Bluemont Junction
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Bluemont Junction was part of the Washington and Old Dominion Railway that began operation in 1912. Located in Arlington County, Virginia's Bluemont neighborhood, the wye junction served as a transfer point for passengers and freight from Alexandria and Georgetown to points west ending at Bluemont, then a popular resort in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Background
The junction was part of the land purchased by the railroad that now contains the Bluemont Junction Trail. It was part of a planned connection between the railway's line that ran between Alexandria and the western Virginia town of Bluemont, and the line that travelled between Georgetown and Great Falls. Peak years of passenger service were from 1912 into the 1920s with trains running through the junction every 10–20 minutes. Passenger service ended in 1951, and in 1968 freight service ended with the end of the railroad.[1]
The junction's site is now within Arlington County's Bluemont Junction Park. The site contains signage and a retired Southern Railway bay window caboose (Number X441).[2]
References
- ^ Multiple sources:
- Harwood, Herbert H. Jr. (April 2000). Rails to the Blue Ridge: The Washington and Old Dominion Railroad, 1847 – 1968 (PDF) (3rd ed.). Fairfax Station, Virginia: Northern Virginia Parks Authority. pp. 43, 46, 81, 106. ISBN 0615114539. LCCN 77104382. OCLC 44685168.
- "Bluemont Junction". Historical Marker Database (HMdb.org). Archived from the original on December 26, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
- "Bluemont Junction, ca. 1934". Historical Marker Database (HMdb.org). Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
- ^ Multiple sources:
- "Bluemont Junction Park". Arlington County, Virginia: Arlington County Department of Parks and Recreation. Archived from the original on December 25, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
- Daspit, Tom (September 8, 1998). "Southern Railway Cabooses: A Catalog of Captive Caboose Locations". Archived from the original on November 21, 2004. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
- Hawkins, Ralph (2026). "Southern Railway Bay Window Survivors". Southern Preservation. HawkinsRails.net. Archived from the original on July 17, 2025. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
- McCall, S.A. "Southern Railway Caboose Rosters". hosam.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
38°52′23″N 77°07′58″W / 38.87306°N 77.13278°W