At only 9 miles in length, the C&O’s Washington Sub doesn’t seem
likely to inspire its own Web site. As a result, I’ve decided to
include some information on it here. The Sub began in Orange, Virginia,
9.04 miles north of Gordonsville. It terminated in a junction with the
Piedmont Sub in Gordonsville (but see here). North of
Orange, C&O trains operated over Southern tracks to Alexandria, the RF&P’s
Potomac yard, and Washington’s Union Station.
The line was built by the Orange and Alexandria Railroad between 1850 and 1854. The C&O began running trains
over it in 1891 under trackage rights negotiated with the Virginia Midland. By that point the Midland had built
its own line from Orange to Charlottesville in order to avoid running over the C&O between Gordonsville
and Charlottesville. Under the agreement reached with the Virginia Midland, the C&O leased the tracks from
Gordonsville to Orange and then ran over Midland tracks to Alexandria. From Alexandria, the C&O reached the
Virginia end of the Long Bridge over the Potomac using the Washington Southern Railway. From there, the C&O
reached Sixth Street Station in DC on the tracks of the Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington. Later, the crossing
of the Potomac was on Pennsylvania rails and the final leg was on the tracks of the Washington Terminal Company.
At the time of the agreement with the Virginia Midland, the line from Gordonsville to Alexandria was single track.
There were long stretches of straight track and few steep grades. The C&O was given the right to build coaling
stations and oil and sand houses along the line, but never exercised that right. Water tanks were located at
Manassas, Calverton, Remington, and Rapidan. A fifth tank was later built at Burke. Between 1902 and 1904
the Southern double-tracked the line from Alexandria to Orange. The Southern retired the water tanks after
dieselization. The last tank, at Remington, remained open until 1953 as a courtesy to the C&O.
The lease and trackage rights agreement was up for renewal in 1990. CSX had acquired control of the RF&P and no longer
needed the Orange to Washington section and so that part of the agreement was allowed to lapse. The lease on the Gordonsville
to Orange section, however, was renewed. In December, 2004 the Buckingham Branch Railroad
entered into a 20 year lease that allows them to operate, among other former C&O lines, the former Piedmont and Washington Subs.
In March, 2011 the Buckingham Branch eliminated the Washington Sub and extended the North Mountain Sub (the former C&O Mountain Sub)
to Gordonsville. The line to Orange is now known as the Orange Sub.
The C&O operated no local freight or passenger trains over this line. Through passenger trains could
stop to pick up or discharge passengers from C&O points.
Photos
M.P. 7.4
This siding, now obviously out of service, once served Carter Lumber. (2013 photo)
M.P. 1.3
This coaling tower is, I am told, a Fairbanks Morse automatic coaling station. About a mile south of Orange, it was the last opportunity
for C&O locomotives to take on coal before entering Southern Railway territory for the run to Washington. The supply house is also still standing
and there are (or were) extra scoops for the loader inside. (Top photo by Larry Z. Daily, 2013. Bottom two photos by Gary Smith, 2014. Used with permission.)
Orange M.P. 0
This shed stands just outside Orange near a grade crossing and the former
site of a siding. If you look closely in the large version of the photo, you can
see the rails of the siding behind and to the right of the shed. The siding
served the industry visible in the left background. (2001 photo)
During a 2010 trip I found that all that was left of the siding visible in the photo above was
the rails embedded in the grade crossing. (2010 photo)
This siding still exists, but looks like it hasn’t been used in a long time. (2010 photo)
Bridge number 02 is on the C&O line just outside of Orange where it
crosses over Route 20. The top photo is from 1995, when I got my first look at it as an adult .
The bottom photo is from a 2010 trip.
This cantilever signal stands just south of the station in Orange. The signal bridge isn’t a
C&O standard bridge, but the signal head is standard C&O. (2013 photo)
Here’s the cantilever signal bridge from the other side. Jack Spangler snapped this shot
from the rear of a passenger train in 1978. The view is south, toward Gordonsville. (1978 photo by Jack Spangler. Used with permission.)
This is the Southern Railway’s station in Orange. Both Southern and
C&O trains stopped here. The station was built in 1910 to replace an older station
destroyed by fire in 1908. It was purchased by the city of Orange in 1993 and is now a
visitor’s center. This image is from an undated postcard. (From a postcard in
the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
This neat image is from a postcard postmarked September 5, 1923 (or possibly 1925 - the mark
was smeared). I like the fact that the image includes a train. (From a postcard in
the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
The Orange station on May 29, 1970. The photo seems to have been taken from onboard a
train, but I have no information about which one. (Photographer unknown. From a slide in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
This image is from a July 2, 1971 photo by an unknown photgrapher. (From a photo in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
It’s April of 1974 and trains no longer stop at Orange. (Photograph by David T. Callahan. From a slide in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
It’s a damp day in June of 1974. (Photographer unknown. From a slide in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
Here’s the station in — I think — 1978. Jack Spangler sent this shot to me at the same
time that he sent the photo of the signal bridge above, so I'm guessing that they were taken on the same
trip. (Photo by Jack Spangler. Used with permission.)
