The Arlington & Fairfax Electric Railway
Traction at the Courthouse
With the bankruptcy of the Washington-Virginia Railway in 1924, all properties and assets were transferred to a group of creditors who continued to search for potential buyers of the railroad. For three years, the creditors operated the railroad, presumably at a loss, until finally, on May 10th, 1927, the railway was divided into three parcels and sold. The first parcel was made up of the former Washington-Virginia Railway's Mount Vernon Division between Mount Vernon and Washington D.C. This line, purchased for $300,000, became the Mount Vernon, Alexandria, & Washington Railway and would continue to operate until 1932 when it was abandoned for good. The second was for a group of trolley cars, both powered and unpowered, and was sold to equipment dealer Joseph Wayne Jr. of Philadelphia. A total of 45 cars were included in the deal, mainly consisting of the J. G. Brill 300 series cars and their respective trailers. Many of these cars would be sold to various companies throughout North America with some even winding up in Canada. The third, and final, parcel was made up of the Washington-Virginia's Falls Church Division between Fairfax and Rosslyn along with branches from Rosslyn to Green Valley and Clarendon to Arlington Junction. This parcel was sold to the same interests that purchased the Mount Vernon division. However, after only a few months of ownership, these same investors concluded that the Falls Church Division could not turn a profit and so stated that they would be unwilling to continue operations of the line beyond June 1st, 1927.
However, this was not the end for the Falls Church Division, as local business owners located along the line petitioned to purchase and operate the railway. This effort, led by Falls Church native and businessman Merton E. Church, was evidently successful and a charter was formed and authorized for the creation of a new railway. This new railway would come to be known as the Arlington & Fairfax Electric Railway Company. At the time of the purchase in 1927, years of neglect had begun to take its toll on the lines infrastructure and the railway needed major rehabilitation in order to operate profitably. This called for much of the increasingly lessening profit being utilized for infrastructure upgrades leaving little to no income for the workers and even the executives. This meant that the railway was basically being run as a charity organization increasing the livelihood and convenience for the commuters living along the right of way.
On August 1st, 1927, operations of both railways officially began, albeit on a restricted schedule with less than stellar track conditions. Even with these setbacks, both railroads continued to move forward. One good thing about the slow speeds was the chances of fatal or serious injuries arising due to derailments and crashes were much less likely. It was probably the only good thing that came from both railway's dilapidated conditions. During the early 1930's, the Arlington & Fairfax began to face trouble on its eastern terminus in Washington D.C. as the federal government was looking to repurpose the land in which the station was located on. This was mainly caused by the governments widespread utilization of the McMillan Plan which proposed an urban revitalization in major parts of the city suffering from poverty and crime. The problem was, the location of the station was in a place deep within downtown and the governments true purpose for wanting this land was to build a federal facility that would come to be known as the Federal Triangle. Like in most cases, the government was successful, causing the Arlington & Fairfax along with the Mount Vernon, Alexandria, & Washington to abandon all services into Washington D.C. effective January 17th, 1932. This was the final nail on the coffin for the Mount Vernon, Alexandria, & Washington as the railroad had previously abandoned it's line between Alexandria and Mount Vernon in 1930. On April 9th, 1932, only three months after the railroads forced abandonment of services into Washington, the Mount Vernon, Alexandria, & Washington Railway was totally abandoned.
The Arlington & Fairfax Electric Railway, however, trundled on. With the termination of the Washington D.C. Terminal, the line between Clarendon and Arlington Junction was abandoned on July 1st, 1932. This left the Rosslyn to Fairfax line, known as the Fairfax line, and the Rosslyn to Green Valley line, known as the Nauck Line as the only lines still in service. The only way trolley based commuters could get into Washington now, was to take the trolley to Rosslyn and then switch to another trolley owned by the Capitol Traction Company to cross the bridge into Georgetown. As many can guess, the loss of the Washington Terminal caused the future of the Arlington & Fairfax to be clouded with doubt and uncertainty.
