Gambles Hill in Richmond, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Rail Lines at Tredegar

Photographed By Bernard Fisher, November 3, 2009

1. Rail Lines at Tredegar Marker

Inscription. Nearly all of the materials shipped to and from Tredegar moved by railroad after the Civil War. The company’s small fleet of industrial switcher locomotives moved car loads along the spur lines that connected Tredegar to the outside world. Over two miles of railroad tracks criss-crossed the Tredegar complex. They ran alongside, between, and through many of the large buildings that filled the site. Other tracks ran to elevated dump sites where metal and coal were off-loaded. The photographs shown here were taken c.1918 through c.1940.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1918.

Location. 37° 32.178′ N, 77° 26.782′ W. Marker is in Richmond, Virginia. It is in Gambles Hill. Marker can be reached from Tredegar Street, 0.1 miles west of South 5th Street. This marker is located outside the Civil War Visitor Center at Tredegar Iron Works. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 470 Tredegar Street, Richmond VA 23219, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Canal and the Civil War (here, next to this marker); Worker Housing (a few steps from this marker); Tredegar Spike Mill (within shouting distance of this marker); Cupolas from the Virginia State Penitentiary

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(within shouting distance of this marker); Rutherfoord’s Mill (within shouting distance of this marker); Neighborhoods at Tredegar (within shouting distance of this marker); President Lincoln Visits Richmond (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Raceways (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Richmond.

More about this marker. On the left are two photographs; a rail yard, and a railroad crane. They carry the caption, "Tredegar’s main incoming cargo consisted of pig iron, scrap metal, and coal. Iron and steel were moved from the freight yards around Richmond in gondolas and off-loaded at the Iron Works. The locomotives moved large, steam-powered cranes around the site and, using hooks, magnets, and chains, the cranes unloaded the heavy metal fragments which were melted in Tredegar’s furnaces and made into new metal products for shipment across the city and the nation.

Coal, used to fuel the metal furnaces, was shipped in from the coal fields of Virginia and West Virginia and unloaded at dump sites around the works. From there it was moved around the site by horse-drawn carts and wagons."

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