Northern Virginia trolleys

Northern Virginia trolleys

300px
Operation
Began operation	1892
Ended operation	January 18, 1932
Technical
Track gauge	(?)
Minimum radius of curvature	(?)
Electrification	(?)

File:Nova streetcar diagram.JPG

Diagram of electric railroad routes near the Potomac River, showing the "Great Falls Electric Railroad" (the Great Falls and Old Dominion Railroad), the East Arlington branch and the Washington-Mount Vernon line of the Washington, Alexandria, and Mount Vernon Electric Railway and the "Glen Echo Electric Railroad" (the Washington and Great Falls Electric Railway)

Enlargeable diagram of Washington area trolley lines. Orange = Washington, Arlington & Mount Vernon Electric Railway. Blue = Washington, Arlington & Falls Church Railway (WA&FC). Yellow = Nauck (Fort Myer) line of WA&FC. Light green = W&OD Bluemont Division. Dark green = W&OD Great Falls Division

The earliest electric railway, or streetcar line, in Northern Virginia opened in 1892. At their peak, when merged into a single interurban system (the Washington-Virginia Railway), the successors of this and several other lines ran between downtown Washington, D.C., Rosslyn and Arlington Junction – in present day Crystal City – and out to Mount Vernon, Fairfax City and Nauck (in Arlington County). Electric trolleys also went west from Georgetown and Rosslyn on the Washington and Old Dominion Railway's (W&OD's) Bluemont Division via Leesburg to the town of Bluemont at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains. In addition, electric trolleys of the W&OD's Great Falls Division traveled from Georgetown and Rosslyn via Cherrydale and McLean to Great Falls Park (see: Great Falls and Old Dominion Railroad). Despite early success, the streetcars were unable to compete with the automobile and with each other, and, plagued with management and financial problems, ceased operations in the 1930s and 1940s.

Northern Virginia's trolleys were originally operated by three different companies that all planned to operate within the District of Columbia and were never integrated into the Washington streetcar network (see: Streetcars in Washington, D.C.). Their tracks were laid when most of Northern Virginia was undeveloped and had few streets and roads. As a result, the trolleys mostly operated on private rights-of-way that their companies leased or owned. After they began operating, a number of communities developed along their routes.

The major lines of the Washington-Virginia Railway converged at Arlington Junction. The Railway's trolleys then crossed the Potomac River near the site of the present 14th Street bridges over the Long Bridge and, beginning in 1906, the Highway Bridge. The trolleys then traveled to a terminal in downtown Washington located along Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, and D Street, NW, between 12th and 13 1/2 Streets, NW, on a site that is now near the Federal Triangle Metrorail Station and the Old Post Office building within the Federal Triangle. The W&OD Railway terminated in Georgetown at a station on the west side of the Georgetown Car Barn after crossing the Potomac River from Rosslyn over the Aqueduct Bridge.

The Washington-Virginia Railway and the W&OD Railway also had adjacent stations in Rosslyn near the present location of the Key Bridge Marriott Hotel. After the Francis Scott Key Bridge replaced the Aqueduct Bridge in 1923, none of the Virginia lines terminated in Georgetown. Instead, Washington streetcars crossed the river on the new bridge and entered a turnaround loop within Rosslyn. There, passengers could transfer between trolleys whose lines separately served Washington and Northern Virginia.

Washington-Virginia Railway

Washington, Alexandria, and Mount Vernon Electric Railway

Washington-Mount Vernon line

The Washington, Alexandria, and Mount Vernon Electric Railway began operating between Alexandria and Mount Vernon in 1892. On August 23, 1894, it was given permission to enter the District of Columbia using a boat or barge. However, the railroad never actually used any such watercraft.

The railroad completed its tracks in 1896 and began serving a waiting station at 14th Street NW and B Street NW. From the waiting station it used the Belt Line Street Railway Company's tracks on 14th Street NW to reach the Long Bridge, a combined road and rail crossing of the Potomac River. In 1906, the Long Bridge's road and streetcar tracks were relocated to a new truss bridge (the Highway Bridge), immediately west of the older bridge. This span was removed in 1967.

In 1902, the railroad moved its station, as the Belt Line's tracks were circling the block containing the site of a planned new District Building (now the John A. Wilson Building). The new station (address: 1204 N. Pennsylvania Avenue) extended along Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, and D Street, NW, from 12th Street, NW, to 13 1/2 Street, NW, near the site of the present Federal Triangle Metro station and on the opposite side of 12th Street from the Post Office building.

