Great Falls and Old Dominion Railroad
The Great Falls and Old Dominion Railroad was a trolley line that ran in Northern Virginia during the early 20th century.
Contents
History
Chartered in 1900 by John Roll McLean (owner of The Washington Post) and Senator Stephen Benton Elkins, the 15-mile electrified railroad was built from Georgetown in Washington, D.C., to Cherrydale in Arlington County in 1904 and to Great Falls Park in Fairfax County in 1906. From Georgetown, the railroad crossed the Potomac River on a superstructure built on the upstream side of the old Aqueduct Bridge to Rosslyn in Arlington, where it made connections with an older electric trolley line, the Washington, Arlington and Falls Church Railway. From Rosslyn, the railroad travelled northwest along the north side of Lee Highway (now part of U.S. Route 29) to Cherrydale in Arlington and then on its own right-of-way (now Old Dominion Drive) in Arlington and Fairfax Counties through forests, farmland and fruit orchards, bypassing the existing villages of Lewinsville and Langley.
At Great Falls, the railroad constructed an amusement park, which became a popular destination. The park featured a carousel, a dance pavilion, a picnic area and the nighttime illumination of the falls.
The owners gave their own names to two stations located at the railroad's crossings of major roads: McLean Station at Chain Bridge Road and Elkins Station at Old Georgetown Pike (State Route 193). The station at Chain Bridge Road became a focus for development that evolved into the community of McLean, Virginia.
In 1911, McLean and Elkins incorporated the Washington and Old Dominion Railway. In 1912, the Georgetown-Great Falls line became the Great Falls Division of the Washington and Old Dominion Railway, sharing its trackage with the Railway's Bluemont Division between Rosslyn and Thrifton Junction (near the present Lyon Village shopping center). In 1932, during the Great Depression, the Washington and Old Dominion Railway went bankrupt. Service ended on the railway's Great Falls Division in 1934. In 1935, Fairfax and Arlington counties took the right-of-way in settlement of delinquent taxes.
Interstate 66 (I-66) and the Custis Trail now run on the railroads's former right-of-way between Rosslyn and Thrifton Junction. Lee Highway runs on or near the railroad's former right-of-way between Thrifton Junction and N. Quincy Street. Old Dominion Drive runs on the former right-of-way between N. Quincy Street and Great Falls.
Stations
The stations of the Great Falls and Old Dominion Railway (with locations of sites in 2006) were:
- Georgetown (35th and M Sts., N.W., Washington, DC)
- Rosslyn (colorized postcard and 1923 interior photo) (near Key Bridge Marriott Hotel, Arlington)
- Colonial (I-66 at N. Nash St., Arlington)
- Mackeys (I-66 at west side of N. Quinn St., Arlington)
- Park Lane (I-66 near east side of N. Uhle St., Arlington)
- Pearce (I-66 near N. Adams St., Arlington)
- Clark (I-66 near N. Cleveland St., Arlington)
- Thrifton (I-66 between Lee Highway and Spout Run Parkway (near Lyon Village shopping center)), Arlington; named for Hugh A. Thrift
- Dominion Heights (north side of Lee Highway at N. Monroe St., Arlington)
- Cherrydale (north side of Lee Highway at N. Quebec St., Arlington)
- Harrison (north side of Old Dominion Drive at N. Thomas St., Arlington)
- Greenwood (south side of Old Dominion Drive at west side of N. Vermont St., north of Lorcum Lane, Arlington)
- Maplewood (south side of Old Dominion Drive at N. Abingdon St., north of Lee Highway, Arlington)
- Livingstone Heights (southwest side of Old Dominion Drive at north side of 24th St. N., Arlington)
- Lyonhurst (Old Dominion Drive at 25th St. N., Arlington); named for the estate of Frank Lyon (now Missionhurst)
- Summit (northeast side of Old Dominion Drive at south side of 26th St. N., Arlington)
- Rixey (photo) (Old Dominion Drive at N. Glebe Road, Arlington); now part of Marymount University — built for the estate of Dr. Presley Marion Rixey
- Jewell (photo) (north side of Old Dominion Drive at west side of Rock Spring Road, Arlington); named for Charles Jewell
- Vanderwerken (north side of Old Dominion Drive at west side of Little Falls Road, Arlington); named for Gilbert Vanderwerken
- Franklin Park (photo) (Old Dominion Drive and Franklin Park Road, Fairfax County)
- Rockwell (Old Dominion Drive, Fairfax County)
- Chesterbrook (Old Dominion Drive at Kirby Road, Fairfax County)
- El Nido (Old Dominion Drive at Birch Road, Fairfax County)
- Selva (Old Dominion Drive at 6th Place, Fairfax County)
- Viresco (Old Dominion Drive at Linway Terrace, Fairfax County)
- McLean (Old Dominion Drive at Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax County) named for John Roll McLean
- Ingleside (Old Dominion Drive at Ingleside Ave., Fairfax County)
- Balls Hill (Old Dominion Drive at Balls Hill Road, Fairfax County)
- Hitaffer (Old Dominion Drive near Old Gale Court, Fairfax County)
- Jackson (photo) (Old Dominion Drive near Swinks Mill Road, Fairfax County)
- Spring Hill (Old Dominion Drive at Spring Hill Road, Fairfax County)
- Prospect Hill (photo) (Old Dominion Drive at Bellview Place, Fairfax County)
- Belleview (photo) (Old Dominion Drive at Bellview Road, Fairfax County)
- Glendale (Old Dominion Drive at Towlston Road, Fairfax County)
- Peacock (Photo) (Old Dominion Drive at Peacock Station Road, Fairfax County)
- Fairview (Old Dominion Drive at Falls Run Road, Fairfax County)
- Elkins (photo) (Old Dominion Drive at Georgetown Pike, Fairfax County)
- Dickeys Road (in Great Falls Park, Fairfax County) — named for Dickey's Inn
- Great Falls (photo 1) (photo 2) (in Great Falls Park, Fairfax County)
Remnants
- Roads
- I-66 between Fort Myer Drive and bridge over Lee Highway (U.S. Route 29) near Spout Run Parkway, Arlington
- Old Dominion Drive, Arlington and Fairfax County
- Trail
- I-66 Custis Trail between Fort Myer Drive and Lee Highway, Arlington
See also
References
- Harwood, Herbert Hawley (2000). Rails to the Blue Ridge: The Washington and Old Dominion Railroad, 1847–1968. ISBN 0-615-11453-9.
- Williams, Ames W (1989). The Washington and Old Dominion Railroad. ISBN 0-926984-00-4.
