Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park

The Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park is a linear regional park in Northern Virginia. The park's primary feature is the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Trail (abbreviated as W&OD Trail), an asphalt-surfaced paved rail trail that runs through densely populated urban and suburban communities as well as through rural areas.^[1] Most of the trail travels on top of the rail bed of the former Washington and Old Dominion Railroad, which closed in 1968.^[2]

Although the park is 44.8 miles (72.1 km) long, it is only about 100 feet (30 m) wide. The rail trail is approximately 10 feet (3.0 m) wide through much of its length and is suitable for walking, running, cycling, and roller skating. A crushed bluestone surfaced bridle path travels near the paved trail in the park's most westerly 32 miles (51 km).^[3]

The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA) administers and maintains the park and its trails. NVRPA keeps most of the parkland surrounding the trails in a natural state. The park authority has placed alongside the paved trail a series of mile markers and a number of interpretative exhibits that describe the historic and natural features of the park (see Washington and Old Dominion Railroad#Stations for locations of historical markers near the W&OD Trail).^[4][5]

The headquarters office of the park is near the east side of the trail at Smith's Switch Road in Ashburn.^[6] A park rest stop is adjacent to the trail near the park's headquarters.

Trail route

W&OD Trail Elevation Map

The W&OD Trail begins near the Nauck neighborhood in the Shirlington section of Arlington County, close to the boundary between the County and the City of Alexandria.^[7] The trail ends in Purcellville in western Loudoun County. Its route largely parallels the routes of the Potomac River and Virginia State Route 7 (VA Route 7).

The trail connects at its origin to the paved Four Mile Run Trail, which travels eastward through Arlington along a stream embankment to meet the Mount Vernon Trail at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, near the Potomac River.^[8][9] The start of the trail is also accessible from the Shirlington exit (Exit 6) of Interstate 395 (I-395) (the Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway).

The trail parallels the more curving and hilly Four Mile Run Trail throughout its route in Arlington.^[8] Although they coincide in several locations, the two trails generally travel on opposite sides of the Run. There are no restrooms and few water fountains alongside the W&OD Trail in the County. Restrooms and additional water fountains are available near ball fields and picnic areas along the Four Mile Run Trail.

Looking east towards the start of the W&OD Trail in Arlington County (May 2014)

The W&OD trailhead (Mile 0) is at the intersection of South Shirlington Road and South Four Mile Run Drive.^[10] The trail starts in the Atlantic Coastal Plain at the trail's lowest elevation 141 feet (43 m) above sea level.

The trail climbs 195 feet (59 m) in 5.9 miles (9.5 km) while traveling northwest through Arlington County. While in Arlington, the trail ascends through the Atlantic Seaboard fall line while climbing upstream in the valley of Four Mile Run. The trail crosses the Run seven times in the valley on bridges whose abutments were constructed before the Civil War by the Alexandria, Loudoun & Hampshire Railroad, a predecessor of the W&OD Railroad.

After crossing Columbia Pike (VA Route 244), the trail enters a steeply-sloped woodland that covers both sides of the valley. Near the end of the woodland, the trail intersects the Bluemont Junction Trail, a paved rail trail that travels to Ballston on the bed of a former W&OD Railroad branch that once ran to Rosslyn and Georgetown.^[11] 0.6 miles (1.0 km) past that intersection, the W&OD Trail meets the Custis Trail, which travels along I-66 (the Custis Memorial Parkway) between East Falls Church and Rosslyn and which provides access to Washington, D.C.^[12] After joining at their intersection, the W&OD and Custis Trails share the same path as they travel northwest near an I-66 soundwall for most of their remaining courses in Arlington.

W&OD Railroad Regional Park sign in Falls Church (September 2012)

After leaving the fall line, the W&OD Trail enters the Piedmont plateau region near the west corner of the County. The trail continues to climb in the Piedmont while traveling northwest through Falls Church and Fairfax County. The trail reaches an elevation of 450 feet (140 m) at its crossing of I-66 in Fairfax County. When it reaches this point, the trail has risen 309 feet (94 m) while traveling 8.4 miles (13.5 km).

After crossing I-495 (the Capital Beltway) and passing Dunn Loring, the trail begins a long descent as it travels through Vienna. After leaving Vienna, the trail continues to descend until it reaches Difficult Run (Mile 14.3), where its elevation of 240 feet (73 m) is only about 100 feet (30 m) higher than is the elevation at the trail's origin.