After crossing the Potomac River, the streetcars entered Arlington to run near and along the present routes of Interstate 395 (I-395) and S. Eads Street, travelling largely on the grade of a towpath on the west side of the defunct Alexandria Canal. Near Arlington's southern border, the railroad and its affiliates constructed an amusement park (Luna Park) and a rail yard containing a car barn and a power plant.

After crossing Four Mile Run into Alexandria, the streetcars ran along the present route of Commonwealth Avenue until reaching the city's Old Town area at King Street. The St. Elmo station (located on the present route of Commonwealth Avenue in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria) allowed passenger transfers with the Bluemont branch of the Southern Railway and later, with the Bluemont Division of the W&OD Railway, which crossed over the Mount Vernon line on a bridge near the station.

At Mount Vernon, when the electric railway began service, the estate's proprietors insisted that only a modest terminal be constructed next to the trolley turnaround. They were afraid that the dignity of the site would be marred by unrestricted commercial development and persuaded financier Jay Gould to purchase and donate thirty-three acres outside the main gate for protection.

By 1906, the railway had transported 1,743,734 passengers along its routes with 92 daily trains. During World War I, the line was extended to Camp Humphreys (now Fort Belvoir).

In 1913, the Washington, Alexandria, and Mount Vernon Electric Railway merged with the Washington, Arlington & Falls Church Railway to form the Washington-Virginia Railway. The trolley company went into receivership in 1923 when buses became the dominant form of local public transportation (see: History of surface transit in Northern Virginia).

In 1927, the two railways were separated and sold at auction. The last trolleys of the line ran on January 18, 1932. Later that year the tracks were removed when some of the right-of-way was used for the George Washington Memorial Parkway. The path of the trolley turnaround at Mount Vernon remains as a traffic circle at the south end of the Parkway, while the former rail yard in southern Arlington now serves as a Metrobus yard.

Stations

The stations on the Washington-Mount Vernon Line of the Washington, Alexandria, and Mount Vernon Electric Railway (Alexandria-Mount Vernon Branch of the Washington-Virginia Railway) were (with locations of sites in 2008):

File:MVTrolley.jpg

Washington, Alexandria, and Mount Vernon Electric Railway near Dyke Marsh with station in background. 1930

Station	Location	Jurisdiction	Miles from Washington Terminal	Notes	Coordinates
Camp Humphreys	Fort Belvoir	Fairfax County
Mount Vernon	South side of traffic circle at Mount Vernon Estate	Fairfax County	15.8
Deenwood		Fairfax County
Miller		Fairfax County
Riverside	Wittington Boulevard	Fairfax County	14.7
Hunter		Fairfax County	14.2
North Mount Vernon		Fairfax County
Grassymead		Fairfax County	13.1
Snowden	East Boulevard Drive	Fairfax County	13.1
Herbert Springs	East Boulevard Drive and Herbert Springs Road	Fairfax County	12.9
Arcturus	East Boulevard Drive and Arcturus Lane	Fairfax County	12.8
Wellington	East Boulevard Drive	Fairfax County	12.5
Bellmont	George Washington Memorial Parkway	Fairfax County	12.1
Happy Home		Fairfax County
Warwick		Fairfax County
Dyke	George Washington Memorial Parkway	Fairfax County	11.3
Oaks		Fairfax County
New Alexandria	Potomac Avenue	Fairfax County	9.6
Alexandria	Prince and Royal Streets	City of Alexandria	7.7
Spring Park (later Union Station)	King Street and Commonwealth Avenue	City of Alexandria	6.7
Rosemont	Rosemont Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue	City of Alexandria
North Rosemont	Walnut Street and Commonwealth Avenue	City of Alexandria
Braddock	Braddock Road and Commonwealth Avenue	City of Alexandria	6.0
North Braddock	Commonwealth Avenue	City of Alexandria
Lloyd	Windsor Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue	City of Alexandria	5.7
Del Ray	Del Ray Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue	City of Alexandria	5.6
Mount Ida	Mount Ida Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue	City of Alexandria		Historical marker near site of station: The Electric Railway
St. Asaph	Commonwealth Avenue, between Forrest St. and Ancell St.	City of Alexandria	5.6	Served St. Asaph racetrack. (1894–1905) Historical marker near site of station: St. Asaph Racetrack
Hume	Intersection of Hume Avenue, Mount Vernon Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue	City of Alexandria		Historical marker near site of station: Mount Vernon Avenue
St. Elmo	Commonwealth Avenue near Ashby St.	City of Alexandria	4.8	Crossing of W&OD Railway's Bluemont Division Historical marker near site of station: The Bluemont Line
Four Mile Run	Near present intersection of S. Glebe Road and S. Eads St.	Arlington County	4.1	Historical marker near site of station: Transportation
Car Barn	In bus yard east of S. Eads St.	Arlington County		Formerly in rail yard
Luna Park	West side of Eads St.	Arlington County		Adjacent to amusement park in present site of sewage treatment plant
Aurora Hills	S. Eads St.	Arlington County
Virginia Highlands	22nd St. S. and S. Eads St.	Arlington County
Addison	18th St. S. and S. Eads St.	Arlington County	3.2
Arlington Junction	Between Army-Navy Drive and 12th St. S and between S. Eads St. and Jefferson Davis Highway (U.S. Route 1)	Arlington County	2.7	Junction with South Arlington branch of Washington, Arlington & Falls Church Railway and East Arlington Branch of Washington, Alexandria, and Mount Vernon Railway
South Washington	Near I-395	Arlington County
Alexander Island	Near I-395 between Boundary Channel Drive and George Washington Memorial Parkway	Arlington County	2.1
Washington Terminal	1204 N. Pennsylvania Avenue West side of 12th Street, NW, between Federal Triangle Metro Station and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW	District of Columbia	0	At corner of 13 & 1/2 Street, NW, and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, in 1902.

