Custom Search

The Crescent Route

Charlottesville, VA to Washington, DC

Latest Norfolk Southern Logo

Introduction

This is a continuation of our self-guided tour of the Norfolk Southern's Crescent Route. The Introduction to the over-all tour is here. In this segment, we'll cover the beautiful part of our country traversed by this famous railroad between Mr. Jefferson's Charlottesville, and our nation's capital, a timetable distance of 112.2 miles.

With the closing of Potomac Yard south of Washington in the early 1990's, the strictly DC traffic has dwindled somewhat, but has been made up for by a steadily growing stream of northeast traffic via Harrisburg, PA, Hagerstown, MD, Front Royal, VA, and Manassas, VA. The typical train today is fast intermodal, but manifest freights are also quite common. Coal to Alexandria, VA, is a regular on the line.

Passenger trains are still important here. Amtrak's Crescent (DC-New Orleans) runs daily, and is exclusively on NS's Crescent route. Unfortunately, unless you're into artsy-style night photo shots, the Crescent is somewhat tough to catch south of Culpeper because of its nocturnal schedule. Besides the Crescent, Amtrak's Cardinal runs tri-weekly, but on NS tracks from DC-Orange only, whereupon it shifts to CSX rails, and runs thru Charlottesville (at the NS/CSX crossing), and on to Chicago. Recently, the Cardinal has been using Superliner equipment. Thankfully, its schedule is good for daytime photos.

The real passenger sizzle, as far as action is concerned, however, has to be the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) action between DC and Manassas. There are several trains in both the morning and evening rush periods, and the engines are quite interesting and photogenic. All VRE and Amtrak stations are included within this self-guiding tour. VRE ridership and train frequency are booming.

Because the suburbs of Washington begin pretty much at Manassas, driving gets progressively more difficult and unpleasant beyond that point. We will therefore concentrate on a relatively few, easily accessible locations east of Manassas, although there are many, many more crossings, overpasses, etc., which could be included.

We hope you, the visitor to this beautiful area of the country, can use these pages to put together a rewarding and enjoyable railfan tour of this famous rail line. To minimize your potential for mistakes or getting lost, we've tried to be very specific; however, we strongly suggest you get and use the excellent DeLorme Atlas and Gazetteer for Virginia, which will cost you about $20, and will pay for itself within an hour. Also suggested is a small magnifying glass, which will help when using the DeLorme atlas.

Mapwork: Much of the tour is not easy if you have no detailed map for back country roads. I definitely recommend you get a DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer, study it before your trip, and copy pertinent pages for your field work. You can find information here about Railfan Maps that are available.

The contributors to this page include:

Henry Mikus

Tony Hill, Webmaster -- the guy who makes it go

Back to the top

WEBMASTER'S NOTE: I do not recommend, or even condone, walking along the tracks, as this means trespassing or exposing yourself to danger. You will have to be creative, in some instances, to avoid trespassing while getting to the detailed locations included herein, but you will either have to be creative or not visit those sites. At no point in this tour guide, or in any other part of Frograil, is it recommended that you trespass or expose yourself to danger. If you are a fool and have a leg cut off (or worse), don't come crying to me: You have been warned. Trains are big, powerful, and often surprisingly quiet. Don't end up being a statistic.
Railfan sites
Alphabetical Sequence Sequential Order:
South (West) to North (East)
------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------
Alexandria -- AF Interlocking Charlottesville -- Diamond/Station
Alexandria -- Ben Brenman Park Charlottesville -- UVA Garage
Alexandria -- Eisenhower Avenue Barboursville
Alexandria -- King Street Station Montpelier Station
Alexandria -- Van Dorn Overpass Orange
Barboursville Orange -- VA-700
Bealeton Rapidan -- Timetable Location
Brandy Station Rapidan -- Rapidan River Bridge
Bristow Rapidan -- Railfan Spot & Stations
Burke -- Rolling Road Station Mitchells
Burke Centre Winston
Calverton Culpeper
Catlett Brandy Station
Charlottesville -- Diamond/Station Remington
Charlottesville -- UVA Garage Bealeton
Clifton Midland
Culpeper Calverton
Manassas -- Broad Run/Airport Catlett
Manassas -- Depot Nokesville
Manassas -- South Manassas Bristow
Manassas -- Yard Office & Wye Manassas -- South Manassas
Manassas Park Manassas -- Broad Run/Airport
Midland Manassas -- Yard Office & Wye
Mitchells Manassas -- Depot
Montpelier Station Manassas Park
Nokesville Clifton
Orange Burke Centre
Orange -- VA-700 Burke -- Rolling Road Station
Rapidan -- Railfan Spot & Stations Springfield -- Backlick Road Station
Rapidan -- Rapidan River Bridge Alexandria -- Van Dorn Overpass
Rapidan -- Timetable Location Alexandria -- Ben Brenman Park
Remington Alexandria -- Eisenhower Avenue
Springfield -- Backlick Road Station Alexandria -- AF Interlocking
Winston Alexandria -- King Street Station

