The Virginia Central Railway

The Virginia Central Railway. Fredericksburg: Timeless.. , This embankment, to your left and right, was once a railway, built to link Fredericksburg and Orange, Virginia. Work began in 1853, but was interrupted by the Civil War. When the Union and Confederate armies confronted one another in and around Fredericksburg, this route had been graded through hills and across valleys, but no tracks had been laid. Not until February 26, 1877, did the first locomotive chug into Orange Court House, 35 miles to the west., For 50 years, this narrow gauge railway hauled lumber, farm products, and passengers. In 1926, the line converted to a wider standard gauge track, to better link to the main north-south rail lines. Profitability proved difficult to sustain though and the last train made the full run in January 1938, after which most of the line was abandoned. Only a one-mile section remained in use, connecting local industries to the main rail line in Fredericksburg., [Captions:] , This trestle carried the railway across Hazel Run, in the vicinity of Lafayette Boulevard and the Blue and Gray Parkway., This detail of an 1878 map of Fredericksburg shows the Virginia Central Railway, labeled as "Narrow Gauge R.R.," linking to the mainline Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad in the area between Prince Edward and Charles Streets., ▲ This steam locomotive carries the markings of the Potomac, Fredericksburg and Piedmont Railroad, which was an earlier name for the Virginia Central (photo courtesy of Lawrence Duffy)., ◀ The Virginia Central advertised travel on the "Battlefield Route," as it passed through the Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Wilderness battlefields (photo courtesy of Lawrence Duffee).