I’m going to a wedding in September that will be held in Middleburg, Virginia. I was wondering if there are any good railfanning spots around Middleburg or in the Washington D.C. area?
…I might just suggest to take a look at the beautiful Washington Union Station…Has been restored {years ago}, and on one of my visits to the area, we took a look. {I think}, it’s worth seeing.
We stopped there the last time I was up in Washington, and from what I remember it was hard to get close to the trains (could be wrong).
Yes, I agree…probably not easy to see the rail action at the station. Didn’t know if you had been to the redone station and thought It nice enough to mention.
I live in Virginia, but I don’t know of any good railfanning spots in the Middleburg area. About 50 miles south of DC is the town of Fredericksburg, and the CSX main north-south line runs through it. It used to be the old Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac. Usually there’s plenty of CSX action on this line, depending on freight traffic of course, and Amtrak gives it a lot of use as well. CSX runs right through the town, and the old RF&P station is still there and in use by Amtrak. Norfolk-Southern runs thru Manassas on the old Southern main line but I don’t know what the traffic density’s like, I don’t get up there all that often.
PS: If you’re a Civil War buff I’m sure you recognize the names Manassas and Fredericksburg!
Thanks for the info. Unfortunatly Fredericksburg is going to be too far out of the way…
Is there anything near Arlington?
Middleburg is in the middle ([swg]) of a “no-railroad’s land” (to coin a phrase), but 20 - 30 miles in any direction should get you to an active main line of some type. For example, in addition to the ex-RF&P line mentioned above, the former Southern line from Washington to Charlottesville is also to the southeast; the ex-B&O line along the Potomac River is to the north - Brunswick, Harper’s Ferry, etc.; the ex-N&W line along the Shenandoah River valley is to the west; and the ex-Southern branch line from Manassas to Front Royal is to the south. See the following websites, in rough order of my estimate of their helpfulness (I just googled “virginia + railfan + guide” to find them):
http://www.frograil.com/railroad/va.htm
http://www.railfanvirginia.com/MainNavHome.htm
http://www.trainweb.org/varail/railmap.html
http://members.trainorders.com/varailfan/links.html
http://www.railserve.com/Railfan_Guides/Southeast/
Have fun !
- Paul North.
Don’t forget Point of Rocks. Technically it’s in Maryland, but its literally just across the Potomac. Plus there’s a really neat tunnel there, and the old train station. A moderate amount of CSX traffic headed down toward Harpers Ferry. And I think MARC runs through there during the week. Never been there during the week so I can’t say. Also the C&O canal and trail runs right along the tracks and is really nice for walking with the family.
Here’s a link to some photos of the place if you’re interested:
Labor Day 2010, Point of Rocks, MD.
John
Arlington is a little funny because the airport is RIGHT THERE. Alexandria is a better bet. I work in Alexandria, not far from AF. Sometimes it seems like constant traffic and other days nothing.
Alexandria could be a consideration, and I’d like to visit Point of Rocks, too.
Week days are probably best in Alexandria, I’m guessing?
Anything in/near Vienna?
The D.C. Metro / WMATA is about it. [swg] The “Vienna / Fairfax - GMU” station there is the present westerly end of the “Orange Line” - see: http://www.wmata.com/rail/station_detail.cfm?station_id=103
About 7 miles south is the ex-Southern main line from Alexandria to the southwest, through Burke, along Pohick Park, Fairfax Station, etc.
About 12 miles northeast is the CSX line on the northeastern side of Bethesda, through Garrett Park, etc.
- Paul North.
Are there many trains at those locations you said?
From what I’ve been reading, it sounds like there aren’t as many trains at Point of Rocks as I thought (and the best time is the middle of the day). Is that true?
Point of generalized information…
Daylight is not prime railroad train operation time.
On a Monday-Friday basis track time is allocated toward the maintenance responsibilities of the carriers…track inspection & repair, signal inspection and repair, curfew level heavy duty track work. Depending upon the location of the heavy duty absolute curfew track work, a operating plan will be formulated to maximize train operation during the hourse that the curfew is NOT in effect.
