Rails to Trails: the History of the W&OD and Vestal's Gap Road

On Wednesday, April 11, the Sterling Foundation Historic, Heritage and Preservation Committee will present Rails to Trails: the History of the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Railroad and Old Vestal's Gap Road. You are invited to meet prominent author David Guillaudeu and rail historian Paul McCray who will share the remarkable history of the railroad and its development from Alexandria to Leesburg, Hamilton, Purcellville and Bluemont before finally closing and evolving into the regional park we know today. The presentation will focus on the railroad in the Sterling community.

Also meet Neil Stern, a local writer and historian who will present the history of Old Vestal's Gap Road. A section of this historic colonial road sits embedded within the Sterling Park neighborhood. This unique archaeological relic runs through back yards and empty fields, yet most local folks are completely unaware of its existence. Can the surviving remnants of the old road be saved before modern development removes every remaining trace?

Guillaudeu authored Images of Rail: Washington & Old Dominion Railroad with a Foreword by McCray. The two also co-authored the recently published Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Revisited.

McCray will explain how the railroad came to be established, why there was a station positioned at Guilford, how the town’s agricultural community prospered because of the rail stop and why the railroad line was eventually terminated. Guillaudeu will focus on the specific railroad activity in and around Sterling.

Guillaudeu's interest in railroads began with a Christmas train set. His interest in the W&OD originated with Herbert H. Harwood's book, Rails to the Blue Ridge, which was published in 1964. His curiosity continued by taking and collecting photographs and scale drawings of the railroad and obtaining copies of historical records from libraries and various other public sources. He interviewed railroad employees and other representatives associated with the railroad. After compiling this information for over forty years, with additional materials from the NOVA Park's railroad's archives, David authored two books on the W&OD for Arcadia Publishing. His main focus has been on the construction and operation of the railroad.

Paul McCray served as the park manager of the W&OD Railroad Regional Park from 1985 to 2005. During that time, Paul collected more than 2,000 photographs of the rail line, as well as hundreds of documents and artifacts from the W&OD. Today, he is an unofficial W&OD historian participating at speaking engagements for local history and rail enthusiasts.

Neil Stern is a local writer and historian living in Sterling, Virginia. He works for both the Loudoun County Department of Parks and Recreation and the Fairfax County Park Authority. Stern has been researching Old Vestal's Gap Road for the past six years.

During the 1700's, the seventy mile highway connected Alexandria and Winchester, which were among the five largest cities in Virginia and allowed for the expansion of English settlements. Vestal's Gap Road was used by General Braddock’s troops during the French and Indian Wars and subsequently by troops of both sides during the Revolutionary War. Stern will discuss how the route influenced transportation and migration patterns during the colonial period.

The W&OD Railroad and the Vestal’s Gap Road presentations will take place in the meeting room at the Sterling Library from 6:30 to 8:30 on Wednesday, April 11. The library is located at Sterling Plaza, 22330 South Sterling Boulevard, Suite A117, Sterling, VA, 20164. For more information, contact Todd Gallant at trailpath@aol.com or visit www.sterlingfoundation.org.