A Brief History of the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad
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| An original four inch section of rail from the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad - this rail is approximately 147 years old and weighs almost seven pounds. More information is included at the bottom of this page. Private collection. |
The Washington and Old Dominion Railway (W&OD) was an electric interurban railroad, created in 1911 by John McLean and Stephen Benton Elkins, that linked Washington DC with Virginia. After the railroad was formed, and following an agreement with the Southern Railway, the new Washington and Old Dominion began operating the Southern Railway's Bluemont Branch in 1912.
Over the next four years, the W&OD electrified all of their trackage to change the company to an electric interurban railroad, similar to that of the Washington Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railroad in Maryland.
The Great Depression brought about difficult times for the railroad, and in 1932 the W&OD declared bankruptcy.
In 1936, a new corporation was formed, the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad (different from the Washington and Old Dominion Railway.) The W&OD began the process of removing the electric lines originally installed by their predecessor company, and converted operations to conventional diesel locomotive-hauled trains. Passenger service continued until 1951.
The W&OD continued operating through the early 1960s, albeit barely. The company became entangled in numerous attempts to purchase different sections of the railroad as different parties fought for their own respective positions. In 1967, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad (which had purchase the W&OD several years before) received permission from the Interstate Commerce Commission to abandon the railroad. In late August, 1968, the last train ran on the W&OD; by 1969, virtually all of the track had been torn up and scrapped.
Several remnants of the W&OD survive today; several stations are still standing, and some of the railroad right of way has been converted into recreational trails. Surprisingly, one of the railroad's electric locomotives survives today, and as of recent, was still operating in revenue freight service - 100 years later - on the Iowa Traction Railroad in Mason City IA.
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| Another slice of rail from the Washington and Old Dominion, also believed to be around 147 years old. Private collection. |
These two sections of rail were originally from the collection of Mr. William Barber, who was the Chief Civil Engineer at the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad. These sections are believed to have been removed from somewhere between mile post 18 and 19 on the W&OD. The lopsided shape of the section above is from wear.
Perhaps the most interesting fact about these rails is that neither were produced in the US. The rail these two pieces were cut from was manufactured in Sheffield England in 1873, and imported to the United States (we know these exact dates because Mr. Barber himself included documentation with these segments.) At the time, there were few manufacturers in the US that could produce rail, and none that could produce rail at the high standards as that being produced in England. This rail is only a few inches tall, and roughly 53 pounds per yard. By comparison, the rail on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor ranges from 130 to 180+ pounds per yard. Modern rail also has a more defined "T" shape.
As the W&OD didn't exist until about 1911, these rails were originally purchased and installed (likely around Paeonian Springs, Virginia) by a predecessor railroad in the late 1870s, possibly the Washington and Ohio Railroad. These sections of rail were cut from a siding in Paeonian Springs around February 1968 at the direction of Mr. Barber, following abandonment.
If you're interested in learning more about the W&OD, we encourage you to do some Google research - there are many good articles. There are also several excellent books available; click here to shop now. We also have an exhibit on the W&OD in the Main Hall of the museum, and we encourage you to stop by (once the virus has passed of course) if you'd like to learn about the railroad in more detail.
If reception to this article is good, we will consider placing these sections of rail on temporary display for in-person inspection and viewing. We welcome your feedback.
Stay tuned for our next artifact showcase. Let us know if there is something specific you'd like to see! Stay safe, and thanks for the support.
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