Whether you jog, walk, or cycle, the W&OD Trail that extends through Falls Church (and way beyond) is probably part of your exercise routine if you’re a resident of the Little City. And while you may be familiar with the zigs and zags of the 100-foot-wide trail, you may not know the history behind this local fixture, which was once a part of the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad.

The 45-mile trail we know today was part of a revitalization project aimed at utilizing the path left behind by the defunct Washington & Old Dominion Railroad that ran through this part of Virginia. Before cars and Metro whisked residents around the region, there was the railroad, a vital source of transportation during that era – and not just for people. Way back in 1847, the Alexandria and Harper’s Ferry Railroad was incorporated and began planning a train route that would link the Port of Alexandria with a railroad operating at Harpers Ferry. In 1853, the company changed its name to the Alexandria, Loudoun and Hampshire Railroad and altered its mission to delivering coal from the Appalachians to the Port of Alexandria (as well as transporting passengers and freight). Though that ambition was never fully realized, construction on the route began near Alexandria in 1855. The line subsequently opened in Vienna in 1859, Ashburn (then known as Farmwell) in 1860, and Leesburg in 1860. 

Then the Civil War happened. In 1861, the train fell under Union control and was subsequently damaged by retreating Confederate soldiers. The route was used to deliver miliary supplies and survived a small conflict, also in 1861, near Vienna.

The railroad line then fell under the ownership of Southern Railway in the early 1900s before it was reorganized as the Washington & Old Dominion Railway in 1912. (It later changed “Railway” to “Railroad” in 1936.)

Automobiles became more common in the 1930s and with them the expansion of major through-roads like Broad Street (Route 7). The railroad scrambled to stay in business by ending passenger service and focusing solely on transporting freight in 1951. The route stayed active for more than a decade but then in 1968 (and now controlled by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway), the route ceased all operations and roughly 48 miles of train tracks that snaked through the region were left idle. 

Eventually, the Virginia Electric and Power Company (VEPCO) would swoop in to buy the right-of-way for their electric power transmission lines. (VEPCO eventually became Virginia Power, which gave way to its current name, Dominion Power.) And then the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA), with the support of local community groups and residents, entered a deal with VEPCO to turn a 1.5-mile stretch of the abandoned route into a recreational trail for residents.

The first section of the W&OD Trail to open was our section right here in Falls Church, with Mayor Harold Miller cutting the ribbon on September 7, 1974. This inaugural section was a trial run (excuse the pun) for the viability of turning the path into an extended trail. It was deemed a popular success and the trail was expanded in segments through Arlington, Vienna, Reston, Herndon, Sterling, and Leesburg. On November 5, 1988, the final section of the trail to open was a nine-mile stretch into Purcellville.

Today it’s hard to imagine our city without the epic W&OD path. And next time you jog, walk, or cycle along the W&OD route, you’ll know the important role Falls Church played in pioneering it from rail to trail.