View of Goose Creek from the W&OD Trail in March 2012

After the trail crosses Difficult Run, it ascends and descends between additional streams (including Sugarland Run, Broad Run, Beaverdam Run, Goose Creek, Sycolin Creek and Tuscarora Creek) as it travels further northwest in the Piedmont through or near Reston, Herndon, Sterling, Ashburn, and Leesburg. When crossing Tuscarora Creek in Leesburg, the trail's elevation of 273 feet (83 m) is 63 feet (19 m) lower than the highest elevation that it reached in Arlington.

After crossing Tuscarora Creek, the trail climbs 337 feet (103 m) northwest in 6.3 miles (10.1 km) to reach its highest elevation (610 feet (190 m)) when crossing a bridge carrying VA Route 9 (Charles Town Pike) over VA Route 7 near the saddle point of Clarks Gap in Catoctin Mountain.^[13] 0.3 miles (0.48 km) before this crossing, the trail travels under an old stone arch that formerly carried VA Route 7 over the W&OD Railroad.

The trail then turns west, descends through Paeonian Springs to Hamilton Station and climbs to reach Purcellville. When the trail terminates in Purcellville, its elevation is 564 feet (172 m) above sea level.

W&OD Trail features

Cochrane Mill Road marker near Ashburn (March 2012)

32.5 mile marker in Leesburg (March 2012)

History of the regional park

When the W&OD Railroad closed in 1968, its 100-foot (30 m) wide right-of-way extended from Potomac Yard in Alexandria to the center of Purcellville. Soon after the railroad closed, the Virginia Department of Highways purchased the railroad's property from the line's owner, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, with the intent of using a portion of the right-of-way for the construction of I-66.^[19][20] Shortly thereafter, the Virginia Electric and Power Company (part of which was incorporated into Dominion Virginia Power in 2000)^[21] purchased most of the property from the highway department, as the company's electric power transmission lines were travelling within the right-of-way.^[22]

The first portion of the W&OD Trail opened in 1974 within the City of Falls Church under a lease agreement between the City government, the power company and NVRPA.^[23] As the trail proved to be popular, NVRPA purchased this and additional segments of the right-of-way from the power company between 1978 and 1982.^[24] The power company retained an easement that permitted the company to maintain its lines and to extend them along the right-of-way if needed.

NVRPA was not able to acquire from the power company the portion of the right-of-way that lay within the City of Alexandria. NVRPA also could not acquire the portion of right-of-way that the highway department had retained for construction of I-66 near East Falls Church in Arlington and various portions of the right-of-way that contained existing or potential highway crossings.

NVRPA extended the trail east and west of Falls Church as it acquired portions of the right-of-way.^[25] In 1987, the National Park Service designated the trail as a National Recreation Trail.^[26] The trail reached Purcellville in 1988.^[25] After encountering opposition from the public because of its potential environmental impacts, the final section of the trail opened in and near Arlington's Bluemont Park in 2002.^[27]

On October 20, 2007, construction began for a paved trail that would connect the W&OD Trail at its origin with the Four Mile Run Trail by traveling for 3,000 feet (910 m) along a bank of the Run while passing beneath the Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway (I-395) in Alexandria and West Glebe Road in Arlington.^[28] On May 30, 2009, a ribbon-cutting ceremony heralded the completion and opening of the connecting trail.^[9][29]

Historic structures in the regional park

Purcellville Station, August 2008

The park and its immediate surroundings contain a number of historic structures, some of which date to the pre-Civil War period.^[20] Most of these structures are railroad remnants, including intact stations^[30] at Vienna,^[31][32] Sunset Hills,^[33] Herndon,^[34] Hamilton^[35] and Purcellville,^[36][37][38] stone arches and culverts,^[39] the piers and abutments of bridges, and a relocated passenger shelter (formerly at Clarks Gap; now at Paeonian Springs).^[40]

Part of the reinforced concrete floor of a brick electrical substation that the railroad constructed in 1912 to help supply power to its new electric locomotives and trolley cars is visible in Arlington County's Bluemont Junction Railroad Display south of Wilson Boulevard.^[41] The floor is located in the space between a soccer field and a Southern Railway caboose.^[42][43]

A remnant of a coal trestle stands south of the W&OD Trail, west of the trail's crossing of Lee Highway (U.S. Route 29) in Arlington. In June 2014, the owner of a property adjacent to the regional park demolished part of the structure to provide space for a planned self-storage facility. At the time, the Arlington County government was considering a proposal to designate the structure as a local historic district. In September 2014, the Arlington County Board designated the remaining portion of trestle, which was located on NVRPA property, as a local historic district.^[44] The trestle was once adjacent to the west side of the railroad's Falls Church (East Falls Church) station, which was dismantled after the railroad closed.