Back to the top

Charlottesville -- NS/CSX Diamond and Amtrak Depot .From the intersection of US-29 and I-64 southwest of town, take US-29 (an expressway) north no more than 1/4 mile, and take the first ramp to your right, which will be US-29Business, which here is Fontaine Avenue. At the end of the ramp turn right, and then at the first light go straight, where Fontaine becomes Jefferson Park Drive. At the next light, at a "tee" intersection, turn right (you will still be on Jefferson Park Drive). Go several blocks, and just after you go under two large enclosed pedestrian overpasses, you will come to a traffic light at the intersection with Lee Street.

Go straight and duck under the CSX (ex-C&O) rail bridge, and turn right at the next intersection, which is another "tee". You are now on West Main Street, and your second right puts you onto 9th Street, which crosses both rail lines near the diamond, but street parking here is very difficult. This is a good place for photos, but you'll probably have to walk a ways. Instead, take the third right off West Main, which is 7th Street, the entry to the station. There is one of the common Amtrak station traffic signs here. Turn right off 7th into the station parking lot just before it crosses the CSX tracks.

The station itself sits in the northeast quadrant of the NS/CSX crossing. Here, all of NS's Crescent route traffic will parade by, as will CSX's 4 or so trains per 24-hours. These latter trains are somewhat of a pressure relief for the mostly single tracked James River Line, and are routed thru Doswell, via Gordonsville. Amtrak's Cardinal also uses the CSX tracks here. This is not an afternoon photo location, as you'll be looking directly into the sun.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Charlottesville -- UVA Parking Garage. Go back to the intersection of Jefferson Park Drive and Lee Street (see Charlottesville -- Diamond and Station for instructions on how to get to this intersection). Turn right on Lee, then make an immediate left into the big downtown parking structure which the University of Virginia (UVA) operates. [UVA is a fairly nice school, struggling to catch up to the College of William & Mary, where both my kids were lucky enough to matriculate.] The parking structure is actually two buildings, with the eastern one (farthest to the right from the entry) being the taller of the two and nearest the tracks. Bear right after entering the garage to get over to the eastern building.

Railfanning from a parking garage? Well, yes. Actually, this is an excellent place to watch trains. The building is 6 stories tall, and that allows you to sit up top in the sun during cool days, and to get under cover on lower floors when it's hot and muggy or rainy. Did we mention that it sits in the southwest quadrant of the NS/CSX diamond? For the most part, photo angles are good all day. A moderate zoom lens will help, especially from the upper deck.

UVA charges $10.00 a day to park here. You have, perhaps, two options here. First, you can walk in and spend a relatively short time taking pix, or, if you've got some time, get there early, get your ticket, drive to the spot you want to be in, park, unload your cooler, chair, etc., and get your $10.00 worth! Railfanning in the 21st Century, indeed.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Barboursville. Leave Charlottesville via US-29Business, and go north about 14 miles. From the intersection of US-29/US-33, go east (south) on US-33 to the town of Barboursville. The NS DC-Atlanta mainline runs right thru the tiny village, and US-33 avoids the rails via an underpass. Just before the underpass, turn right and go into the village. Where you cross the tracks, and before you do actually cross them, there is nice off-property viewing to the south. This is good for mid-day and PM shots.

Proceed across the tracks and turn left back towards US-33. At US-33, the overpass is to your left. There is OK viewing from the north side of US-33 towards the tracks for AM shots, but the tracks are somewhat elevated here. OK if you know you have something coming and need to get a shot.

There is much more to do here, however. After taking your pix, take US-33 further east a mile or so to the beautiful Horton Vineyards. Good wine, scenery and ambiance. Then, go back towards Barboursville and take the left at the east side of town into the impressive Barboursville Winery and Ruins. Here are the ruins of Governor Barbour's mansion, and one of the really impressive central Virginia wineries. There is also a seasonal restaurant adjacent to the wine tasting and gift shop area. My favorite from the gift shop: A bunch of purple grapes on a white shirt saying: "Whip me, stomp me, make me wine."