Remnants of the Washington-Mount Vernon Line

• Roads
  • Wittington Boulevard, Fairfax County. Coordinates:
  • East Boulevard Drive, Fairfax County. Coordinates:
  • Potomac Avenue, Fairfax County. Coordinates:
  • Commonwealth Avenue, Alexandria. Coordinates:
  • South Eads Street, Arlington. Coordinates:

• Metrobus yard
  • Former rail yard at S. Eads Street (east side) and S. Glebe Road (north side), Arlington. Coordinates:
• Traffic circle
  • Former trolley turnaround at Mount Vernon estate, Fairfax County. Coordinates:

East Arlington branch

The Washington, Alexandria, and Mount Vernon Railway constructed a branch line that traveled to the Virginia end of the Aqueduct Bridge in Rosslyn from a point named Arlington Junction on the railroad's Alexandria-Mount Vernon line. Along most of its route, the branch traveled along a section of Arlington Ridge Road that is now within Arlington National Cemetery.

Construction of this branch permitted visitors from Washington, D.C., to reach the Cemetery by rail for the first time. However, after leaving the trolley at the Cemetery's Sheridan Gate, the visitors needed to ascend a steep hill to reach most of the Cemetery's well-known features and burial sites.

Stations

The stations of the East Arlington branch were (with locations of sites in 2008):

Station	Location	Jurisdiction	Notes	Coordinates
Rosslyn	N. Lynn St. near Key Bridge Marriott Hotel	Arlington County	East of W&OD Railway station. 1925 photo
Arlington	Arlington National Cemetery	Arlington County	Outside of former Sheridan Gate of Arlington National Cemetery (location now inside of cemetery)
Queen City	Arlington National Cemetery	Arlington County
Mount Vernon Junction	Near present east crossing of Columbia Pike (State Route 244) and Washington Boulevard (State Route 27)	Arlington County	Junction with South Arlington branch of Washington, Arlington & Falls Church Railway
Relee	I-395 between S. Fern St. and S. Eads St.	Arlington County
Arlington Junction	Between Army-Navy Drive and 12th St. S and between S. Eads St. and Jefferson Davis Highway (U.S. Route 1)	Arlington County	Junction with Washington-Mount Vernon line

Washington, Arlington & Falls Church Railway

During its forty years of life, this interurban trolley company operated under a variety of names, as it repeatedly expanded, reorganized or contracted (voluntarily or involuntarily).

Washington & Arlington — 1892–1896

On February 28, 1891, the United States Congress enacted a statute that incorporated the Washington and Arlington Railway Company in the District of Columbia, with authorization to reach Fort Myer and the northwest entrance of Arlington National Cemetery (the Cemetery's Fort Myer Gate) by crossing the Potomac River on a new bridge that the company would construct at or near the "Three Sisters" islets. The system started in 1892, as a horsecar line with tracks from Rosslyn up the hill to Fort Myer. In late 1895, the system was electrified. However, no bridge was built at the "Three Sisters" (see Three Sisters Bridge).