By 1936, the original creditors and investors of the Arlington & Fairfax were beginning to realize that without immediate financial relief, the railway would not be able to continue operating. The infrastructure of the line had deteriorated to a point where cars were struggling to make the entire trip on either of the lines. A miracle came with the announcement that Detroit based entrepreneur E. S. Evans of the Evans Products Company would sign a deal with the railway's management in order to provide $30,000 dollars for the immediate rehabilitation of the line, save for any of the electric equipment such as the trolley cars or the trolley wires. The reason for this arrangement was that Evans wished to showcase the efficiency and usefulness of one of his most recent innovations. Known as the Auto Railer, these gasoline powered rail buses could be operated on either railroad tracks using guiding flanges, or on roads. It's interesting to note that Evans had first approached the management of the Washington, Baltimore, & Annapolis Electric Railway in order to propose a deal for purchasing their railway. These negotiations ultimately fell through and the Washington, Baltimore, & Annapolis was abandoned in 1935.
On June 2nd, 1936, the deal was officially signed and the transition from electric operations to rail bus operations began to take place. On December 9th, 1936, the very first Auto Railer was placed in service on the Arlington & Fairfax, and on January 23rd, 1937, the very last electric powered trolley car completed its run on the railway. This officially left the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad as the last electric powered trolley company in Northern Virginia.
This wasn't the end of the Arlington & Fairfax, however, as on February 27th, 1937, a new company was formed to take over the surviving properties of the railway. This new company was named the Arlington & Fairfax Auto Railroad and would continue operating for a few more years.
You can read the story of the Arlington & Fairfax Auto Railroad here. (Coming Soon)
Summary
Created: The railway was organized with a charter being authorized within the Commonwealth of Virginia in June of 1927.
Dissolved: All surviving properties except electrical based operations were transferred to the Arlington & Fairfax Auto Railroad on February 27th, 1937.
Start Point:
Fairfax Line - Rosslyn, Virginia (1927 - 1937)
Nauck Line - Rosslyn, Virginia (1927 - 1937)
South Arlington Branch - Clarendon, Virginia (1927 - 1932)
End Point:
Fairfax Line - Fairfax City, Virginia (1927 - 1937)
Nauck Line - Green Valley, Virginia (1927 - 1937)
South Arlington Branch - Washington D.C. (1927 - 1932)
South Arlington Branch - Arlington Junction (1932 Only)
Other Lines:
Three legged wye at Vienna, Virginia, which led to passenger station
Small freight only spur in Fairfax City, Virginia, that served freight station.
Multiple spurs and extensions in Washington D.C. off of 14th Street, all of which were abandoned by 1932.
Possible maintenance of way spur that led to gravel pit for track ballast. Was in use during Washington-Virginia Railway days.
Passenger Interchanges:
Capitol Traction Company at Rosslyn, Virginia (1927 - 1933)
Capitol Traction Company at Washington D.C. (1927 - 1932)
Capitol Transit Company at Rosslyn, Virginia (1933 - 1937)
Mount Vernon, Alexandria, & Washington Railway at Arlington Junction, Virginia (1927 - 1932)
Washington & Old Dominion Railway at Vienna, Virginia (1927 - 1937)
Washington & Old Dominion Railway at West Falls Church, Virginia (1927 - 1937)
Washington & Old Dominion Railway at East Falls Church, Virginia (1927 - 1937)
Washington & Old Dominion Railway at Franklin, Virginia (1927 - 1937)
Washington & Old Dominion Railway at Waycroft, Virginia (1927 - 1937)
Washington & Old Dominion Railway at Rosslyn, Virginia (1927 - 1937)
Gauge: 4ft. 8.5in - "Standard Gauge"
Total Length:
26.5 Miles (1927 - 1932)
23.78 Miles (1932 Only)
20.28 Miles (1932 - 1937)
Headquarters:
Mechanical Department - Lacey, Virginia (1927 - 1937)
Business Administration - Lacey, Virginia (1927 - 1937)
Owners:
Merton E. Church & Associates (1927 - 1936)
E. S. Evans (1936 - 1937)
Presidents:
Merton E. Church & Associates (1927 - 1936)
E. S. Evans (1936 - 1937)
Predecessors:
The Washington & Arlington Railway (1891 - 1896)
The Washington, Arlington, & Falls Church Railway (1896 - 1910)
The Washington-Virginia Railway Falls Church Division (Washington Utilities Owned) (1910 - 1913)
The Washington-Virginia Railway Falls Church Division (1913 - 1927)
Successors:
The Arlington & Fairfax Auto Railroad (1937 - 1939)
NOTE: Trolley Specifics such as Truck Model, and Motor Type are to be taken with a grain as salt and NOT be taken for fact. I do the best I can in compiling rosters, but sometimes information just can't be confirmed without original primary source documents from the trolley manufacturers. - Nick Jobe
Home built line car #53 rests on the Nauck Line track at Rosslyn, Virginia, on June 13th, 1935, while a Washington & Old Dominion Railway car waits on the Rosslyn Loop to either pick up passengers or drop them off. The Arlington & Fairfax Electric Railway owned three different line cars throughout its corporate existence numbered #16, #53, and #209. All three cars were home built at the Four Mile Run Shops of the Washington-Virginia Railway; an Arlington & Fairfax predecessor. Notice that this car is still lettered for the Mount Vernon, Alexandria, & Washington Railway. It probably remained in this livery until being retired and scrapped in 1937 as the exterior image of the trolley cars, especially the maintenance of way cars, was a very low priority. It's interesting to note that seeing a Washington & Old Dominion Railway electric car on Capitol Transit's Rosslyn Loop is quite a surprising sight, as the Washington & Old Dominion had a vary large station constructed in the western part of Rosslyn known as Rosslyn Terminal. Why a Washington & Old Dominion car would venture onto Capitol Transit tracks is unknown to me.