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Montpelier Station. From the intersection of US-33 and VA-20 in Barboursville, take VA-20 north (east), and stay with it as it winds and turns thru the gorgeous rural Virginia countryside. The home and grounds of James and Dolley Madison of Montpelier are gorgeous. Whether you're a train fan or not, the mansion and grounds are a must-visit; indeed, the entire area is deeply steeped in history and nostalgia. The depot at Montpelier is no exception. It looks more like something out of Hans Christian Anderson than a corporate set of plans. The NS DC-Atlanta mainline is best for photography in the afternoons.

Orange. Entering from the west of town on VA-20, you will join US-15, and both will proceed together for only two blocks. Then, US-15 will head north at a left turn, and VA-20 continues straight as VA-615. Within only a block or so, VA-615 will get you trackside. Just prior to the railroad crossing on VA-615, turn onto an un-named lane to your right, which will take you to East Church Street. Just south of the East Church Street railroad crossing is where the NS and CSX (ex-C&O)/Amtrak rails join to continue to Washington, DC (although few CSX trains use these rails, as DC-bound traffic travels over the ex-RF&P.

From East Church Street you can get good photos of the southbound signal bridge that governs the junction.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Orange -- VA-700. From downtown Orange, go north on US-15 for a mile and a half or so. Turn right onto VA-632. After about a few hundred yards, you'll come to an intersection with VA-700, which goes left (north). VA-700 is a narrow, non-striped, but blacktop road, which will eventually turn into an even narrower, dirt road. You will come to the place where VA-673 goes north, but don't turn yet. Continue down 700 to the tracks. This is countryside which should be seen by everyone, not just railfans. Some people living on the east coast don't even realize what beautiful places there are within just a short distance of I-this and I-that. This place is designated as "Trimmers Crossing" on the DeLorme Atlas and Gazetteer.

At the crossing, there is some limited area on the west which should be OK for pix in the afternoon, but east of the tracks is pretty tight. Be extra careful here, as the trains tend to be quite fast, and surprisingly quiet.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Rapidan -- Timetable Location. From the railroad crossing north of Orange on VA-700, go back to the intersection of VA-700 and VA-673, and go north on the latter. When you come to the tracks, after some 6 miles, cross them and park off the road. Immediately to the south of the crossing is the end of double track, complete with a signal clearly visible from the road. This place has a station sign: "RAPIDAN". The rails have a nice curve to the north. There is plenty of room for morning shots from the east, but the west is pretty tight. This drive from VA-700 to this crossing is gorgeous, but be careful, as there are numerous sharp turns, the scenery is hypnotic, and you really can't exceed about 15-20 mph on this dirt road.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Rapidan -- Rapidan River Bridge. Where VA-673 crosses the tracks, there is a dirt road going north on the east side of the tracks. Take this road for about 1/2 mile, and the road will make a sharp turn to the LEFT. After another half mile, you'll see the Rapidan River on the left. The current NS bridge can easily be seen just upriver. You'll also notice at least one old bridge pier in the foreground.

If you catch the light right, and if you're using a scanner, you can get a good shot of a train on the bridge. You'll need a fairly long lens to get a close-up, but a typical zoom lens should give you pleasing results.

When you're finished here, continue on the dirt road until it dead ends into the hard top at VA-615. Turn left and cross the bridge. If you stop immediately after crossing the bridge and look to your left, you will see a road cut. It also continues to the right. This is the old mainline that was in use during the Civil War. As you continue on into Rapidan this old track swings over towards the old station. The road to Mitchells is the old roadbed for the next several miles.

[Thanks to Bill Stringfellow for this site. His dad was raised in the Mitchells area.]

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Rapidan -- Railfan Spot and Stations. From VA-615 in the village, turn onto Locust Dale Road in the center of the village, and head for the tracks. You will very shortly come to an underpass under the tracks, but don't go under. Instead, turn right and go up the dirt road towards the tracks. There was obviously a small yard facility at one time here, and the mainline is well away from the road. You can park facing the road, unfold the lawn chairs, and open the cooler. This is an excellent morning location, but the west is no go.

