Brockwood Community Archives

I chose to do my follow up of the Virginia room on a picture I found there of abandoned railroad lines as of 1990. I noticed that one in particular, the W & OD Railroad, was located within my neighborhood's boundaries. I then discovered the history of this W & OD Railroad.

The W & OD Railroad, which stands for the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad, stretch approximately 45 miles from Purcellville, Viriginia to Shirlington, Arlington, Virginia with 14 stops in between the two. The W & OD Railroad was built in 1859 to replace the successful Alexandria, Loudoun, and Hampshire Railroad. The entrepreneurs who founded the railroad fantasized about bringing coal and other riches from the Applachian Mountains to the Port of Alexandria. Although the railroad was nearly destroyed in the Civil War (1861-1865), the railroad was able to establish itself as an important means of transportation. The heyday of the W & OD Railroad was approximately from 1900 to 1920 when electric trolley lines were popular means of transportation. During its heyday, the W & OD Railroad ran its course three times a day. (The nearest stop to the Brockwood Neighborhood is at Bluemont Junction, which is located in Bluemont Park across Wilson Boulevard from Bon Air Park and the Brockwood Neighborhood.) However, as the popularity of electric trolley lines diminished with new means of transportation, such as cars (Regarded as the first affordable automobile accessible to a variety of people and social classes, the Model T was built from 1908 to 1927.) Today, what once stood the W & OD Railroad now stands the W & OD Trail, a lengthy course of bike path for bikers and runners alike. Many parts of the bike path are in the exact location where railroad tracks used to be.