A white metallic marker post lettered in black with the words "Station 1 Mile" stands on the north side of the trail west of Little Falls Road near the boundary between Arlington and Falls Church. This post, which once stood next to the W&OD Railroad's tracks, is one mile (1.6 km) east of the site of the railroad's demolished West Falls Church Station.^[45] The station was located near the east side of the railroad's crossing of W. Broad Street (VA Route 7) in Falls Church.

Concrete abutment of the bridge that carried the Washington-Virginia Railway over the W&OD Railroad near the east end of Vienna (December 2006)

Near the east end of Vienna, the poured concrete abutment of a bridge that carried an interurban trolley line, the Washington-Virginia Railway, over the W&OD Railroad remains on the north side of the trail.^[46] An inscription showing the month and year of the abutment's construction (July 1904) is visible on the structure's east side.

The trail crosses Goose Creek in Loudoun County on a span that NVRPA built on top of the piers and abutments of the highest and longest (268 feet (82 m)) bridge that the railroad constructed within the present boundaries of the regional park.^[46][47] Visitors can view these remnants and the intact span, pier and abutments of the railroad's deck girder bridge over Sycolin Creek from unpaved paths that travel between the streams in NVRPA's Two Creeks Trail Area on the north side of the trail.^[48][49]

The Sycolin Creek bridge bears the only remaining span that once carried trains of the W&OD Railroad. As the trail travels on the concrete deck of the bridge, visitors can only see the span and the structures below if they leave the trail.^[49]

The piers and abutments of the railroad's bridge over Tuscarora Creek are visible south of the trail near the east end of Leesburg. The bridge was the second longest (149 feet (45 m)) that the railroad built within the present boundaries of the regional park.^[46] The piers and abutments are the only ones along the trail's route that do not presently support a bridge.

Remnants of the facilities of a 19th-century lime company are visible in Leesburg on the northeast side of the trail, southeast of Harrison Street SE. Limestone (calcium carbonate) from a company quarry was mixed with coal and burned in a nearby kiln that was adjacent to the railroad's tracks. Quicklime (calcium oxide) was brought out of the kiln through two arched openings that visitors can see from the trail. The company also supplied farmers with agricultural lime and provided builders with lime plaster for walls and stone for roads.^[50]

Near the saddle point of Clarks Gap, a stone arch crosses over the trail. Constructed around 1867-1868 soon after the end of the Civil War, the masonry arch once carried the original VA Route 7 over the railroad's tracks at the railroad's highest point.^[51] The arch now carries Dry Mill Road (VA Route 699) over the trail.

A registration form prepared to support the nomination of the park for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places contains an in-depth description of the park's historical resources and of the railroad's history, as well as maps that show the locations of the park's major historical features.^[52] The form states that the park is eligible for listing on the Register because its property "is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history."^[53]

Displays and museums along the W&OD Trail

The Norfolk Southern Railway and its predecessors have donated three cabooses for display along the W&OD Trail.^[54] While none of these resemble the cabooses that once travelled along the route of the W&OD Railroad, two of the three cars house exhibits of materials relating to the W&OD Railroad and Trail.

A Southern Railway bay window caboose within the Bluemont Junction Railroad Display in Arlington exhibits photographs, maps and other information related to the County's railroads and trolleys.^[55][56] Staffed by a County park ranger, the caboose is open to the public on weekend afternoons from May through October.^[57] The display also contains outdoor signage and photographs that describe and illustrate the history of the W&OD Railroad and of its junction that once operated at the site of the exhibit, as well as a metallic crossbuck and a metallic marker post that was once located 1 mile (1.6 km) from a station.^[42][55][58]

A cupola caboose near the Trail in Vienna Centennial Park contains a museum that houses materials that the W&OD Railroad once used.^[59] Staffed by members of the Optimist Club of Greater Vienna, bearing on its sides the name "WASHINGTON & OLD DOMINION" and numbered 503, the caboose is open to the public during the afternoons on selected weekends and holidays. Near the caboose is a historical marker, an NVRPA information sign, a metallic crossbuck on a wooden post and a metallic marker post that was once located 1 mile (1.6 km) from a station.^[60] A metallic white railroad whistle post with black markings is located in Vienna Centennial Park on the north side of the Trail between Church Street NE and the caboose.

View from Luck Stone Quarry overlook in March 2012

Adjacent to the Trail in Vienna, the Freeman Store houses a museum of the town's history.^[61] The museum contains maps, books and other materials that relate to the W&OD Railroad. Operated by Historic Vienna, Inc., the museum is open to the public during the afternoons of each week from Wednesdays through Sundays.^[62]

The W&OD Railroad station in Vienna houses a museum and a model railroad layout. Operated by the Northern Virginia Model Railroaders, Inc., the museum displays materials that the W&OD Railroad once used and a model of the station as it appeared when steam locomotives stopped at the station. The model railroad and museum is open to the public during the afternoon of one Saturday of each month except June and August.^[63]

An overlook at the Luck Stone Quarry east of Goose Creek displays a large trap rock quarry.^[64] This mineral provides bulk for concrete and macadam.