Get back on Locust Dale Road and turn left onto VA-615. The old passenger station is on your left, and just beyond that is the freight station. Both structures should be photographed! The passenger station is rather unique and very old, while the freight station is dated (I think 1857, but I didn't write it down), and is in commercial use still today.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Mitchells. From Rapidan to it's intersection with US-522 southeast of Culpeper, VA-615 parallels the NS DC-Atlanta mainline. It is rarely more than 30 yards east of the tracks. There are a few open areas for photo's on both sides of the tracks, and one of these is the crossroads with VA-652 at Mitchells. This is about 6 miles from Rapidan.

Winston. Coming east from Rapidan on VA-615, at the intersection of US-522 and VA-615, go north (west) on US-522. At the intersection of US-522 and VA-617 are good, open locations for photos on both sides of the tracks.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Culpeper. From US-522 downtown, go east towards the tracks on Davis Street. Davis dead-ends at Commerce Street, which the very long combination passenger and freight station parallels. This ex-Southern station is being rehabbed and painted, and today hosts Amtrak service. In fact, this entire area of town seems to be in the throes of rehabilitation, and Davis Street has lots of nice shops and boutiques. It's worth a visit.

At the south end of the station, there is a Southern caboose. Walk between the station and the caboose, and there is a nice open area for afternoon photos. Walk back around the back of the station to the north, and there is an opening in the gate. Walk thru the opening, which is for passengers and employees, and there is a crosswalk of the tracks at the passenger area. Walk across the tracks on the crosswalk, and there is a very large, open area which is perfect for morning photos. Bring a cooler and lawn chair. This is a good photo location.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Brandy Station. Depart Culpeper via US-29Business to the north, and stay on it all the way to Brandy Station. Do not get on the new US-29, which is an expressway. The road may be marked something other than US-29Business after its intersection with the new US-29, but ignore that, and just continue driving right next to the tracks into Brandy Station.

This is not a particularly good place to get photos from either north or south of the tracks, but if your scanner says you've got one real close, it'll do.

Of interest here is the fact that Brandy Station was the site of the largest cavalry battle of the Civil War. There were tens of thousands of cavalrymen involved, and it must have been frightful.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Remington. From Brandy Station, continue to drive northeast, paralleling the tracks. You'll have to get on US-29, which is an expressway, but that's OK, as you can pretty much reach out and touch the tracks. Take the US-29Business exit, drive into Remington, and turn right onto Sumerduck Road to the tracks in town. At the crossing, there is plenty of off-railroad property for good photos at any time of day. Remington is the western/southern end of double track. [MP 56]

To travel further east along this self-guiding tour, stay north (west) of the tracks and go north on N. Franklin Street. A right at an oblique angle will get you onto Remington Road, which parallels the Crescent Route for several miles to the east. You'll be on the north side of the tracks. Photos along here can be excellent, as the road undulates with the terrain -- sometimes above track level, sometimes below. If the sun is a problem, there are several roads coming in from the east (south) which will put the sun at your back. Half way between Remington and Bealeton is a good-sized industry which gets a fair amount of covered hoppers.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Bealeton. Remington Road will take you into Bealeton, which is at the busy intersection of US-17 and VA-28. You are about one mile north of the tracks, via US-17, here. There is shopping, gas, and fast food at or near the intersection. Just south of the tracks on US-17 is the Bealeton Flying Circus. This is a pretty unique attraction, as it's an old-fashioned barnstorming act complete with wing walkers, stunt flying, and dogfights. Get there from US-17 by turning left onto local road 644. There are good signs to the attraction. Schedules vary with the season, and information can be had at (504) 439-8661, which is the Fauquier County Visitor's Center.

Train watching in Bealeton is not particularly good, and the high US-17 bridge is dangerous for pedestrians. So, let's move on. From Remington Road, turn south (east) onto local route 805, Bealeton Road. Take an immediate left past the tracks to head towards Midland. The road remains 805, and parallels the tracks for a little less than a mile, then goes cross-country to local route 610, variously labeled as Rogues Road or Germantown Road. This is a tee intersection, with Bealeton Road ending. Take a left (north), and drive into Midland.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Midland. If you've ever driven around the DC Capital Beltway, you know that vast sections of it have huge concrete walls between the road and the homes adjoining it. These huge concrete sections were constructed at the Smith-Midland precast concrete plant at the corner of VA-28 and Germantown Road. There are photo locations in and around Midland.