Line car #53 is seen later in it's life sitting unused in the Arlington & Fairfax Electric Railway's Lacey Yard near Ballston, Virginia. Another photograph without a date, I would say this photograph was taken between 1933 and 1937. At this time in the 1930's, Lacey Yard had begun to show its age as it had been storing trolley cars since the early 1900's! Even so, as the Arlington & Fairfax Electric Railway's only major maintenance and storage facility, Lacey Yard played an important role in maintaining the functionality of the railway including fixing damaged cars, storing excess pieces of equipment, and presumably housing the railway's offices and headquarters. In fact, Lacey Yard continued to be used by the successor to the Arlington & Fairfax, known as the Arlington & Fairfax Auto Railroad, until the aforementioned railroad's abandonment in 1939. Today, nothing is left of Lacey Yard as the land once utilized by this impressive shop complex now houses a university building and a small parking lot.
Slate Belt car #83 prepares to begin its journey towards Fairfax at the Arlington & Fairfax Electric Railway's Rosslyn Terminal on March 9th, 1934, as a Capitol Transit car sits on the trolley company's Rosslyn Loop. Due to Capitol Transit's stranglehold on trolley operations into Georgetown at this time, passengers riding on the Arlington & Fairfax wishing to get into Georgetown were forced to get off their car at Rosslyn and transfer to the Capitol Transit car for access into the District. However, this wasn't always the reality for commuters, as the original bridge in use during the birth of the trolley era in Northern Virginia, known as the Aqueduct Bridge, was operated on by another trolley railway known as the Great Falls, & Old Dominion Railway. This company worked in conjunction with the other trolley companies at the time, the Washington, Alexandria, & Falls Church Railway, and the Washington, Arlington, & Falls Church Railway, to transport commuters across the bridge and into Georgetown. The Washington, Arlington, & Falls Church Railway was a direct predecessor of the Arlington & Fairfax. With the closure of the Aqueduct Bridge in 1923, this arrangement ended and a replacement bridge, named the Francis Scott Bridge, was opened. As the new bridge was constructed in the District of Columbia, the Capitol Transit Company purchased the sole rights to use this new bridge for trolley service. This caused the arrangement displayed in this image and utilized until the end of the Arlington & Fairfax in 1937. Take note of all the snow on the ground; must have been a cold March!
Slate Belt car #83 sits empty after allowing passengers to disembark at the Arlington & Fairfax Electric Railway's Rosslyn, Virginia, Terminal in February of 1935. The reason this car and sister #82 were referred to as the "Slate Belt" cars was because both cars were originally intended to be delivered to the Slate Belt Electric Street Railway of Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania. What actually happened was that the Slate Belt was low on cash and simply couldn't make the payments totally voiding the order. This caused the J. G. Brill Company, which manufactured the two cars, to relist them for sale in the hopes of another company purchasing them. The Arlington & Fairfax Electric Railway's immediate predecessor, the Washington-Virginia Railway, ended up being the first company interested in purchasing the cars and did so in February of 1918. Both cars served the railway faithfully and were ultimately included in the Falls Church Division parcel which became the Arlington & Fairfax in 1927. Both cars suffered the same indignant fate when the railway switched to only auto railers in 1937. Both car's bodies ended up as the foundation for a new restaurant in Northwest Washington D.C. where they remained as late as 1959! The duo may possibly have been the very last Arlington & Fairfax cars in existence when they were ultimately removed at some unknown date in the 1960's.
