent required when entering the Cemetery through the Sheridan Gate from the East Arlington branch. After the East Arlington branch discontinued service in 1921, the Nauck line continued to carry visitors to the Cemetery.
The line then continued through Fort Myer, exiting the Fort a short distance north of the Fort's Hatfield Gate. When crossing the present path of Washington Boulevard ( Virginia Route 27) south of Arlington Boulevard (U.S. Route 50), the line met at its Hatfield station (Hatfield Junction) the South Arlington branch of the railroad's Fairfax line.
After leaving Hatfield, the Nauck line followed the present routes of S. Uhle Street and Walter Reed Drive before travelling downhill on S. Kenmore Street to end at a railway turntable at 24th Road S. and S. Kenmore Street. The line terminated a short distance north of the Cowdon station of the Southern Railway, and later, of the W&OD Railway's Bluemont Division.
[edit] Stations
The stations of the Nauck line were (with locations of sites in 2008):
Station | Location | Jurisdiction | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Rosslyn | N. Lynn St. near Key Bridge Marriott Hotel | Arlington County | East of W&OD Railway station |
Signal Corps | N. Meade Street immediately west of the Netherlands Carillon | Arlington County | |
Fort Myer Steps | Marshall Drive and Stewart Road, Fort Myer | Arlington County | |
Arlington Fort Myer | McNair Road and Lee Avenue, Fort Myer | Arlington County | Near Fort Myer Gate of Arlington National Cemetery (Chapel Gate of Fort Myer) |
Hatfield (Hatfield Junction) | Washington Blvd. (Virginia Route 120) near S. Uhle St. and Arlington Blvd. (U.S. Route 50) | Arlington County | Junction with South Arlington branch |
Hunter | S. Uhle St. and S. Walter Reed Drive, near S. Courthouse Road | Arlington County | |
Penrose | 2312 2nd St. S. (2nd St. S. and S. Uhle St.) | Arlington County | |
Fulcher | Near S. Barton St. and 3rd St. S. | Arlington County | |
Munson | Near S. Cleveland St. and 5th St. S. | Arlington County | |
Bradbury | Near S. Walter Reed Drive and S. Filmore St. | Arlington County | |
Arlington Columbia | S. Walter Reed Drive and Columbia Pike | Arlington County | |
Petty | S. Walter Reed Drive | Arlington County | |
Fox | S. Walter Reed Dr. and 16th Road S. (near S. Glebe Road (Virginia Route 120)) | Arlington County | |
Fort Berry | S. Kenmore St. and 19th St. S. | Arlington County | |
Corbett | S. Kenmore St. | Arlington County | |
Peyton | S. Kenmore St. and 22 St. S. | Arlington County | |
Nauck/Green Valley | Kenmore St. and 24th Road S. | Arlington County | Historical marker near site.[4] |
[edit] Remnants of the Nauck line
- Station
- 2nd Street S., Arlington the former Penrose Station now a private residence
- Roads
- S. Uhle St. between S. Courthouse Road and 2nd St. S., Arlington
- Walter Reed Drive between Columbia Pike and 13th St. S., Arlington
- S. Kenmore St., Arlington
[edit] Fairfax line
The Fairfax line traveled from a terminus in front of the old Fairfax County Courthouse[5][6] in Fairfax City through Oakton, Vienna, Dunn Loring, Falls Church and Ballston to downtown Washington, D.C., and Rosslyn by way of Clarendon.
Trolleys of the Fairfax line began their trips at the old Courthouse, located at the southwest corner of Chain Bridge Road (now part of Virginia Route 123) and Main Street (now part of Virginia Route 236). The cars first ran westward along Main Street and then turned north at the site of the Fairfax Electric Depot (the terminus of the line until the depot burned in 1907) onto the present route of Railroad Avenue.[7] After crossing the present route of Lee Highway (U.S. Routes 50 and 29), the line crossed Chain Bridge Road. The line then traveled northeast through Fairfax County a short distance east of Chain Bridge Road, passed through Oakton (where its station remains), and reached the town of Vienna.