From the tracks, go north to VA-28, turn to the northeast, and drive on to Calverton. You'll be fairly close to the tracks, but not really hugging them.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Calverton. At Calverton [MP 46] is the end of a 10 mile stretch of double track which began back in Remington.. There is also a junction via a wye with the short Warrenton Branch which runs north to just above the town of Casanova, where there is a quarry. The DeLorme atlas shows the branch continuing to Warrenton, but this is now incorrect, as it is out of service past the quarry.

Casanova is also the site of a nationally-known series of point-to-point horse races over hurdles held each spring as part of an exciting series of events throughout the surrounding area.

When you come into Calverton from the west on VA-28, you'll cross the Warrenton Branch just north of town. Just over the tracks is the intersection with Casanova Road. You can turn left and drive north to Casanova, with the road hugging the tracks all the way to the village. To get trackside in Calverton, stay on VA-28 for a very short distance, and turn south on local road 603, which is Greenwich Road. The wye is just to the west of 603, perhaps a third of a mile south of VA-28.

To continue the self-guiding tour, get back on VA-28, and head east towards Catlett. The road hugs the tracks most of the way, and at about half way between Calverton and Catlett, both the road and tracks cross Cedar Run. The railroad bridge provides a wonderful photo spot. Until the late 1980's, this was all double track; now you can see the extra wide strip of ballast where the 2nd track used to be.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Catlett. Coming into Catlett, Old Catlett Road is a shallow right turn that gets you trackside, or you can take VA-28 a little further, and then turn right on Elk Run Road in the town center. Incidentally, just past Elk Run Road on VA-28 is Wilson's Meat Farms. They have a store for meat sales that offers rib eye steaks and all manner of sausages that are beyond compare! Day trippers and local visitors are advised to bring coolers and load up.

Just north of Catlett on VA-28 are several beautiful Mennonite farms which are worth photographing. Also, from Dumfries Road, several nice vistas are available looking towards the tracks. The railroad crossing at Dumfries Road has some nice photo possibilities, also.

Between Catlett and Nokesville, our next stop, the track is fairly isolated as it runs thru a large wooded area. Therefore, just get back on VA-28 and head east towards Nokesville and Manassas.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Nokesville. As you come in on VA-28 from the west, there are a few shops and a 7/11 along the axis of the town. To get trackside, go south (east) on Fitzwater Drive. M of W equipment is often stored here, and there is good photo access from the southeast side of the tracks.

From Nokesville, get back on VA-28 via the street which parallels the tracks to the north thru town, and once more you'll have to drive somewhat away from the tracks.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Bristow. VA-28 will take you to a rather large intersection, where VA-28, VA-215 (Vint Hill Road), Linton Hall Road, and Bristow Road all meet. The latter two roads are the same, being Linton Hall north of VA-28 and Bristow south. Take Bristow south to the tracks. There are several antique shops between VA-28 and the tracks.

Bristow is the start of double track that runs all the way to DC, and is also the site of a hot box detector [MP 36.4 and 38.2 "Nokesville", respectively]. Just before crossing the tracks on Bristow Road, turn left on Milford Road, which will take you to the place where the trackage divides.

To continue, get back on VA-28, and head towards a nice photo location.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Manassas -- South Manassas. Just after getting back on VA-28 towards Manassas, take the next right, which is Piper Lane. This will lead back to the Virginia Railway Express station and the Manassas Airport. Piper follows Broad Run, and crosses the tracks under the railroad bridge over the stream. Some hiking and climbing can result in some fine pictures here, but be careful, and stay off railroad property.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Manassas -- Broad Run/Airport.

From Piper Lane, go further southeast after you pass under the tracks. The VRE station entrance is on your left; it is well marked and obvious. It's an attractive, rather new structure. Here you will find, depending on the day of the week and the time, several VRE trainsets parked. Past the station, you'll approach the airport. Just before getting to the airport proper, make a left onto Observation road. Off Observation Road, you will find THE place to watch trains in the area.

As you go around the northern boundary of the airport, Observation Road is squeezed by the tracks on the north and the airport on the south. Here, the tracks are on a slight fill, and the sun is behind you for some great railroad photos. Observation Road ends at a tee at Wakeman Drive. A nice large grassy area is between the tracks, Wakeman Drive and Observation Road. This is the place, and it has it all: It's remarkably peaceful, pretty, active, and even the sun cooperates. As if that weren't enough, the airport also provides some entertainment, as planes come and go. Bring the lawn chairs and coolers, and plan to stay awhile.