Slate Belt car #83 is caught at the Arlington & Fairfax Electric Railway's Rosslyn, Virginia, Terminal preparing to leave for Falls Church, Vienna, and ultimately, Fairfax Court House sometime between 1927 and 1936. It's interesting to note the use of sun blocking curtains inside the car. It almost makes this image appear as if it could have occurred in the modern day. Also, a close observance of this photograph yields the fact that the little compartment located to the left of the entrance to the car spells out "Washington Post". Another detail that could have definitely not been out of place in the modern day even with the death of the physical newspaper. Unfortunately, I was unable to make out what the text on the sign to the right of this photograph says, so if anybody can make that out, please contact me on the contact page.
McGuire-Cummings car #120 sits stored at the Arlington & Fairfax Electric Railway's Lacey Yard along with car #214 on September 16th, 1933. Notice how #120 still retains it's Washington-Virginia Railway reporting marks; it may have worn these markings up until the day it was scrapped later that same year. A note on the reverse side of this piece states that the car was painted in a shade of dark green reminiscent of it's days working on the Washington-Virginia Railway. Even though this car was scrapped along with the entirety of the Arlington & Fairfax Electric Railway's streetcar roster, it is relieving to know that a sister of #120 survives today. This survivor is Chicago & West Towns Railway #141 and is operational at the Illinois Railway Museum of Union, Illinois. It's also interesting to note that #120 was purchased as a non powered trailer but was motorized by the Washington-Virginia Railway sometime in the 1920's. Referring to car #214 also included in this shot, this car was used mainly on the Nauck Line between Rosslyn and Green Valley and was one of the last cars on the railway's roster before finally being scrapped in 1937. Most historians also credit #214 as being the final Jackson & Sharp Company streetcar used on the Arlington & Fairfax.
Line car #209 prepares to depart Rosslyn Terminal and head south on the Arlington & Fairfax Electric Railway's Nauck Line on September 14th, 1933. This view is looking southeast and shows the rarely photographed North Lynn Street which the railway paralleled until reaching Fort Myer Junction just beyond Rosslyn. Not only did the three line cars, numbered #16, #53, and #209, serve as maintenance of way cars, they also performed freight duties on the line. This is confirmed as the Arlington & Fairfax Electric Railway operated a freight station at the end of the Fairfax Line in Fairfax City. This station was served by a small spur which diverged from the mainline and followed the current route of railroad Avenue and surprisingly, operated well into the 1930's. However, unlike the Washington & Old Dominion Railway which had a large freight business, the Arlington & Fairfax Electric Railway focused almost entirely on passenger business and made no effort to increase freight business. If, as proven by the Washington & Old Dominion Railway, the Arlington & Fairfax had begun focusing on freight operations more, the railway could have presumably survived much longer.
*Howard E. Johnson Photograph**Nick A. Jobe Collection*
1905 Jackson & Sharp car #210 sits, derelict, in the Arlington & Fairfax Electric Railway's Lacey Yard sometime between 1930 and 1937. #210 was existing on borrowed time at this point as it had been retired from the roster prior to the capturing of this image. Note the lack of windows, chipping paint, and junked interior; these confirm the sad state of the car on the day of this photograph. Knowing the state of the railroad at the time of this photo, It can be safe to assume that #210 would unfortunately never run again.
1905 Jackson & Sharp car #214 prepares to depart Rosslyn Terminal with only a few passengers on board. At the time of this photograph taken sometime between 1934 and 1937, the Arlington & Fairfax Electric Railway's Nauck Line was mainly served by the railway's 200 series of cars including #214. As expected, this image displays #214 on the Nauck Line preparing to head south to Green Valley; the terminus of the Nauck Line at this point in time. Unfortunately, the lack of customers on the Nauck Line, as well as the entire system, was not a rarity as the railway had to compete with automobiles. Any historian who has an inkling of knowledge on streetcars knows exactly who wins the battle.
