The Story
Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Railroad Regional Park is a 45-mile paved trail between Shirlington and Purcellville.
The W&OD takes its name from the railroad whose trains ran along the right-of-way from 1859 until 1968. The entrepreneurs who founded the rail line dreamed of bringing coal and other riches from the Appalachians to the Port of Alexandria, but those dreams were never fully realized. Less than a decade after it was built, the railroad was almost destroyed during the Civil War.
After the war, the railroad was slowly rebuilt and then experienced changes of ownership and objectives. At its peak, it provided service three times daily from Alexandria to Falls Church, Leesburg, and Purcellville. In 1888 one traveler reported that ‘every seat was occupied, principally by government employees, many of whom live at Falls Church, Vienna, Herndon, and other points.’
By 1916 there were a total of 65 stations on the W&OD.
When the W&OD ceased operations in 1968, the Virginia Electric and Power Company bought the right-of-way for its electric power transmission lines. The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority tried for years to acquire the use of the railroad right-of-way. In 1982 they completed the purchase and trail advocates immediately got to work.
The first segment of the W&OD Trail was opened in 1974 within the City of Falls Church. VEPCO and the Regional Park Authority wanted to judge if the trail would be popular. The trail proved to be popular and was built in sections till it reached Purcellville in 1988.