The line continued northeast in Vienna about a block southeast of Maple Avenue W. Trolleys on the line crossed Center Avenue S, turned to the northwest on a wye and crossed Maple Avenue E. After leaving the wye, the trolleys stopped at the line's Vienna station.
The Fairfax line's Vienna station was located in the center of town on the southeast side of Church Street NE, a short distance southeast of the tracks of the Southern Railway's Bluemont Branch, which became the W&OD Railway's Bluemont Division in 1912. The Southern's Vienna station (which remains intact on the southwest side of the W&OD Trail) was a block northwest of the Fairfax line's station.
As the Fairfax line's tracks ended near Church Street, trolleys left their station by reversing direction. They then recrossed Maple Avenue E and traveled southeast through a second leg of the wye that paralleled the Southern's tracks, with which there was an interchange. Freight and work cars usually bypassed the station and avoided reversing by turning from the northeast to the southeast on the third leg of the wye.[8]
After leaving the wye, the line continued east in Vienna on Ninovan Road, paralleling the Southern's route. The line then crossed the Southern's tracks on a bridge built in 1904. After the crossing, the line traveled east along the present routes of Electric Avenue, Railroad Street and Helena Drive in Fairfax County until it reached the City of Falls Church.
The line continued eastward through Falls Church, following the present route of Lincoln Avenue until it reached the present Arlington County (formerly named Alexandria County). In Arlington, the line traveled eastward along the route of N. Fairfax Drive, which Interstate 66 (I-66) has partially replaced. Between 1912 and its closing, the line traveled under a plate girder bridge at Waycroft that the W&OD Railway constructed near the west end of Ballston for its Thrifton-Bluemont Junction connecting line.
The line then passed a car barn, a rail yard and a station that the Washington, Arlington and Falls Church Railroad had built at Lacey (now at the intersection of N. Glebe Road and N. Fairfax Drive in Ballston). After traveling eastward through Ballston on the present route of N. Fairfax Drive, the line reached Clarendon, where it branched.
The North Arlington branch continued to follow the route of Fairfax Drive (now partially replaced by Clarendon Boulevard) through and past Clarendon. The branch then traveled downhill on the present route of Fairfax Drive along the north side of Rocky Run, which U.S. Route 50 now covers. Approaching Rosslyn, the branch turned north when meeting the Nauck line at N. Lynn Street, joined the East Arlington branch, and ended near the Aqueduct Bridge at the railroad's Rosslyn terminal.
Beginning in 1906, the North and East Arlington branches and the Nauck line connected at the Rosslyn terminal to the Great Falls and Old Dominion Railroad (later the Great Falls Division of the W&OD Railway), which crossed the Potomac River into Georgetown on the Aqueduct Bridge. In its later years, the North Arlington branch connected in Rosslyn to the streetcars of the Capital Traction and (later) Capital Transit Companies, which crossed the Potomac on the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
After leaving Clarendon, the South Arlington branch followed Washington Boulevard and Southgate Drive, meeting the Nauck line at Hatfield Junction, the East Arlington branch at Mount Vernon Junction (which received its name because the East Arlington branch was a part of the Washington, Alexandria, and Mount Vernon Railway when the South Arlington branch first reached it), and the Washington-Alexandria-Mount Vernon main line at Arlington Junction. After entering the tracks of the Washington-Alexandria-Mount Vernon line, trolleys of the South Arlington branch (some of which had originated in Fairfax City) crossed the Potomac River on the Long Bridge and, later, on the Highway Bridge to terminate in downtown Washington, D.C. at 12th & D Streets, NW.
I-66 and the Custis Trail now run from Ballston to Lee Highway (U.S. Route 29) in East Falls Church on or near the Fairfax line's right of way along the former route of Fairfax Drive. Metrorail's Orange Line now follows the route of Fairfax line and its North Arlington branch from N. Lynn Street in Rosslyn to Lee Highway in East Falls Church.