1908 Stephenson car #221 is seen stored at the Arlington & Fairfax Electric Railway's Lacey Yard facility sometime between 1935 and 1937. Old #221 was one of the only cars that still had an aesthetically pleasing look as it had been repainted sometime during the early 1930's by the railway's car maintenance employees. Many cars remained in the paint schemes of either the Arlington & Fairfax's predecessor railroad, the Washington-Virginia Railway, or other previous owners such as the Mount Vernon, Alexandria, & Washington Railway. As part of the 200 series of cars, #221 spent most of it's life on the A&F making the four mile trek to Green Valley and back before being scrapped with the final surviving electric trolley equipment in 1937.
1910 Brill car #226 prepares to depart Rosslyn Terminal for Green Valley on the Arlington & Fairfax Electric Railway's Nauck Line on March 9th, 1934. Another one of the 200 series cars, old #226 was one of the last cars utilized on the Nauck Line before it was totally converted for auto-railer use only in 1937. This image is facing northeast and showcases a building towards the right hand side which could have possibly been a part of the Pennsylvania Railroad's Rosslyn Connecting Railroad. This railroad was a wholly owned subsidiary of the PRR and operated between a junction south of Long Bridge to an industrial park in Rosslyn. As one can observe from the image, the right of way of the Arlington & Fairfax was built on a fill that caused the Rosslyn Connecting Railroad's facilities being unable to connect with either the A&F or the neighboring Washington & Old Dominion Railway.
1918 Brill car #300 is seen stored at the Arlington & Fairfax Electric Railway's Lacey Yard sometime between 1933 and 1937. This car was one of four purchased from junk dealer J. B. Simpson who in turn, had purchased the group during the liquidation sale of the Mount Vernon, Alexandria, & Washington Railway in 1932. #300, along with sisters #307, #311, and another, all arrived on the property of the Arlington & Fairfax at Rosslyn in 1933. All four cars would remain on the roster pulling passengers on the Fairfax Line until the end of electric service in 1937.
In a classic scene from Lacey Yard, Brill cars #300 and #318 are seen stored alongside Stephenson car #221 near the end of electric service in 1936. #300 is the car farthest to the right and closest to the camera. All three of these cars would remain in service until the official end of electric trolley operations in 1937. Notice how despite this photograph being in black and white, it appears that #300 and #318 are in two different paint schemes. This is because #300 was formerly owned by the neighboring Mount Vernon, Alexandria, & Washington Railway and at the time of #300's purchase in 1933, the Arlington & Fairfax was so low on funds that they simply couldn't repaint the car into the company's paint scheme. So it remained in the livery of the Mount Vernon, Alexandria, & Washington until it was scrapped in 1937.
1918 Brill car #317 is caught performing the sacred art of changing the poles at Rosslyn Terminal on March 9th, 1934. Note the Fairfax sign, this means that after the car departs, it's final destination will be Fairfax Court House where, after all passengers depart, it will begin it's trip back north to Lacey where it will end the day. Something peculiar arose while I was researching the history of this specific car. Apparently, after it's tenure on the Arlington & Fairfax, the car ended up on the Richmond-Ashland Railway; an interurban that connected Richmond, Virginia, to Ashland, Virginia. The strange thing about this revelation is that the Richmond-Ashland Railway was abandoned in 1938, just a year after the last trolley ran on the Arlington & Fairfax! This photo was taken in 1934 while I have seen a photo of #317 on the Richmond-Ashland Railway in 1936. Strange indeed.
1918 Brill car #318 is caught loading passengers sometime between 1927 and 1934 at the Rosslyn Terminal. Note the kids in the window of the car; how much money I would give to be in their position. Also, note the primitive couplers on the front of the trolley; these were added to pull trailers when required. However, at this point in the Arlington & Fairfax's history, the patronage was so low that an extra car would serve no purpose.
*Nick A. Jobe Collection*
Sources
Old Dominion Trolley Too By: John E. Merriken - This is the most informative and well written piece of literacy concerning the Arlington & Fairfax Electric Railway and its predecessors.
Northern Virginia Trolleys Wikipedia Page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Virginia_trolleys - Detailed and very informative descriptions and maps of the Arlington & Fairfax Electric Railway and predecessors.
Various trolley manufacturers builder records as supplied by well known traction historian Harold E. Cox http://streetcars.telcen.com/
Copyright Nick A. Jobe - All Rights Reserved 2018-2021