Loudoun Branch, Manassas Gap Railroad Marker

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Near Purcellville in Loudoun County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Loudoun Branch, Manassas Gap Railroad

By Craig Swain, April 22, 2008

1. Loudoun Branch, Manassas Gap Railroad Marker

Inscription. The Virginia General Assembly approved plans for the Loudoun Branch (parts of which survive here) of the Manassas Gap Railroad on 8 March 1853, and construction soon began. The route extended 27 miles from just southwest of Chantilly on the main railroad's independent line to Purcellville, linking Alexandria with the farms of central Loudoun County. In 1856, stockholders voted to extend the railroad to Harpers Ferry to gain access to the lower Shenandoah Valley, but the financially overextended company stopped work in May 1857. Late in 1860, with an improved financial position, the company planned to continue, but the Civil War intervened and work never resumed.

Erected 2005 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number T 53.)

Marker series. This marker is included in the Manassas Gap Railroad marker series.

Location. 39° 7.316′ N, 77° 41.049′ W. Marker is near Purcellville, Virginia, in Loudoun County. Marker is at the intersection of Sands Road (County Route 709) and Manassas Gap Court, on the right when traveling east on Sands Road. Click for map. Marker is in this post office area: Purcellville VA 20132, United States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker

Manassas Gap Railroad Marker Photo, Click for full size

By Craig Swain, April 22, 2008

2. Manassas Gap Railroad Marker

, as the crow flies. Goose Creek Friends (approx. 0.7 miles away); Goose Creek Friends 1817 Meeting House (approx. 0.7 miles away); Goose Creek Friends 1765 Meeting House (approx. 0.7 miles away); Goose Creek Historic District (approx. 0.8 miles away); Goose Creek Friends Oakdale School (approx. 0.8 miles away); Mother of the Wright Brothers (approx. 1.1 miles away); Major General Ben H. Fuller (approx. 1.3 miles away); Ambush at Purcellville (approx. 1.6 miles away). Click for a list of all markers in Purcellville.

Also see . . .
1. Manassas Gap Railroad. (PDF) National Register of Historic Places nomination form. While mostly concerned with the main line, the form does offer many details of the Loudoun Branch and the company's financial issues. (Submitted on April 22, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
2. Loudoun Branch of the Manassas Gap Railroad. Several sections of road bed and at least one tunnel relating to the railroad still exist today. (Submitted on April 22, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)