One of Southern’s steam specials pulls into Orange in August of 1978. (Photographer unknown. From a slide in the collection of Larry Z. Daily.)
It’s mid-July and sunny, so I’m guessing that it must have been hot when this image was taken.
(July 19, 1980 photo. Photographer unknown. From a slide in the collection of Larry Z. Daily.)
I took this photo of the Orange station — now a visitor’s center — in 1998.
Culpepper
This postcard photo shows the Southern’s Culpeper depot. The postcard is postmarked 1906. (From the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
Culpeper depot in 1973. The building doesn’t really look like it’s in use, but there does
seems to be a boxcar spotted there. (Photographer unknown. From a slide in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
The Culpeper depot in 1982. (Ron Huffman photo, used with permission.)
In this photo, from a 1956 postcard, E8 4006 leads the Sportsman through
Culpeper, Virginia. (Photo by Clarence Cade. From a postcard in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
Remington
I won this photo on eBay. The seller wasn’t sure that it shows the Remington station in Virginia, but the station
in the photo is a match for the one shown in a monograpgh on Virginia stations released by Traser through the Railroad Station
Historical Society. According to the C&O’s track charts, Remington’s water tower, water columns, and station
were still in place in 1963. (From the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
This photo was another eBay purchase. I don’t know enough about Remington to know whether the building with the
station sign was a replacement for the station in the photo above or whether it is a separate freight station. The photo is
undated, but I’d put it in the late 60’s based on the fact that the C&O hopper in the photo is from a series
built in 1964-1965. (Photographer unknown. From a photo in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
Manassas
This image of the Manassas station is from an undated postcard that
was produced by the Auburn Post Card Mfg. Co. (Postcard in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
This photo is also from an undated postcard and appears to be quite old. (Postcard in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
This black-and-white image is from a photo. A handwritten date on the back of the photo
simply says “1960’s.” C&O track charts show that Manassas still had its
passenger and freight stations and a water tank in 1963. (Photographer unknown. From a photo
in the the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
[NEW] This photo, along with the next three, were all taken at Manassas by George Menge. Notes on the slide identify this as
eastbound train 4, the Sportsman on February 26, 1964. (Photo by George H. Menge. From a slide in the the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
[NEW] C&O GP7 5884, a GP9 from the 59xx series, and one other GP are leading a freight train through Manassa on June 20, 1964.
Note the interesting Southern Railway car in the background. I’m not sure, but I think it might be for hauling pulpwood.
(Photo by George H. Menge. From a slide in the the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
[NEW] Train time in Manassas, VA. Notes on the slide identify this train as X4002 North, the Billy Graham Special. The date is
June 21, 1964 (Photo by George H. Menge. From a slide in the the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
[NEW] Train number 4, the Sportsman, passes through Manassas on November 9, 1967. (Photo by George H. Menge. From a slide in the the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
The station in Manassas in 1968. At least, that’s the year hand-written on the back of
the postcard that provided this image. (From a postcard in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
Train time in Manassas in 1971. (Photographer unknown. From a slide in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
This shot, from October of 1971, is the clearest view I have of the trackside wall of the station. (Photograph by George Povall. From a slide in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
This image is from an undated slide. (Photographer unknown. From a slide in the collection
of Larry Z. Daily)
Burke
Burke was one of 5 water stops on the line. The depot was a standard design on the Southern.
According to the C&O’s 1963 track charts, the Burke station was still in place in 1963.
(Photographer and date unknown. Photo in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
It’s September 30 of 1967 and train number 4, The Sportsman, is rolling through Burke with E8 4019 in the lead.
(C. G. Parsons photo. From a slide in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
In this undated photo, a C&O freight passes through Burke with wide-vision caboose 3191 carrying the markers.
(Photographer and date unknown. Photo in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
Cameron Run
C&O B-1 2950 was built by Baldwin for the Lehigh Valley. It then went to the Hocking Valley and came to the C&O when the Hocking Valley was merged in 1930.
In this undated photo, the 2950 has a C&O freight well in hand at Cameron Run, just outside Potomac Yard. (From a negative in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
Potomac Yard
A trio of C&O GP’s are parked in Potomac Yard on November 7, 1965. GP7 5843 and GP9’s 6007 and 6241
display three different versions of C&O paint. (C. G. Parsons photo. From a slide in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
[NEW] A nice shot of Potomac Yard in May of 1970. Note C&O U23B 2307 on the right side of the photo.(Photographer unknown. From a slide in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
A Southern freight train entering Potomac Yard. The photo was taken from the window of a Southern Railway steam
excursion in 1987.