[edit] Stations
The stations of the Fairfax line were (with locations of sites in 2008):
Station | Location | Jurisdiction | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Fairfax Courthouse | Main St. (Virginia Route 236) and Chain Bridge Road (Virginia Route 123) | City of Fairfax | After 1907 |
Fairfax Electric Depot | Main St. (Virginia Route 236) and Railroad Avenue | City of Fairfax | 1904-1907 |
Cedar Avenue | Cedar Avenue | City of Fairfax | |
Wiley | |||
Martinique | |||
Blake | Blake Lane | Fairfax County | |
Sanger | Fairfax County | ||
Oakton | 2923 Grey St. (between Pine St. and Oakton Drive) | Fairfax County | |
Edgelea | Edgelea Road and Courthouse Road | Fairfax County | |
Shockey | Hidden Road | Fairfax County | |
Five Oaks | Sutton Road | Fairfax County | |
Bothwell | Fairfax County | ||
Lewis Street | Wade Hampton Drive SW and Millwood Court SW | Town of Vienna | |
Library | Library Lane SW | Town of Vienna | |
Courthouse Road | Courthouse Road SW | Town of Vienna | |
Vienna | Near Dominion Road NE and Church St. NE | Town of Vienna | Undated Photo[9] |
Park Street | Park St. SE and Ninovan Road SE | Town of Vienna | |
Tydidi (?) | Name uncertain | ||
Franklin | Near crossing of W&OD Railway's Bluemont Division | ||
Woodford | Electric Avenue and Woodford Road | Fairfax County | |
East Woodford | Electric Avenue | Fairfax County | |
Wedderburn Heights | Electric Avenue | Fairfax County | |
Enola | Electric Avenue and Cedar Lane | Fairfax County | |
Dunn Loring | Railroad St. and Gallows Road | Fairfax County | |
Robey | Fairfax County | ||
Burr | Fairfax County | ||
Antrum | |||
West Falls Church | 1101 West Broad St. (Virginia Route 7) and Falls Avenue | City of Falls Church | |
East Falls Church | Lee Highway (U.S. Route 29) and Fairfax Drive | Arlington County | |
Ashdale | N. Roosevelt St. and I-66 | Arlington County | |
Hyson | I-66 near N. Quesada St. | Arlington County | |
Heights | I-66 between N. Quantico and N. Potomac St. | Arlington County | |
Highland Park | I-66 near N. Powhattan St. | Arlington County | |
Upton | N. Ohio St. and I-66 | Arlington County | Near Fostoria Station of W&OD Railway's Bluemont Division |
Kearney | N. Kennesaw St. and I-66 | Arlington County | |
Torreyson | I-66 | Arlington County | |
Veitch Summit | N. Jefferson St. and Fairfax Drive | Arlington County | |
Mulhall | N. Harrison St. and Fairfax Drive | Arlington County | |
Sunnyside | N. Edison St. and Fairfax Drive | Arlington County | |
Burch | I-66 | Arlington County | |
Waycroft | N. Buchanan St. and I-66 | Arlington County | Crossing of Thrifton-Bluemont Junction connecting line of W&OD Railway’s Bluemont Division |
Lacey | N. Glebe Road (Virginia Route 120) and Fairfax Drive | Arlington County | |
Ballston | N. Stuart St. (east side) and Fairfax Drive (north side) | Arlington County | Opposite side of Fairfax Drive from Ballston Metro Station entrance. Historical marker near site[10] |
Bolivar | N. Pollard St. and Fairfax Drive | Arlington County | |
Belaire | Fairfax Drive | Arlington County | |
Clarendon | N. Washington Boulevard and Clarendon Boulevard | Arlington County | Junction with North Arlington branch and South Arlington branch |
[edit] Remnants of the Fairfax line
- Station
- 2923 Gray Street (between Pine St. and Oakton Drive), Oakton, now a private residence
- Roads
- Railroad Avenue, Fairfax City
- Ninovan Road SE, Vienna
- Electric Avenue, Vienna and Fairfax County
- Railroad St., Fairfax County
- Helena Drive, Fairfax County
- Lincoln Avenue, Falls Church
- I-66 between N. Sycamore St. and N. Kennebec St., Arlington
- I-66 between N. Harrison St. and N. Edison St., Arlington
- Fairfax Drive, Arlington
- Bridge remnants
- Poured concrete railroad bridge abutment on north side Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Trail between Electric Avenue and Ninovan Road, Vienna. Built in July 1904, according to engravings on its east side.