Washington, Arlington & Falls Church — 1896–1913

In 1896, track was laid from Rosslyn through Clarendon and Ballston to Falls Church and the name was changed to the Washington, Arlington & Falls Church (WA&FC). The track though Fort Myer was extended past the northwest entrance to Arlington National Cemetery to reach Penrose in 1900 and Nauck, just north of Four Mile Run, in 1901. That same year saw the opening of about a mile of additional track, extending from East Falls Church to West Falls Church. Work on a far more ambitious extension began at West Falls Church in 1903, bringing the line through Dunn Loring and Vienna in 1904 to reach the Fairfax County Courthouse in Fairfax City.

Washington - Virginia — 1913–1927

In 1913, the WA&FC and Washington, Alexandria & Mt. Vernon were merged to form the Washington - Virginia (W-V) Railway, whereupon the WA&FC became the W-V's Falls Church Division. The company fell upon hard times and in 1924 declared bankruptcy. In 1927, the two companies were split and sold at auction.

File:Arlington & Fairfax freight motor trolley.jpg

Arlington & Fairfax freight motor trolley

Arlington & Fairfax — 1927–1936

The Arlington & Fairfax was organized by local governments to take control of the WA&FC line after the W-V went bankrupt. In 1932, the company lost the right to travel into D.C., and, on January 17, 1932, the last Arlington & Fairfax streetcar departed from 12th & D Streets, NW, abandoning all service in Washington, D.C.

Arlington & Fairfax Auto Railroad — 1936–1939

In 1936, the company was sold to Detroit's Evans Products Company, an innovative railway and automotive industry supplier that had developed the first version of the present hy-rail system called auto-railers, small buses that can run on rails on flanged wheels or on roads with rubber. In 1937, Evans replaced the trolleys with auto-railers. On rail, they went to Rosslyn where they were intended to switch to tires and cross the Key Bridge into Georgetown, eliminating the change in Rosslyn, but Capital Transit prevented that service by objecting that its franchise gave it exclusive service across the bridge. The auto-railers last ran in September 1939.

Nauck line (Fort Myer line)

The Nauck line (Fort Myer line) ran south from Rosslyn through Fort Myer to an originally undeveloped area in South Arlington near Four Mile Run. After leaving the railroad's Rosslyn terminal near the Aqueduct Bridge, the line travelled south along the present routes of N. Lynn Street and N. Meade Street to reach the Fort. The line then turned to the southwest and entered the Fort near today’s Wright Gate. Within the Fort, trolleys on the line climbed a hill along the present route of McNair Road near the western wall of Arlington National Cemetery to reach a station (Arlington Fort Myer) located within the Fort at the present intersection of McNair Road and Lee Avenue, near the Cemetery's Fort Myer Gate (Chapel Gate of Fort Myer).

After disembarking at the Arlington Fort Myer station, visitors could enter the Cemetery at its highest elevation, thus avoiding the ascent required when entering the Cemetery through the Sheridan Gate from the East Arlington branch. After the East Arlington branch discontinued service in 1921, the Nauck line continued to carry visitors to the Cemetery.

The line then continued through Fort Myer, exiting the Fort a short distance north of the Fort's Hatfield Gate. When crossing the present path of Washington Boulevard (State Route 27) south of Arlington Boulevard (U.S. Route 50), the line met at its Hatfield station (Hatfield Junction) the South Arlington branch of the railroad's Fairfax line.

After leaving Hatfield, the Nauck line followed the present routes of S. Uhle Street and Walter Reed Drive before travelling downhill on S. Kenmore Street to end at a railway turntable at 24th Road S. and S. Kenmore Street. The line terminated a short distance north of the Cowdon station of the Southern Railway, and later, of the W&OD Railway's Bluemont Division.

Stations

The stations of the Nauck line (Fort Myer-Arlington Branch of the Washington Virginia Railway) were (with locations of sites in 2008):

File:Fort Myer trolley station.jpg

Arlington Fort Myer trolley station. Post hospital at left.