And there's more yet! Manassas is "home base" for Washington District crews, and many trains to/off the B-line to Front Royal/Hagerstown swap crews here, with new crews coming on duty replacing the weary. Depending on train length, timing, local highway traffic (which can be bad enough to hold up a taxi), and the whims of the yard office guys, swaps take place at "Wellington Road" by the yard (see next location), the "brickyard" on Godwin Drive, and (ta-da!) "Wakeman". The place names in quotes are what the crews and office personnel use to identify each location. Especially if you've got children with you, the new crews love to ham it up with the throttle, bell, and -- the piece de resistance -- the air horn. What a show!

This is a superior railfan location.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Manassas -- Yard Office and Wye . Go north on Wakeman Drive from the airport, and go north (east) on VA-28. You will go thru a big interchange just south of town with the new Manassas bypass, VA-234. Stay on VA-28 headed north (east), and turn right onto Wellington Road, just before VA-28 crosses some railroad tracks. These tracks are the "B-line" out to Front Royal. On Wellington Road, you'll go a long block, and there is another set of tracks (the NS Crescent Route from Charlottesville) to cross. However, just before crossing these tracks, go left onto Millford Road, and you are at the yard office and wye.

At Manassas, arguably the best place to railfan is the wye at the yard office. The tracks are crossed by Millford Road with good parking and views of both mainlines.

If instead of turning on Millford Road at the yard office, you cross the mainline on Wellington Road and make an immediate left on Prince William Street, a few blocks will take you by the north end of the yard, where in the evening you can catch the locals putting away their cuts of cars. A little further up, you'll cross VA-234Business, and the Manassas Station is there, with all its VRE and Amtrak activity.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Manassas Depot. The depot is a National Historic Landmark, and it played a very important role during the Civil War. There is a visitor center in the building, and its hours are 9-5 M-F, and 9-3 Saturday. It is closed Sunday. Besides the visitor center, there is also a waiting room in the depot, as some 13 weekday Virginia Railway Express trains and 2-4 Amtrak daily trains pick up and discharge passengers here. Finally, Norfolk Southern throws in some 3-6 DC-Manassas freights daily.

In this area of Manassas, which is a great town to visit irrespective of railroad-related interests, there are good restaurants (City Tavern, 1 block west of the depot is recommended by Jason) and at least one motel.

[Jason Breakiron has been a most welcome contributor of some of this data.]

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Manassas Park. This is the third VRE station in the Manassas area, and is reached from the downtown station in Manassas as follows: From the Amtrak/VRE station downtown, get back on VA-28 and continue east. You'll come to the intersection of VA-28 and VA-213, Manassas Drive. Take a right and head south on Manassas Drive [NOTE: This road may be labeled as VA-616.] You will drive past the Manassas Park City Hall on the left, cross the tracks, and turn left into the station parking area. An easy place to watch trains.

From here to the east, the countryside abruptly gets very convoluted. The Occoquan River has cut a severe canyon between what are now Prince William and Fairfax counties, and those worthy municipalities have formed an almost unbroken park from the Manassas National Battlefield Park all the way to the Potomac at Occoquan Bay. If you or your family are tired of train watching, there are lots of places to play and picnic. You can also take an entire afternoon or morning to ponder what our forefathers went thru, both the Blue and the Gray, on behalf of those things in which they believed.

Unfortunately, train watching is pretty tough here, as there simply are no roads thru most of this area. Therefore, to get to our next railfan site as we get closer to Washington, you'll have to head all the way back to VA-28.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Clifton. The village of Clifton is a tasty treat, hidden away from the suburban crunch of the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC, but to get there from Manassas Park takes some doing. Here goes:

Go east from Manassas Park on VA-28, and cross the Bull Run. Very shortly, you'll come to the crossroads with Compton Road, and you want to turn right (south) on Compton. Follow it as it twists and turns thru some beautiful, almost pristine country- side, until it ends in a T with Clifton Road. Turn right (south) onto Clifton, and continue to the village, cross the tracks, and find a place to park.

This is a quaint place, and it's several octaves below the crunch of most of Northern Virginia. There are some nice shops here, a big, impressive restaurant (the Hermitage Inn?), and best of all, access to the tracks via the south side. Walk along the tracks, thru the parking lot of the big catering firm on the southeast corner of the tracks. Beyond the caterer, there is an open, grassy area. I suspect that if you check in with the firm, they would give you permission to set up a lawn chair and enjoy the activity. There are few freights thru here, mostly coal for a power plant in Alexandria, but the VRE puts on a show in the mornings and evenings. I'd recommend evening train-watching because of the sun and shadows. There are a total of 7 VRE movements between 4:30 and 7:30 PM. Two Amtrak trains practically cross here during the 7PM hour, but you'll want to check your timetable, or with Amtrak.

