The End of the W&OD Railroad

[@jasonmckinney9938]

This was incredibly interesting and answered a lot of my questions that I wondered over the years. Looking forward to checking out your other videos since I am a nova native.

[@castle4610]

Really interesting. Do you know where I could find video or old pictures of the Bluemont end of the line? Thanks

[@OutdoorsWithJohnUSA]

Paul, I really enjoy your videos. I'm from Connecticut, but have been down to the DC area a number of times and have ridden the entire W&OD. It a great trail with a wonderful history!

[@MrRicardobach]

I’m also from Connecticut but we have lived here since 2017. I love that trail and have ridden every part of it, NOT in the same day though! ( born in Bridgeport, high school and colleges in Fairfield , Navy in Groton , married in Stratford, lived in Milford for 30 years, worked in Wilton, Branford, Trumbull, Shelton, Stamford. )

[@PatFarrellKTM]

I was raised in a house in Falls Church that was very close to the W&OD. I think it is the closest house that was built while the railroad was operating. I remember going with my dad to Dale Lumber in West Falls Church, they were serviced by the W&OD and is now a City of Falls Church work yard. We also shopped that Murphy & Ames millwork, also served, in East Falls Church. And at Snyder's hardware, on the corner of Lee Highway, the W&OD and Washington Blvd. All three of these businesses stayed open after the railroad was abandoned, but Snyder's and Murphy & Ames didn't last too much longer. I clearly remember watching trains carrying stuff out to the Dulles construction site. The gravel cars didn't look special, but there was a lot of very large machinery such as A/C equipment that were clearly special and not typical cargo. A lot of the Dulles equipment was painted bright colors, orange, red, bright blue, etc. that made it stand out.

[@cherylpeevy5010]

I also remember the East Falls Church site, the old Esso gas station which later became Exxon (we, St. James folk, always called Esso, "Cook's Garage" because the Cook Family belonged to the St. James family.

[@PatFarrellKTM]

@@cherylpeevy5010 Your name rings a bell, I bet you were in some of my St James classes.

[@kman-mi7su]

Too bad they shut down when they did. If they could've seen what was coming in terms of the buildup in NOVA, they'd be around. They would've had plenty of business by going back into passenger service in addition to freight. VRE, and some parts of Metro probably would never have existed, they might have been the commuter service today that those ones provide.

[@jml8975]

I don't think they'd still be around. The highway system was expanding rapidly, which diminished their business, though it did give them a temporary source of traffic. First, their usual freight shippers (most of which were rooted in the farming business), started going out of business as the area became built up. Second, railroads need large freight shippers to keep them profitable. Personally, I just don't see those shippers around the NOVA area. I believe the line was considered for a light rail line, but that never materialized.

[@kman-mi7su]

@@jml8975 You're thinking in terms of a freight shipper business, that's where I disagree. Passenger service is king for the rails around here and they could've simply adapted. (plenty of federal and state money to do so) And there are still shippers in this area that's why NS and CSX still have local pickups here. But, if they had the passengers service that VRE and parts of Metro run instead of them, they'd be around.

[@snapsnapjackson7335]

My grandfather worked for the WOD Railroads

[@novahistoryremembered3288]

What was your grandfather's name? When did he work the railroad?

[@snapsnapjackson7335]

His name was David Kehr. He worked there sometime between the 50's or 60's.

[@novahistoryremembered3288]

@@snapsnapjackson7335 Is Barbara Kehr related to David? She and 2 family members came to a reunion I hosted in the early 1990's for railroad employees and relations of theirs.

[@snapsnapjackson7335]

Yes that is his wife. Will you have another one in the future?

[@novahistoryremembered3288]

@@snapsnapjackson7335 I don't think we'll be able to do that. I was the manager of the W&OD Trail at the time and had met many of those folks individually. I thought it would be a good idea to get them back together and they would have a chance to talk and reminisce. I did recently find a video that we made of that day with individual people talking about the railroad and the employees sharing stories in a round table. I'm going to edit that and post it on KZbin so look for that in the near future.

[@rajsingharora26]

& i discovered this trail 2 days ago whilst here in Ashburn & its like the most beautiful thing here.

[@josephkearney9319]

The Judge was prophetic. If they would of kept the railroad running Metro wouldnt of been necessary in Northern Virginia. W&OD could of become Metro.

[@bertrandlewis4906]

Exactly

[@chuckmauro8858]

Great stuff!

[@adaevans213]

Fascinating for us long-time locals! Thank you.

[@ramongoodwin8667]

Thank you for this.

[@mooseriddle]

What a great video. Learned a lot from watching it!

[@jfredq]

I remember the W&OD very well. I lived near the Carlyn Springs crossing when the trains still ran.

[@alexhuevera939]

good job. audio is much better

[@novahistoryremembered3288]

Thanks, I was new at editing video and have learned alot!

[@basil97]

Good job, i love it video, 👍🏻.

[@bertrandlewis4906]

They should have kept it open

[@PatFarrellKTM]

What color is engine #56? There has been a many year long augment from W&OD fans. Some say black, others say blue.

[@jml8975]

Looks black to me.

[@lonewolf2777]

Almost like watching Tracks Ahead again

[@novahistoryremembered3288]

More information about the W&OD is available on Amazon. www.amazon.com/s?k=%22washington+old+dominion%22&ref=bnavm_hdr_search

[@hoytoy100]

Glad the trains are gone. What a nightmare they would be today! Besides the bike/hike trail is a beautiful resource.

[@lonewolf2777]

5000-5048 - S2 Alco 4/49-1/50 Many re# into 9160-79 series or sold to B&O