- Stone railroad bridge abutment on south side of Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Trail between Electric Avenue and Ninovan Road, Vienna.[11]
- Demolished railroad bridge between Fairfax Village Drive and Ranger Road, Fairfax City
- Trails
- Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Trail between Park St. SE and Maple Avenue E, Vienna
- Trail through the proposed South Railroad Street Park, Dunn Loring, Fairfax County
[edit] North Arlington branch
[edit] Stations
The stations of the North Arlington branch were (with locations of sites in 2008):
Station | Location | Jurisdiction | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Clarendon | N. Washington Boulevard and Clarendon Boulevard | Arlington County | Junction with Fairfax line and South Arlington branch |
Courthouse | Fairfax Drive (U.S. Route 50 service road) and N. Courthouse Road | Arlington County | |
Murphy | Fairfax Drive (U.S. Route 50 service road) between N. Rhodes St. and N. Rolfe St., Arlington | Arlington County | |
Walz | Fairfax Drive (U.S. Route 50 service road) and N. Queen St. | Arlington County | |
Rosslyn | N. Lynn St. near Key Bridge Marriott Hotel | Arlington County | East of W&OD Railway station |
[edit] Remnants of North Arlington branch
- Roads
- Clarendon Boulevard, Arlington
- Fairfax Drive, Arlington
[edit] South Arlington branch
[edit] Stations
The stations of the South Arlington branch (with locations of sites in 2008) were:
Station | Location | Jurisdiction | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Clarendon | N. Washington Boulevard and Clarendon Boulevard | Arlington County | Junction with Fairfax line and North Arlington branch |
Vinson | Washington Blvd. and N. Pershing Drive | Arlington County | |
Hatfield (Hatfield Junction) | Washington Blvd. (Virginia Route 120) near S. Uhle St. and Arlington Blvd. (U.S. Route 50) | Arlington County | Junction with Nauck branch |
St. John | Arlington County | ||
Syphax | Syphax In Fort Myer | Arlington County | |
Radio | Near Hobson Dr. and Fort Myer Drive | Arlington County | In Fort Myer |
Clark | Southgate Road and S. Oak St. | Arlington County | |
Mount Vernon Junction | Near present east crossing of Columbia Pike (Virginia Route 244) and Washington Boulevard (Virginia Route 27 | Arlington County | Junction with East Arlington branch of Washington, Alexandria, and Mount Vernon Railway |
Relee | I-395 between S. Fern St. and S. Eads St. | Arlington County | |
Arlington Junction | Between Army-Navy Drive and 12th St. S and between S. Eads St. and Jefferson Davis Highway (U.S. Route 1) | Arlington County | Junction with Washington-Mount Vernon line of Washington, Alexandria, and Mount Vernon Railway |
[edit] Remnant of South Arlington branch
- Roads
- Washington Boulevard, Arlington
[edit] Washington and Old Dominion Railway
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Ball, Frank L. (1966). Electric Railways of Arlington. Arlington Historical Magazine.
- Evans, D'Anne A. (1991). The Story of Oakton, Virginia: 1758–1990.
- Harrison, Noel G. (1984). The Advent of the WA&FC: Northern Fairfax County's First Electric Railway. Northern Virginia Heritage.
- Harwood, Herbert Hawley (2000). Rails to the Blue Ridge: The Washington and Old Dominion Railroad, 1847–1968. ISBN 0-615-11453-9.
- Holt, Kathryn (1986). Cherries, Characters, and Characteristics: A History of Cherrydale.
- King, Jr., Leroy O. (1972). 100 Years of Capital Traction. Taylor Publishing. LCC HE4491.W37 K55.