Leaving Clifton to get to our next destination is maybe even more complicated than getting here from Manassas Park. A good, local map is a real plus here. Believe us, all these roads look the same! Go back north over the tracks and immediately turn right onto Newman Road. Go north (left) on Newman, until you get to Fairfax Station Road, and turn right. Follow Fairfax Station until it seems to end in a T. Turn left, and then very shortly (maybe 100 yards), turn right on your next street which will be Fairfax Station once again. Follow Fairfax Stationroad east until you come into the village of Fairfax Station. The railroad is alternately close and far from you along these country roads, but pictures a mostly out of the question, because the countryside is hilly, and trees come right down to the right of way. A wide, open, sunny spot is non-existent.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Fairfax Station. The village has no station any longer, and there really is no place to watch trains. We'd suggest you continue east.

Be advised that, as soon as you drive on Fairfax Station Road up the small hill to VA-123, Ox Road, you are no longer in the bucolic interlude between Bull Run and Fairfax Station. You are now smack dab in the middle of one of the biggest metropolitan areas in the country, and the hustle, bustle, and traffic are monumental. As mentioned above, we will not attempt, from here east, to get you to every good train watching location. Instead, we'll stick to the VRE stations, and a couple of other very good spots.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Burke Centre Station. From the corner of Fairfax Station Road and VA-123, go south, over the tracks on VA-123. Very shortly, Burke Centre Parkway will be on your left. Turn onto Burke Centre Parkway and go east to the intersection with Roberts Parkway. Turn left, north, and go to the VRE commuter station at Burke Centre.

To get to the next 2 stations takes either a leap of faith or an abundance of stupidity, but if we're going to follow the Crescent Route all the way, we've just gotta do it.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Burke -- Rolling Road Station. From the Burke Centre station, go north on Roberts Parkway over the tracks, and turn right (east) on Guinea Road. You'll swing around and to the south of Burke Lake dam, and shortly thereafter, you'll take a right on Burke Road. Burke Road meanders a bit, so be careful. Finally, just before you get to Rolling Road, you'll reach the VRE's Rolling Road Station. After watching VRE and the now-rare NS freight roll thru, get back on Burke Road, and head east to Rolling Road. Go south (right) on Rolling Road, and take it all the way to VA-644, Old Keene Mill Road. Follow OKM east into Springfield.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Springfield -- Backlick Road Station. Before you get to I-95, turn left (north) on Backlick Road, and drive under I-495 to Hechinger Drive and the VRE station. If you like lots of highway traffic and tension, you'll love this place. Springfield is known as the "Choke Point" for the DC area's traffic, as I-95, I-395, I-495 all come together, and I-66 feeds in stuff just to the north. It's much more enjoyable to watch the VRE and the occasional NS trains at this station than to be out fighting every driver in Northern Virginia.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Alexandria -- Van Dorn Street. We are now very far north on the Crescent Route's journey from New Orleans to Washington, and have only a few more stops -- but they are well worth the effort. From the VRE Backlick Road Station in Springfield, go back south, under I-495 to Old Keene Mill Road (VA-644). Go east on Old Keene Mill, under I-95 and all the construction (which is supposed to last some 8 years!), and continue east to Van Dorn Road. Along the way, you'll go over the RF&P, which has made a 90° turn to head south towards Richmond. Take a left on Van Dorn to go north here, and you'll cross under the hebephrenic I-95/I-495 Capitol Beltway.

Immediately north of the overpass is an underpass of the RF&P, and the overpass of the Southern is just north of that. There are sidewalks on both sides of the bridge. I've had messages to the effect that there is plenty of room for photos, and others telling me the sidewalks are pretty narrow. Frankly, I don't remember. Just remember that if you're going to fan from the overpass, Van Dorn is a very busy street, and you'll not be able to walk back and forth, and if you get careless or excited about an oncoming train, you can get killed. I think there are better locations.

Thanks to the members of the VRFE railfan e-group for their contributions to this location.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Alexandria -- Ben Brenman Park. This is a location north of the tracks, and was submitted by Thomas Womble. From Duke Street north of the tracks, enter Ben Brenman Park via Somervelle Street. Go all the way to the end of Somervelle Street, and find a parking spot in the lot to your left or on the street. Cross Cameron Run via the pedestrian bridge.