Alexandria
This is Alexandria Union Station. The Federal Revival-style station
stands across from Northern Virginia’s Masonic Temple. Its waiting and
baggage rooms are separated by an open breezeway. It was originally
built by the Washington Southern Railway Company which later became
part of the RF&P. The station served the RF&P, the Southern, and, of
course, the C&O. This image is from an undated postcard, but seems to be
quite early. (From a postcard in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
This image is from a postcard postmarked in 1914. (From a postcard in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
This photograph shows the Alexandria station in 1933. (Photographer unknown.
From the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
E8 4028 heads up what is most likely the George in the early 1950’s. E8’s 4000 to 4009
were delivered in August of 1951 the freight scheme like the second locomotive. They were all repainted
by 1955, so this photo has to be from before then. This is the second image of an E8 in the freight
scheme that I’ve picked up on eBay. (Date and photographer unknown. From a slide in the collection
of Larry Z. Daily)
Train time at Alexandria on June 25, 1974. (Photographer unknown.
From a slide in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
Alexandria station in October of 1974. (Photographer unknown.
From a slide in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
[NEW] A nice overall view of the Alexandria depot area on July 6, 1978. (Photo by Robert Todten. From a slide in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
This image is from a 1980 photo. (From the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
I suspect that this postcard image was taken from the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, which is
right across the street from the Alexandria station. Based on the automobiles visible, I think it might have
been taken in the early 1960’s. (From a postcard in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
Here’s a photo of the C&O’s premier passenger train - the
George Washington - at Alexandria station in 1941. (Wayne Kendrick photo.
Used with permission)
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Train time at Alexandria on June 22, 1961. C&O E8 4025 and another E unit lead a five-car train south
past a freight. (Photo by William P. Nixon. From a slide in the collection of Larry Z. Daily.)
C&O E8 #4017 passes a Southern freight at Alexandria, June 26, 1965.
(from the collection of Joseph Testagrose, photographer unknown,
used with permission)
C&O E8 #4000 at Alexandria Union Station on July, 21, 1966. The
George Washington Masonic Temple is visible in the background.
(from the collection of Joseph Testagrose, photographer unknown,
used with permission)
Wide-vision caboose 3191 is carrying the markers for a C&O freight headed for Potomac Yard. The
3191 was delivered to the C&O in 1968 and is most likely still less than a year old in this April,
1969 photo. (Photo by Norman Blackwood. From a slide in the collection of Larry Z. Daily.)
A pair of E8’s led by 4029 has the George Washington well in hand in June of 1970. (Photographer unknown. From a photo in the collection of Larry Z. Daily.)
A Southern steam excursion, pulled by 2-8-0 630, is at the Alexandria station in June of 1979. At least, that’s what the eBay
seller said in the listing. According to the Wikipedia entry (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Railway_630),
630 was traded to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in 1978. (Photograph by Ray Slagle. From a slide in the collection of Larry Z. Daily.)
This photo was acquired in an eBay auction in 2011. The back of the photo is labelled “The Sportsman No. 4 Oct. 4, 1936.”
(Photo in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
This photo was an eBay acquisition. Typed on the back of the photo is the caption “Chesapeake & Ohio No. 549 Charlottesville, Virginia, 1940.
Something about it just didn’t seem right to me. There’s a coaling tower in the background that is not the concrete one that I associate with Charlottesville.
There also appears to be catenary behind the locomotive, and that doesn’t seem right for Charlottesville, either. The general consensus among people who saw the photo
when I first posted it was that it was taken in Ivy City in Washington, DC. (1940 photo, photographer unknown. In the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
This image was another eBay find. It was identified only as Ivy City. Visible are a C&O L-1, a Southern
4-6-2, and what I think might be a Washington Terminal switcher. (Photographer unknown. From a negative in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
C&O E8 4013 and a mate under the wires in Washington, DC on September 3, 1956. (Photograph by D. R. McCulloch. From a slide in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
This snowy scene from February of 1974 shows power from a number of railroads congregating at Ivy City.
(Photographer unknown. From a slide in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)
A rather odd-looking Washington Terminal switcher at Ivy City on September 18, 1979. The
notes on the slide call it a “WT Quarterhorse.” (Photo by C. Perelman. From a
slide in the collection of Larry Z. Daily.)
Another Washington Terminal switcher. The photo was taken at the Washington Rail Exhibit in 1983.
Map
These maps were prepared from U.S.G.S. topological maps, C&O track charts dated 1963, C&O Side
Track Records dated 1937, a copy of the Side Track Records updated through the 1990’s, and
C&O Valuation maps, also updated through the 1990’s.
Please note that, due to a huge volume of spam coming in on my email account, I’ve had to change my email address.
The new address is lzdaily@nospam.piedmontsub.com (but remove the nospam and the dot before piedmontsub.com).
All materials on this Web site are protected by United States
copyright law. This includes, but is not limited to, articles and graphics. Unless
otherwise indicated, these materials are the property of Larry Z. Daily and may not
be used without prior written permission of Larry Z. Daily