Station	Location	Jurisdiction	Notes	Coordinates
Rosslyn	N. Lynn St. near Key Bridge Marriott Hotel	Arlington County	East of W&OD Railway station
Fort Myer Junction	N. Lynn Street and 17th Street N.	Arlngton County
Grinder		Arlington County
Mount Washington		Arlington County
Radnor Heights	N. Meade Street and 14th Street N. (southwest side)	Arlington County
Signal Corps	N. Meade Street immediately west of the Netherlands Carillon	Arlington County
Fort Myer Steps	Marshall Drive and Stewart Road, Fort Myer	Arlington County
Arlington Fort Myer (Cemetery)	McNair Road and Lee Avenue, Fort Myer	Arlington County	Near Fort Myer Gate of Arlington National Cemetery (Chapel Gate of Fort Myer)
Hatfield (Hatfield Junction)	Washington Blvd. (State Route 27) near S. Uhle St. and Arlington Blvd. (U.S. Route 50)	Arlington County	Junction with South Arlington branch
Hunter	S. Uhle St. and S. Walter Reed Drive, near S. Courthouse Road	Arlington County
Penrose	2312 2nd St. S. (2nd St. S. and S. Uhle St.)	Arlington County
Fulcher	Near S. Barton St. and 3rd St. S.	Arlington County
Munson (Bailey)	Near S. Cleveland St. and 5th St. S.	Arlington County
Bradbury	Near S. Walter Reed Drive and S. Filmore St.	Arlington County
Arlington Columbia	S. Walter Reed Drive and Columbia Pike	Arlington County
Petty	S. Walter Reed Drive	Arlington County
Fox	S. Walter Reed Dr. and 16th Road S. (near S. Glebe Road (State Route 120))	Arlington County
Fort Berry	S. Kenmore St. and 19th St. S.	Arlington County
Corbett	S. Kenmore St.	Arlington County
Peyton	S. Kenmore St. and 22 St. S.	Arlington County
Nauck		Arlington County
Green Valley	S. Kenmore St. and 24th Road S.	Arlington County	Historical marker near site of station: Nauck: A Neighborhood History

Remnants of the Nauck line

• Station
  • 2312 2nd Street S., Arlington, the former Penrose Station now a private residence. Coordinates:
• Roads
  • S. Uhle St. between S. Courthouse Road and 2nd St. S., Arlington. Coordinates:
  • Walter Reed Drive between Columbia Pike and 13th St. S., Arlington. Coordinates:
  • S. Kenmore St., Arlington. Coordinates:

Fairfax line

The Fairfax line traveled from a terminus in front of the Fairfax County Courthouse in Fairfax City through Oakton, Vienna, Dunn Loring, Falls Church and Ballston to downtown Washington, D.C., and Rosslyn by way of Clarendon.

Trolleys of the Fairfax line began their trips at the old Courthouse, located at the southwest corner of Chain Bridge Road (now part of State Route 123) and Main Street (now part of State Route 236). The cars first ran westward along Main Street and then turned north at the site of the Fairfax Electric Depot (the terminus of the line until the depot burned in 1907) onto the present route of Railroad Avenue. After crossing the present route of Lee Highway (U.S. Routes 50 and 29), the line crossed Chain Bridge Road. The line then traveled northeast through Fairfax County a short distance east of Chain Bridge Road, passed through Oakton, and reached the town of Vienna.

The line continued northeast in Vienna about a block southeast of Maple Avenue W. Trolleys on the line crossed Center Avenue S, turned to the northwest on a wye and crossed Maple Avenue E. After leaving the wye, the trolleys stopped at the line's Vienna station.

The Fairfax line's Vienna station was located in the center of town on the southeast side of Church Street NE, a short distance southeast of the tracks of the Southern Railway's Bluemont Branch, which became the W&OD Railway's Bluemont Division in 1912. The Southern's Vienna station (which remains intact on the southwest side of the W&OD Trail) was a block northwest of the Fairfax line's station.

As the Fairfax line's tracks ended near Church Street, trolleys left their station by reversing direction. They then recrossed Maple Avenue E and traveled southeast through a second leg of the wye that paralleled the Southern's tracks, with which there was an interchange. Freight and work cars usually bypassed the station and avoided reversing by turning from the northeast to the southeast on the third leg of the wye.

After leaving the wye, the line continued east in Vienna on Ninovan Road, paralleling the Southern's route. The line then crossed the Southern's tracks on a bridge built in 1904. After the crossing, the line traveled east along the present routes of Electric Avenue, Railroad Street and Helena Drive in Fairfax County until it reached the City of Falls Church.