Here in the mornings and evenings, there are many VRE trains that pass by, and an occasional Amtrak and even some NS traffic in and out of the ethanol transloading terminal might be seen.

Alexandria -- Eisenhower Road. At Eisenhower and Van Dorn, NS has a small ethanol transloading facility and pocket yard. However, this is not a good area to railfan, as road traffic is very heavy, and viewing/photo possibilities are minimal, and security is very tight.

Dirck Harris updated the two previous locations in January 2011.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Alexandria -- AF Interlocking. Continue north on Van Dorn to a right onto South Pickett Street, which will curve northeast up to Duke Street, which is a very major Alexandria thoroughfare. Take a right on Duke, and stay in the right lane, as the next turn is a little confusing. After about one and one-half miles, look for a major intersection with Quaker Lane going to the north. Less than 1/4 mile beyond this intersection, you'll see Quaker Lane going south, but only if you're looking for it. Take the right, drive to the vicinity of the tracks, and find a place to park. Business Center Drive parallels the tracks, but there are signs on BCD telling you that this is a "Private Road"; however, Jim and I suspect that's not the case. In this area, there is a monumental problem with commuters using amazingly bad judgment, parking in unGodly places, so one can understand that the local businesses try to keep extraneous cars away from their area.

The chain link fence along the railroad looks south at the action thru AF Interlocking, where the 2-track NS/VRE (ex-Southern and C&O) from the southwest, and the 2-track CSX (ex-RF&P) bring all their freight, and where VRE and Amtrak from both lines come together to funnel down to 3 tracks heading into the Washington, DC, area and points north and northwest.

You have good viewing here of a lot of action (especially in the AM and PM rush hours), and it's a good place to watch trains, but photos are difficult because of the big chain link fence, and the sun is in your face most of the day.

With thanks to John Boteler, who provided the data for this location.

Back to the top Back to the site listing

Alexandria -- King Street Station. From Eisenhower Road, get on I-95, and head east until you'll exit at Telegraph Road northbound. You'll go over the Metro's electrified tracks, and the junction formed between the NS and CSX tracks.

Just to the east of here was a fair-sized yard of the NS (ex-Southern Railway). The creation of the Metro on top of the already strong growth of this entire area of the country made the real estate on which this yard sat, as well as the land under the large Potomac Yard further north in Arlington, so valuable, that the railroad companies involved were forced to look at moving north/south freight in a different manner. In particular, NS and Conrail, more so than CSX, were willing to move traffic off the New York - DC- Points South corridor, and route more and more traffic thru Harrisburg/ Hagerstown/Front Royal/Manassas instead. Today, both the NS yard in Alexandria and the joint CR/CSX (ex-PRR/ex-RF&P) Potomac yards are memories, with commercial buildings atop the land. Another factor contributing to the demise of freight traffic thru here was the explosive growth of commuter operations on the railroads in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, which made freight operations more and more difficult.

There is still freight traffic thru here, but not all that much is NS. There are up to 4 (total) night-time freights which go up and down Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, and some coal delivered to a power plant in the area. The big freight player here is CSX, which juggles Virginia Railway Express, Amtrak, and their own freight fleet in what is truly a dispatcher's nightmare scenario. The former NS (ex-Southern Railway) yard to the east of the Telegraph Road overpass was essentially the end of the Crescent Route (or just as correctly, the beginning of the Crescent Route). Just to the west of where the yard was, and in the area under the Telegraph Road overpass, trains coming north on the Crescent Route could either enter the yard lead or join CSX (ex-RF&P) tracks in order to get to Potomac Yard, or, for passenger trains, Washington's Union Station.

We have now covered the entire distance up from New Orleans, but there is one more spot to railfan, and it's a good one.

Telegraph Road dead-ends into Duke Street, and you want to go right (east). Just before Duke Street goes over the tracks at the south end of the station area, take the left onto Callahan Drive. There is parking at the station. To the south of the station is a grassy area well-suited for late afternoon photos. Stay well back from the tracks and you won't be bothered. Get down by the tracks and you may be arrested. The viewing is so good here that there is no need to get close to the tracks. The big, new station to the northeast is the Metro's King Street Station.

Note: Information on the King Street Station has been corrected. Thanks to Dave Olsen for this correction.

Back to the top Back to the site listing