In the areas you are interested in, MARC and VRE operate during the Morning and Afternoon rush hours - freight operations may take place during the interval between the morning and afternoon rushes.
CSX has a major ABSOLUTE curfew in effect between Brunswick & Cumberland as tunnels are being worked on for the National Gateway project to increase clearance to double stack standards…that curfew is in effect between 1130 and 1730 Sunday through Thursday and will be in effect until September 2012. Train operations have been adjusted to work with this scheduled outage.
Middleburg, VA is not too far from Norfolk Southern’s B Line (Manassas to Riveerton Jct., near Front Royal, VA) and its H Line (Hagestown to Roanoke).
I am not sure if you are interested in watching trains, photographing trains or both.
Specific locations on the B Line are the Plains, Marshall, Deleplane, Linden, and Happy Creek (near Front Royal). Specific locations on the H Line are Shepherdstown, WV (either the MD Route 34 bridge or the Rumsey Monument), Berryville, VA, and Boyce VA. Riverton Jct. is pretty much off limits since the road to the junction between the B and the H lines has a gate across the road.
Both.
Are you saying the NS lines are kind of hard to get to?
The NS B line is worth railfanning, even if the traffic is low the scenery is spectacular. Heading north to Brunswick, Point of Rocks, and Harper’s Ferry is also worth the drive. Around Arlington and DC, use the Metro to get around. Good railfan spots at or near the Metro include Union Station, King Street Station in Alexandria, and the Franconia/Springfield Station. At Crystal City there is a park called Waterfall Park ( it’s really a fountain) with an upper seating area that overlooks the CSX tracks. Look for it on the map at the Metro Station. Of course, there is always the Smithsonian, with the train section at the National Museum of American History.
There is no railroad through Vienna anymore, the Washington & Old Dominion right of way is now a park. The station is still there, however, and the Northern Virginia Model Railroaders have a large HO scale layout in there. They meet on Tuesday evenings, but there is usually someone there on Saturdays, too. I think they have a link in the clubs section of this site to them.
Enjoy your visit, John Fallon
Not exactly. I was just referring to the area around Riverton Jct. where you used to be able to go trackside and photograph trains, but it is now off limits. Nevertheless there are several locations where it is possible to photograph trains from public property on Norfolk Southern’s B Line and H Line.
On the B Line you can photograph trains crossing VA 55 at The Plains and at Marshall, VA. Delaplane, VA on US 17 is also a good photo location. Good photo locations on the H Line are at Shepherdstown, WV from either the Rumsey Monument or the Potomac River bridge; the Potomac River Bridge might be the better choice because the view of the track doesn’t seem to be blocked as much by trees. Berryville and Boyce, VA are also good photo locations. All three of the locations are north of Riverton Jct. which is next door to Front Royal, and they are on the busier part of the H Line. The Overall Creek Bridge is approximately 15 miles south of Front Royal, and it is east of next to US 340; it is a good place for an afternoon shot of either northbound or southbound trains, however, the H Line south of Riverton Jct. is nowhere near as busy as the B Line or the H Line north of Riverton, Jct.
You can see lots of Metro and high-speed Amtrak action at New Carrolton station in MD.
On the Norfolk Southern line I watch Amtrak Cardinal, Crescent, VRE, and the new Amtrak Virginia NEC extension at Burke Center VRE Statiom, Manassas VRE station, and all of those trains also highball through a level crossing at Clifton, VA.
On the CSX main line I also watch VRE, many CSX freights, and the Amtrak Auto Train at Woodbridge VRE station as well as an abandoned freight depot near where the Washington Rochambeau Route (a vehicular road) passes under the CSX main line near Woodbridge.
What do you mean by “traffic is low”? I’m just wondering what the best time of day is if I can make it over there.
Is the H line as scenic?
I’ll definitely consider Delaplane.
If I wanted to see the Potomac River bridge is it best place to do it from Harpers Ferry?
What are those bridges leaving Riverton, Jct. and can you get close enough to them to get a good shot?