The line continued eastward through Falls Church, following the present route of Lincoln Avenue until it reached the present Arlington County (formerly named Alexandria County). In Arlington, the line traveled eastward along the route of Fairfax Drive, which Interstate 66 (I-66) has partially replaced. Between 1912 and its closing, the line traveled under a plate girder bridge at Waycroft that the W&OD Railway constructed near the west end of Ballston for its Thrifton-Bluemont Junction connecting line.

The line then passed a complex containing a car barn, rail yard, workshops, electrical substation and general office that the Washington, Arlington and Falls Church Railway had built in 1910 at Lacey near the present intersection of North Glebe Road and Fairfax Drive in Ballston. After traveling eastward through Ballston on the present route of Fairfax Drive, the line reached Clarendon, where it branched.

The North Arlington branch continued to follow the route of Fairfax Drive (now partially replaced by Clarendon Boulevard) through and past Clarendon. The branch then traveled downhill on the present route of Fairfax Drive along the north side of Rocky Run, which U.S. Route 50 now covers. Approaching Rosslyn, the branch turned north when meeting the Nauck line at N. Lynn Street, joined the East Arlington branch, and ended near the Aqueduct Bridge at the railroad's Rosslyn terminal.

Beginning in 1906, the North and East Arlington branches and the Nauck line connected at the Rosslyn terminal to the Great Falls and Old Dominion Railroad (later the Great Falls Division of the W&OD Railway), which crossed the Potomac River into Georgetown on the Aqueduct Bridge. In its later years, the North Arlington branch connected in Rosslyn to the streetcars of the Capital Traction and (later) Capital Transit Companies, which crossed the Potomac on the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

After leaving Clarendon, the South Arlington branch followed Washington Boulevard and Southgate Drive, meeting the Nauck line at Hatfield Junction, the East Arlington branch at Mount Vernon Junction (which received its name because the East Arlington branch was a part of the Washington, Alexandria, and Mount Vernon Railway when the South Arlington branch first reached it), and the Washington-Alexandria-Mount Vernon main line at Arlington Junction. After entering the tracks of the Washington-Alexandria-Mount Vernon line, trolleys of the South Arlington branch (some of which had originated in Fairfax City) crossed the Potomac River on the Long Bridge and, later, on the Highway Bridge to terminate in downtown Washington, D.C. at a station located at 1204 N. Pennsylvania Avenue that extended along Pennsylvania Avenue NW and D Street NW from 12th Street, NW, to 13 1/2 Street, NW, near the site of the present Federal Triangle Metro station and on the opposite side of 12th Street from the Post Office building.

I-66 and the Custis Trail now travel from Lee Highway (U.S. Route 29) in East Falls Church to Ballston on or near the Fairfax line's right of way along the former route of Fairfax Drive. Metrorail's Orange Line now follows the route of Fairfax line and its North Arlington branch from Lee Highway in East Falls Church to N. Lynn Street in Rosslyn.

Stations

The stations of the Fairfax line were (with locations of sites in 2008):

File:1915 map Fairfax, Virginia.jpg

1915 United States Geological Survey map of Fairfax, Vienna and Herndon showing the routes of the "Electric RR" (the Fairfax line of the Washington-Virginia Railway) and the Washington and Old Dominion Railway

