The history of "The Battlefield Route" is definitely an interesting one. Chartered on March 1, 1853, as the Fredericksburg & Gordonsville Railroad to link its namesake towns of Fredericksburg, Virginia, and Gordonsville, Virginia. Construction started later that year but ceased four years later due to the panic of 1857. During the Civil War, both armies utilized the finished grade as a barrier where soldiers were able to take cover behind the mounds. After the Civil War, the railroad was sold to New York investors and constructed from Fredericksburg about 18 miles to Parker's Store. In 1873 another economic recession hit the nation, this caused the company to go bankrupt again. Although, this wasn't the end for the railroad as on December 5, 1873, the railroad was officially reorganized as the Fredericksburg, Orange & Charlottesville Railroad.

After the newly formed Fredericksburg Orange & Charlottesville Railroad was not economically able to build an addition 20 miles from Parker's Store to Orange, the state was able to reclaim the railroad and so, on March 27, 1876, a judge declared that the name be changed to the Potomac Fredericksburg & Piedmont Railroad. To help finish the rail line to Orange, Virginia, the PF&P decided to switch out the standard gauge rails to narrow gauge rails because they were much cheaper to install. Service finally started to Orange, Virginia, on February 26, 1877.

Between 1876 and 1878 the Royal Land Company controlled the PF&P and had very ambitious plans to increase the route east to a point on the Chesapeake Bay north of the current Dahlgren Naval Warfare Research Center known as Mathias Point. The company also wanted to build the railroad west into Rockingham County to tap into Royal Land Company's 155,000 acres of timber. Alas, like most railroad companies in that time period, it was not to be and the Royal Land Company lost control of the railroad in 1878 to Philadelphia Investors.

After the take over, the railroad was financial stable for about 42 years until the automobile really started to take of in the early 1920s. On June, 11 1925, the citizens who were served by the PF&P decided to purchase the line in order to save it from being torn up. The new owners renamed the rail line the Orange & Fredericksburg Railway. Even though the company was brand new, because it was underfunded, the railroad only lasted a year until it went bankrupt. Though the line still persevered and, on November 26, 1926, the railroad was reorganized as the Virginia Central Railway.

The new owners immediately decided on some changes which would positively influence the railroad in the long run. This included removing the narrow gauge tracks and replacing them with standard gauge. In order to cut more maintenance costs, on January 1, 1938, the railroad abandoned it's main line except for a small one mile segment in West Fredericksburg which served local customers. In 1975 the owner of the railroad at the time, Railvest, placed several hundred boxcars in use throughout the nation to be leased by other companies. Some of their green VC boxcars are probably still out there today.

Another Virginia railroad company that took advantage of the freight car lease business was the Interstate Railroad which placed hundreds of hopper cars in service in the 1950s. After Railvest folded in 1978, The City of Fredericksburg bought the company and operated it until March 1, 1984, when, at last, the road came to the end for "The Battlefield Route" and the historic line was scrapped for good.

20 Ton Davenport-Bessler #100 poses on the miniscule Hazel Run Trestle in West Fredericksburg, Virginia, sometime between 1938 and 1949. Old #100's arrival on the Virginia Central in 1938 officially began the replacement of steam as the only steam locomotives that would operate on the VC after the arrival of this engine were 2-8-0 #901 and possibly 2-8-0 #945. Strangely enough, Ex C&O 2-8-0 #901 would end up having the last laugh as #100 would be totally destroyed in an engine house fire in 1949. To add to an already crazy story, steamer #901 would remain on the Virginia Central's property over 10 years after #100 went up in flame and could still be seen in the Fredericksburg deadline as late as 1959!

50 Ton Porter Center Cab #101 rests in the Virginia Central Railway yards in Fredericksburg, Virginia, on March 25th, 1978. Like most of these odd Portal diesels, #101 started life as a military property aiding in the construction of ships at the Bethlehem Steel Hingham Shipyard in Hingham, Massachusetts. Between 1943 and 1945, Hingham Shipyards turned out 227 naval ships for the war effort which contributed to the ultimate allied victory on September 2nd, 1945. I love it when seemingly insignificant pieces of history, or in this case, reliant workers, help aid in a world changing event. After the war, the shipyard closed but this little engine remained serving customers in the Hingham area until finally making its way down to Virginia in the 1970's. Here is where it would operate until finally being donated to the Virginia Museum of Transportation in 1984.

General Electric 44 Tonner #102 is seen parked in West Fredericksburg, Virginia, on September 6th, 1977. This locomotive, as well as 50 Ton Porter #101, would end up being the two locomotives that replaced the Virginia Central's well known but aging Plymouth engines numbered #200 and #500. #102 would end up having a relatively short stay on the VC as it would end up being sold to the Pittsburgh, Allegheny, & McKees Rocks Railroad in 1980 after only five years of service on the Battlefield Route.

30 Ton Plymouth #200 is seen stored at Fredericksburg, Virginia, on December 4th, 1976. With its paint cracked and its wheels rusty, one can tell that old #200 has seen much better days. At this point in the history of the Virginia Central, all business was conducted by 50 Ton Porter #101 and General Electric 44 Ton #102. This rendered the railway's two Plymouth locomotives, numbered #200 and #500, redundant allowing for them to be quietly retired. Notice what appears to be Virginia Central 30 Ton Plymouth #500 sitting directly behind #200. It wouldn't surprise me if both locomotives never ran again and were scrapped where they sat.

Baldwin 2-8-0 #347 is seen idling at Fredericksburg, Virginia, in April of 1938. Originally owned by the coal hauling West Virginia Central & Pittsburg Railroad of Cumberland, Maryland, this locomotive would ultimately fall into the hands of the well known Western Maryland Railway when the aforementioned railroad was merged into the "Wild Mary" in 1905. While a member of the Western Maryland's stable of iron horses, #347 was classified into the H3-c class of consolidations and remained a member of this class until being sold to the Virginia Central in 1929. While owned by the Virginia Central, very little was changed in terms of cosmetic details as a keen sighted observer of the above photograph might notice that the Western Maryland era classification lettering is in fact still on the cab! Alas, old #347 wouldn't be able to survive the major thinning of the Virginia Central's mainline in 1938, and was scrapped at the end of the year.

Alco 2-8-0 #901 is seen stored in West Fredericksburg, Virginia, during the winter of 1959. By far the longest tenured standard gauged steam locomotive to operate on the Virginia Central, old #901 would survive the mass scrapping that occurred with the abandonment of 37 of the 38 miles of mainline in 1938. After 1938 though, not much was known about its history until I found this negative showing it still around 1959! Although, not sure the date when it was sidelined. Notice the trestle in the background, this may have been part of the Hazel Run trestle that would ultimately cause the railway to shut down in 1984 when it was condemned.

Alco 2-8-0 #945 is seen in the Virginia Central Railway's Fredericksburg, Virginia, yard sometime before 1939. Identical to #901 pictured above, both locomotives were once owned by the nearby Chesapeake & Ohio Railway and were classified as G-7 consolidations. Unlike #901 however, #945 would not survive the mass scrapping that occurred in the late 1930's. Notice the piece of rolling stock to the right. This was passenger trailer T-3 and could commonly be seen hauled behind motor car M-100. T-3 would have the undignified distinction of being the last piece of passenger rolling stock on the Virginia Central having fallen into Hazel Run where it preceded to rot away over time. Also, check out that Burro Crane! Seems a little overpowered on a line with one mile of mainline track!