Rockbridge Rails

Rockbridge Rails

Using Local Resources to Communicate Local History

Byron Faidley

Shortly before the university transitioned to online learning due to the pandemic, on February 29, 2020, Byron Faidley discussed the area’s rich railroad history in an event hosted by the Rockbridge Historical Society. Byron showcased a variety of primary sources from Special Collections and beyond in order to tell this important and complex story. The following article outlines some of that story.

In the mid-19th century, Rockbridge County residents sought to remain connected to the ever-growing railroad networks then under construction throughout the United States. The “iron horse” quickly eclipsed the area’s connections to the Great Wagon Road and the James River and Kanawha Canal.

The Virginia Central Railroad, later the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, first entered Rockbridge County through Bell’s Valley and into Goshen in 1857. The line became regionally and nationally important, due to the discovery of coal deposits in West Virginia during the line’s drive toward the Ohio River in the late 1860s and early 1870s. However, most people found Goshen to be an inconvenient location for a local depot when transporting goods to market or travelling any great distance.

(backed by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad) and the Shenandoah Valley Railroad (backed by the Pennsylvania Railroad) charted parallel courses through the Shenandoah Valley into Rockbridge County. Both strove to create a regional connection near Salem and Roanoke, respectively, along what would become the Norfolk and Western Railway. After the Panic of 1873, America’s original Great Depression, construction on both lines abruptly halted for the decade. Valley residents, including those from Rockbridge, passed resolutions and pleaded with the larger companies that were backing these projects to urge their speedy completion.

Finally, in the early 1880s, the two lines opened into Rockbridge. But, only one achieved the goal of connecting with the Norfolk and Western Railway at Roanoke. The Shenandoah Valley Railroad, winning the local race, serves as an important part of the modern Norfolk Southern network. Today, freight trains from the line are heard occasionally on W&L’s campus.

The first line to make it as far as Lexington, in 1881, by the Richmond and Alleghany Railroad, built lines on the towpath of the old North River (now the Maury River) and James River canals. This line operated successfully for over 80 years, hauling students, cadets, local citizens and important freight. In August of 1969, Hurricane Camille decimated the region, causing extensive flooding, which destroyed many bridges on the Maury that were needed to bring the heavy trains to Lexington. The C&O Railway abandoned the line. Through the efforts of various local groups, outdoor enthusiasts now enjoy the old line as the Chessie Nature Trail. Along the Woods Creek Trail, walkers can pass through one of the original Valley Railroad culverts — completed in 1874. An original mile post also remains on the Woods Creek Trail, reading “BF 20.” This code designates the 20-mile distance to Balcony Falls, near Glasgow, where the main-line still runs along the James as part of CSX Transportation.

To learn more about local railroad history, and explore Special Collections resources on this topic, contact Byron Faidley at faidleyb@wlu.edu.

Buffalo Forge Station: Rockbridge Historical Society Photographs

This stone culvert remains visible near W&L’s parking deck. East Denny Circle currently crosses above Woods Creek, which passes through the culvert. From Michael Miley Photograph Collection

Special Collections is open Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., to current students, faculty and staff.

While those who are not current W&L students, faculty and staff cannot enter our physical buildings due to the pandemic, researchers can email questions to Tom Camden ’76 at camdent@wlu.edu.