Station	Location	Jurisdiction	Notes	Coordinates
Fairfax Courthouse	Main St. (State Route 236) and Chain Bridge Road (State Route 123)	City of Fairfax	After 1907
Fairfax Electric Depot	Main St. (State Route 236) and Railroad Avenue	City of Fairfax	1904–1907
Cedar Avenue	Cedar Avenue	City of Fairfax
Wiley
Martinique
Blake	Blake Lane	Fairfax County
Sanger		Fairfax County
Oakton	2923 Gray St. (between Pine St. and Oakton Drive)	Fairfax County	Contained a post office and general store. Built in 1905. Preserved by Northern Virginia Conservation Trust. Station listed on National Register of Historic Places in 1995.
Edgelea	Edgelea Road and Courthouse Road	Fairfax County
Shockey	Hidden Road	Fairfax County
Five Oaks	Sutton Road	Fairfax County
Bothwell		Fairfax County
Lewis Street	Wade Hampton Drive SW and Millwood Court SW	Town of Vienna
Library	Library Lane SW	Town of Vienna
Courthouse Road	Courthouse Road SW	Town of Vienna
Vienna	Near Dominion Road NE and Church St. NE	Town of Vienna	Undated Photo
Park Street	Park St. SE and Ninovan Road SE	Town of Vienna
Tydidi (?)			Name uncertain
Franklin			Near crossing of W&OD Railway's Bluemont Division
Woodford	Electric Avenue and Woodford Road	Fairfax County
East Woodford	Electric Avenue	Fairfax County
Wedderburn Heights	Electric Avenue	Fairfax County
Enola	Electric Avenue and Cedar Lane	Fairfax County
Dunn Loring	Railroad St. and Gallows Road	Fairfax County
Robey		Fairfax County
Burr		Fairfax County
Antrum
West Falls Church (West End)	1101 West Broad St. (State Route 7) and Falls Avenue	City of Falls Church
East Falls Church	Lee Highway (U.S. Route 29) and Fairfax Drive	Arlington County
Ashdale	N. Roosevelt St. and I-66	Arlington County
Hyson	I-66 near N. Quesada St.	Arlington County
Heights	I-66 between N. Quantico and N. Potomac St.	Arlington County
Highland Park	I-66 near N. Powhattan St.	Arlington County
Upton	N. Ohio St. and I-66	Arlington County	Near Fostoria Station of W&OD Railway's Bluemont Division
Kearney	N. Kennesaw St. and I-66	Arlington County
Torreyson	I-66	Arlington County
Veitch Summit	N. Jefferson St. and Fairfax Drive	Arlington County
Mulhall	N. Harrison St. and Fairfax Drive	Arlington County
Sunnyside	N. Edison St. and Fairfax Drive	Arlington County
Burch	I-66	Arlington County
Waycroft	N. Buchanan St. and I-66	Arlington County	Crossing of Thrifton-Bluemont Junction connecting line of W&OD Railway’s Bluemont Division
Lacey Car Barn	907 N. Glebe Road	Arlington County	In rail yard. Historical marker at site: Lacey Car Barn Present site of Marymount University Ballston Center
Lacey	N. Glebe Road (State Route 120) (west side) and Fairfax Drive (south side)	Arlington County
Ballston	N. Stuart St. (east side) and Fairfax Drive (north side)	Arlington County	Opposite side of Fairfax Drive from Ballston Metro Station entrance. Historical marker near site: Ballston
Bolivar	N. Pollard St. and Fairfax Drive	Arlington County
Belaire	Fairfax Drive	Arlington County
Clarendon	N. Washington Boulevard and Clarendon Boulevard	Arlington County	Junction with North Arlington branch and South Arlington branch

Remnants of the Fairfax line

• Station
  • Oakton Station, 2923 Gray Street (between Pine St. and Oakton Drive), Fairfax County. Now a private residence. Includes rail and a raised trolley roadbed.
• Roads
  • Railroad Avenue, Fairfax City. Coordinates:
  • Ninovan Road SE, Vienna. Coordinates:
  • Electric Avenue, Vienna and Fairfax County. Coordinates:
  • Railroad Street, Fairfax County. Coordinates:
  • Helena Drive, Fairfax County. Coordinates:
  • Lincoln Avenue, Falls Church. Coordinates:
  • I-66 between N. Sycamore St. and N. Kennebec St., Arlington. Coordinates:
  • I-66 between N. Harrison St. and N. Edison St., Arlington. Coordinates:
  • Fairfax Drive, Arlington. Coordinates:
• Bridge remnants
  

  One abutment of the bridge that carried the Fairfax line over the W&OD Railway at Franklin
  • Poured concrete railroad bridge abutment on north side of Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Trail between Electric Avenue and Ninovan Road, Vienna. Built in July 1904, according to engravings on its east side. Coordinates:
  • Stone railroad bridge abutment on south side of Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Trail between Electric Avenue and Ninovan Road, Vienna. Coordinates:
  • Demolished railroad bridge between Fairfax Village Drive and Ranger Road, Fairfax City. Coordinates:
  • Poured concrete railroad bridge near the intersection of Chain Bridge Rd and Fairfax Blvd, Behind the 29 Diner, Fairfax City
• Trails
  • Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Trail between Park St. SE and Maple Avenue E, Vienna. Coordinates:
  • Unpaved trails and trolley cut between Gallows Road and Morgan Lane in South Railroad Street Park, Dunn Loring, Fairfax County. Coordinates:

North Arlington branch

Stations

The stations of the North Arlington branch (Clarendon-Fairfax branch of Washington-Virginia Railway) were (with locations of sites in 2008):

Station	Location	Jurisdiction	Notes	Coordinates
Clarendon	N. Washington Boulevard and Clarendon Boulevard	Arlington County	Junction with Fairfax line and South Arlington branch
Spruce Street	Clarendon Boulevard and N. Fillmore Street (northeast side)	Arlington County
Oak Street	Clarendon Boulevard and N. Edgewood Street (northeast side)	Arlington County
Walnut Street	Fairfax Drive and N. Cleveland Street	Arlington County
Chestnut Street	Fairfax Drive an N. Barton Street (southeast side)	Arlington County
Courtlands		Arlington County
Courthouse	Fairfax Drive (U.S. Route 50 service road) and N. Courthouse Road (northeast side)	Arlington County
Murphy	Fairfax Drive (U.S. Route 50 service road) between N. Rhodes St. and N. Rolfe St., Arlington	Arlington County
McCombs	Fairfax Drive (U.S. Route 50 service road)	Arlington County
Baltimore Street	Fairfax Drive (U.S. Route 50 service road) and N. Quinn Street	Arlington County
Walz (Woltz)	Fairfax Drive (U.S. Route 50 service road) and N. Queen Street	Arlington County
Military Road	Fairfax Drive and Fort Myer Drive	Arlington County
Heights		Arlington County
Fort Myer Junction	N. Lynn Street and 17th Street N.	Arlngton County
Rosslyn	N. Lynn St. near Key Bridge Marriott Hotel	Arlington County	East of W&OD Railway station

Remnants of North Arlington branch

• Roads
  • Clarendon Boulevard, Arlington. Coordinates:
  • Fairfax Drive, Arlington. Coordinates:

South Arlington branch

Stations

The stations of the South Arlington branch (Clarendon Fairfax Branch of Washington-Virginia Railway) with locations of sites in 2008) were:

Station	Location	Jurisdiction	Notes	Coordinates
Clarendon	N. Washington Boulevard and Clarendon Boulevard	Arlington County	Junction with Fairfax line and North Arlington branch
South Spruce Street	N. Washington Boulevard	Arlington County
Vinson (Lyon Park)	Washington Blvd. and N. Pershing Drive	Arlington County
Hatfield (Hatfield Junction)	Washington Blvd. (State Route 120) near S. Uhle St. and Arlington Blvd. (U.S. Route 50)	Arlington County	Junction with Nauck branch
St. John	In Fort Myer	Arlington County
Radio	Near Hobson Dr. and Fort Myer Drive	Arlington County	In Fort Myer
Syphax	Southgate Road and S. Oak St.	Arlington County
Clark	Southgate Road	Arlington County
Mount Vernon Junction	Near present east crossing of Columbia Pike (State Route 244) and Washington Boulevard (State Route 27)	Arlington County	Junction with East Arlington branch of Washington, Alexandria, and Mount Vernon Railway
Relee	I-395 between S. Fern St. and S. Eads St.	Arlington County
Arlington Junction	Between Army-Navy Drive and 12th St. S and between S. Eads St. and Jefferson Davis Highway (U.S. Route 1)	Arlington County	Junction with Washington-Mount Vernon line of Washington, Alexandria, and Mount Vernon Railway

Remnant of South Arlington branch

• Roads
  • Washington Boulevard, Arlington. Coordinates:

Washington and Old Dominion Railroad

Main articles: Washington and Old Dominion Railroad and Great Falls and Old Dominion Railroad

See also

• Washington streetcars
• Washington Metro
• Urban rail transit
• Bustitution
• Trolley park

External links

• Northern Virginia Conservation Trust
• National Capital Trolley Museum
• A memorial site for DC Transit
• Online exhibit of Washington streetcars from the National Museum of American History
• Before the Beltway: Streetcar Lines in Northern Virginia, an online exhibit from the Alexandria Public Library
• Brief history of Washington-Virginia Railroad with photographs of cars and route map in Arlington.
• Website describing the history of the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad and the Great Falls & Old Dominion Railroad, with photographs and lists of stations.
• Rosslyn Circle History with photo from 1925