  Rebirth of a Rail Corridor
The W&OD has weathered war, financial wobbles and other pressures to emerge as the region’s premier multiuse trail.
By Dave Lauterborn
Head out on the W&OD trail today and you’ll find a leafy green corridor flanked by urban roads, suburban enclaves, small towns, fields and farms. Its asphalt path serves as a route for cycling commuters and an exercise track for weekend bicyclists, in-line skaters, joggers and families out for a stroll. Those who use the trail are first taken in by its natural touches — fat little groundhogs, furtive snakes, serenading spring peepers, branches full of chatty birds, hushing streams, autumn’s blush. It’s soon clear why the Interior Department has dubbed the W&OD a National Scenic Trail.
 But here and there are traces of its railroad past — stone tunnels and trestles, switching stations, restored terminals and razor-straight sections with flanking embankments. These speak to the W&OD’s long and colorful history.
In the late 1850s, on the eve of the Civil War, a group of Northern Virginia businessmen broke ground on a rail line they hoped would connect the resource-rich Appalachians with the port of Alexandria. They fell short of funds, however, and the line terminated in Bluemont.
Ravaged during the war, the line was rebuilt, but its ownership and fortunes would shift many times over the subsequent decades. At its peak in the early 20th century, the W&OD provided thrice-daily passenger service between Alexandria and Purcellville. In the wake of WWII, improved roads and the resulting popularity of passenger vehicles put the railroad out of business. The last train rolled in 1968.
In the mid-’70s, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA) sought to obtain the right-of-way to the rail bed from Dominion Virginia Power, whose lines still flank the corridor. After an initial trail segment in Falls Church proved popular, NVRPA began to purchase the right-of-way in stages, acquiring the final segment in 1982. The trail itself was completed in 1988, linking Purcellville and Shirlington with 44.8 miles of pavement and 32.5 miles of adjacent crushed stone and dirt bridle paths. Today, NVRPA owns and operates W&OD Regional Park, with assistance from the nonprofit Friends of the Washington and Old Dominion Trail (FOWOD).
From its eastern trailhead on South Four Mile Run Drive, just off I-95 at the Shirlington exit, the trail leads a few miles west through the suburbs into the forested reaches of Bluemont Park. Though the trail continues more than 40 miles through scenic countryside, for many riders this is the best the trail has to offer.
“When you think Arlington, you picture buildings … cement,” explains Park Manager Chris Pauley. “Bluemont Park is an escape, offering that separation between the cityscape and world of the trail. And the county has done a great job connecting trails — Four Mile Run, Custis, Mount Vernon — providing an array of options for people seeking exercise or just trying to get around Arlington.”
This trail network is marked every quarter mile in Arlington and includes rumble strips, stop signs and other signals at all crossings. Despite such measures, two cyclists were struck and killed on the W&OD in August 2005 by opposing traffic. Pauley stresses the importance of respecting all warning signs and proper trail etiquette.
“The W&OD stretches nearly 45 miles end to end,” he says. “Ranger staff cannot patrol with any regularity.” He points to the importance of FOWOD’s Trail Patrol for filling in the gaps. Logging more than 10,000 miles annually, this 44-member volunteer bike patrol monitors safety issues, provides directions, makes spot bike repairs and otherwise renders assistance to trail users.
 Pauley is quick to emphasize the W&OD is not just a bike trail. “The W&OD is a multiuse trail that welcomes more than 2 million people a year. Some come to exercise. Some to train for marathons. Others to simply relax and unwind.”
What do they all have in common?
“More than anything, the W&OD provides our people an escape.”
This fall, in conjunction with D.C.-based Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, Wilderness Press will publish Rail-Trails Mid-Atlantic
($15.95), a comprehensive guide to
59 rail-trails (including the W&OD) throughout Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia.
Click on map for a larger version.
Image Credits
Photo on home page by Peter Marshall, courtesy FOWOD
Passenger car photo courtesy W&OD Railroad Regional Park Collection
W&OD trail photo above by Alex Hammer, courtesy FOWOD
W&OD map courtesy of FOWOD
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