Herndon Depot Museum in August 2012

The W&OD Railroad station in Herndon houses the Herndon Depot Museum, which the Herndon Historical Society operates.^[65] The museum, which is open on Sundays from noon to 3:00 p.m., displays photographs and newspaper articles relating to the history of the Town of Herndon and the W&OD Railroad.^[65] The museum also contains materials that the railroad once used. The museum additionally contains information about the history of a nearby Norfolk Southern Railway cupola caboose whose sides bore the name and logo of the W&OD Railroad and the number 504 in 2006.^[66] A railroad whistle post is located near the caboose^[67]

The W&OD Railroad station in Purcellville houses the Loudoun Visitors Center. The Visitors Center contains a W&OD Railroad historical display and hosts wine-tasting events. The Visitors Center is open from noon to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays from late April through October.^[68]

Natural resources of the regional park

Most of the landscaping in the park is left in a natural state to preserve green space and to provide wildlife habitat.^[4] Some natural areas within the park are contiguous to larger natural areas in adjacent public parks, including those in and around the Sparrow Pond wetland,^[69] Brandymore Castle^[70] and Four Mile Run^[71] in Arlington, Piney Branch and Difficult Run in Fairfax County,^[72] and the confluence of Goose Creek and Sycolin Creek in Loudoun County.^[73]

Park interpreters, local teachers, environmental groups and amateur naturalists use the park as a resource for plant and animal study. These groups have identified approximately 450 species of wildflowers and more than 100 species of birds in the park. Wildlife in the park includes mammals such as foxes, river otters and beavers, and reptiles such as turtles and snakes. A variety of hawks and owls and other resident, non-resident and migratory birds, both upland and aquatic, find habitat in the park.^[4]

Transmission lines in the regional park

Transmission lines over W&OD Trail in Loudoun County (March 2012)

The W&OD Trail lies beneath a set of electric power transmission lines between its trailhead and the Dominion Virginia Power's Pleasant View Substation in Loudoun County southeast of Leesburg. The power company removes trees along this section of the trail to protect its lines, at times eliciting protests from members of the public and elected officials in the impacted jurisdictions.^[74] Trees shade much of the remainder of the trail.

In 2004, Dominion Virginia Power announced plans to extend its transmission lines in Loudoun County above ground from the Pleasant View Substation northwestward along the route of the W&OD Trail.^[75] In response, on November 15, 2005, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution of continued opposition to the installation of the proposed transmission lines along the Trail.^[76]

Citing the impending loss of trees along its trail, the NVRPA asked the public on December 13, 2005, to oppose Dominion Virginia Power's application for the transmission line project in hearings that the State Corporation Commission (SCC) was planning to conduct as part of its review of the project.^[77] During 2005, 2006 and 2007, the NVRPA submitted testimony and briefs to the SCC that opposed the construction of transmission lines along the route of the trail.^[78]

The SCC nevertheless approved on February 15, 2008, a transmission line route that would travel above ground for 1.8 miles (2.9 km) along a wooded portion of the W&OD Trail between Leesburg and Clarks Gap.^[79] Less than three weeks later, on March 4 and March 5, 2008, the Senate and the House of Delegates of the Virginia General Assembly unanimously passed emergency legislation that ordered the SCC to approve the underground construction of the line along that section of the trail as part of a state-wide pilot program for the development of such types of transmission lines. Sponsored by Delegate Joe T. May (Republican - Loudoun),^[80] the legislation exempted the project from any requirements for further SCC analyses relating to the impacts of the route, including environmental impacts and impacts upon historical resources.^[81] The legislation went into effect when Virginia Governor Tim Kaine approved it on April 2, 2008.^[82] Soon afterwards, the power company asked the SCC to approve construction of the underground transmission line in accordance with the terms of the legislation.^[83]

The NVRPA expected the project to result in a significant loss of trees, as the power company planned to dig trenches on each side of the paved trail while installing duct banks to house its conduits.^[84] Supporting the NVRPA's expectation, Dominion Virginia Power noted that the environmental impacts associated with underground cable installation in suburban and rural areas are significantly greater than are those of overhead line construction.^[85] The W&OD Trail closed for a year in the project area while the power company constructed its underground lines. The trail reopened to the public in November 2010.^[86]