- Kohler, Peter C. (2000). Capital Transit: Washington's Street Cars, the Final Era 1933–1962. ISBN 0-9712936-0-0.
- Merriken, John E. (1987). Old Dominion Trolley Too: A History of the Mount Vernon Line. ISBN 0-9600938-2-6. LCC TF725.W34 M47
- Stuntz, Connie Pendleton and Mayo Sturdevant (1987). This Was Vienna, Virginia: Facts and Photos.
- Williams, Ames W (1989). The Washington and Old Dominion Railroad. ISBN 0-926984-00-4.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Locations of stations in 2008 on hybrid satellite image/street map from WikiMapia
- ^ Circa 1900 map showing St. Asaph racetrack and station on page 13 in Schulte, B, "This Year, Marking a Scrappy Start", Washington Post, Alexandria-Arlington Extra section, March 6, 2008, pp. 12-13. Map is in fourth slide in slideshow in article on washingtonpost.com website Accessed March 12, 2008
- ^ 1925 photo of Rosslyn. Accessed March 12, 2008. From "Washington, D.C., Past and Present", Oneonta Press website, Peter R. Penczer, Arlington, VA. Accessed March 12, 2008.
- ^ Historical Marker: "Nauck: A Neighborhood History" erected by Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. Accessed Jan. 24, 2008. From HMdb.org: The Historical Marker Database. Accessed Jan. 24, 2008. Marker is at the trailhead of the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Trail at S. Shirlington Road near S. Four Mile Run Drive.
- ^ The Fairfax County Courthouse: A Brief History (Official Fairfax County government site) Accessed Jan. 15, 2008
- ^ Photograph of Historic Fairfax County Courthouse by George Petropol, Manassas, Virginia Accessed Jan. 15, 2008
- ^ Johnson, WP II, "The Fairfax Electric Depot & Mill Managers Home" in The Fare Facs Gazette: The Newsletter of Historic Fairfax City, Inc., Vol. 1, Issue 4, Fall 2003 Accessed Jan. 15, 2008
- ^ Stuntz, pp. 245,246,264
- ^ Undated photo of Vienna station of Washington-Virginia Railway, Vienna, Virginia. Accessed March 12, 2008. From McCray, P., Washington & Old Dominion Railroad: 1847 to 1968. A Photographic History. Accessed March 12, 2008.
- ^ Arlington County Historical Marker: Ballston. Text of marker in Arlington Historical Society members webpage: ARLINGTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA HISTORICAL MARKERS, Marker No. 25. Accessed Jan. 24, 2008. Text of marker also in Neighborhoods, boundary stones, and roadways webpage of Arlington Historical Society's official website Accessed Jan. 24, 2008. Marker is at the northwest corner of N. Fairfax Drive and N. Stafford Street in the church yard of the Central United Methodist Church
- ^ Neville, Ashley M., National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Historic District (Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) No. 053-0276), Gray & Pape, Inc., Richmond, Virginia, July 25, 2000, Section 7, Page 5, in Appendix J of NORTHERN VIRGINIA REGIONAL PARK AUTHORITY - PRE-FILED DIRECT TESTIMONY OF MR. HAFNER, MR. MCRAY AND MR. SIMMONS, November 30, 2005 (Part 4 of 5, pages 1-46); obtained in Case Docket Search for documents in Case No. PUE-2005-00018 on official website of the Commonwealth of Virginia State Corporation Commission. Accessed March 24, 2008
[edit] External links
- National Capital Trolley Museum
- A memorial site for DC Transit
- Online exhibit of Washington streetcars from the National Museum of American History
- Washington, D.C., Railroad History at the National Railway Historical Society
- Before the Beltway: Streetcar Lines in Northern Virginia, an online exhibit from the Alexandria Public Library
- Penrose Trolleys (Microsoft Word document, *.doc)
- W&OD Railroad: A Photographic History – contains information on the Great Falls electric railway and list of W&OD RR stations
- History of Penrose neighborhood in Arlington with a section on trolleys
- Rossyln Circle History with photo from 1925