Gallery of W&OD Trail

Views along the W&OD Trail from east to west:

Notes

Cycling videos

• buzmurdock (Jul 5, 2010). "07-04-2010 W&OD TRAIL Leesburg Virginia". YouTube. Retrieved January 18, 2016.  Cycling on W&OD Trail in Loudoun County and Leesburg (7 minutes).
• N39W78 (May 28, 2011). "W&OD Trail -Falls Church 1". YouTube. Retrieved 2016-01-16.  Cycling on W&OD Trail in Falls Church and western end of Arlington County (4 minutes).
• MDBikerDude (March 21, 2012). "Spring ride - W&OD Rail Trail - Paeonian Springs to Purcellville, VA - by Bike Friday". YouTube. Retrieved January 18, 2016.  Cycling on W&OD Trail in Loudoun County (26 minutes).
• N., Daniel (April 7, 2013). "w&od trail". YouTube. Retrieved January 18, 2016.  Cycling on W&OD Trail in Loudoun County (round trip ) (78 minutes).
• Shirley, Erinn (July 6, 2014). "W&OD bike path at S. George Mason Dr. to Custis trail on bike". YouTube. Retrieved January 18, 2016.  Cycling on W&OD Trail and Custis Trail in Arlington (17 minutes).
• Isenberg, David (September 28, 2014). "Biking on the W&OD trail". YouTube. Retrieved 2016-01-18.  Cycling on W&OD Trail in Fairfax County and Vienna (14 minutes).
• Isenberg, David (September 29, 2014). "Biking on the W&OD trail". YouTube. Retrieved 2016-01-16.  Cycling on W&OD Trail in Arlington (western end) , Falls Church and Fairfax County (16 minutes).
• MacBain, Stephen (May 16, 2015). "Bike to work day, Arlington to Sterling/Dulles". YouTube. Retrieved 2016-01-16.  Cycling on Custis Trail and W&OD Trail in Arlington, Falls Church and Fairfax County (38 minutes).

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Trail.

• "Washington & Old Dominion Regional Park". Fairfax Station, VA: Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. July 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-05. 
• The Friends of the Washington & Old Dominion Trail official website
• "Unofficial Page of The Washington & Old Dominion Trail". RailServe.com by Christopher Muller. May 30, 2009. Archived from the original on 2005-03-24. Retrieved 2010-08-05.  External link in |publisher= (help)
• "Intersecting Bike Trails". Unofficial Page of The Washington & Old Dominion Trail (archived). May 30, 2009. Archived from the original on 2005-03-24. Retrieved 2010-08-05. 
• Washington & Old Dominion Trail on Running Around Town: Washington, D.C., website Chart showing mileages along W&OD Trail
• Video of entire W&OD Trail labeled with distances, cross streets, and other items
• Heil, Jeffrey (2008-02-13). "Washington & Old Dominion Trail in Virginia". yellowbiketales. Retrieved 2010-12-15.  Description of W&OD Trail and surrounding areas, published in Spokes, September 2006.
• Paul McCray (former Manager, W&OD Regional Park) discussing history of W&OD Trail in Uenuma, F, "Two Decades Along the W&OD Trail", Washington Post video in Washington Post official site. Accessed June 20, 2008.
• "Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Markers" series in HMdb.org: The Historical Marker Database official website Photographs and descriptions of NVRPA markers and other markers along and near the W&OD Trail.
• Washington and Old Dominion Trail in National Recreation Trails Database in American Trails official website
• Maps:
  • Map of the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Trail Map in NVRPA marker at trailhead of W&OD Trail in Shirlington. Photographed by Roger Dean Meyer,Yankton, South Dakota, September 8, 2007. In "Washington and Old Dominion Trail" in "Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Markers" series on HMdb.org: The Historical Marker Database official website. Accessed April 2, 2008.
  • "Map of the W&OD". The Friends of the Washington & Old Dominion Trail. Archived from the original on 2010-11-24. Retrieved 2010-09-29.  External link in |publisher= (help) Interactive map of entire W&OD Trail and trail segments showing mileages and features along trail
  • "W & OD Trail Elevations". The Friends of the Washington & Old Dominion Trail. Archived from the original on 2010-08-28. Retrieved 2009-10-02.  External link in |publisher= (help) Map and chart of elevations along W&OD Trail
  • Washington & Old Dominion Trail (W&OD) on Running Around Town: Washington, D.C., website Topographic map showing entire W&OD Trail
  • Washington & Old Dominion Trail on BikeWashington.org website Maps and descriptions of entire W&OD Trail and trail segments, showing connecting trails

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