Augusta County's Historic Past

    From the earliest days of railroading in the United States, Augusta County was a participant in the evolution of railroad transportation. The museum serves as the primary organization responsible for gathering information and resolving inquiries associated with railroading in Augusta County.

  Jedediah Hotchkiss map of 1886 with additional
Augusta County railroads illustrated.
(Courtesy of the U.S. Library of Congress)  
   
   

    Our goal is to be the preiminent repository of knowledge and artifacts associated with Augusta County railroads. The museum works in cooperation with other organizations that share our railroad interest. This includes regional transportation museums, railroad historic societies, county historical societies, and prominent railroad book authors. Part of this work involves searching and identifying digital records found on the internet and organizing these materials so that visitors can rapidily learn about Augusta County railroads without difficult study.

Railroads that constructed railways within Augusta County

Here is a brief list of railroads that constructed railways within Augusta County:

  • Virginia Central (circa 1849-1869) - Gordonsville Va. to Jackson River Va.
  • Virginia Board of Public Works (circa 1850-1857) - Blue Ridge Tunnel construction
  • Mountain Top Track (circa 1854) - The Virginia Central's crossing at Rockfish Gap
  • Valley Railroad (circa 1870-1885) - Harrisonburg Va. to Lexington Va.
  • Shenandoah Valley Railroad (circa 1872-1890) - Grottoes Va. to Vesuvius Va.
  • Washington, Cincinnati, and St. Louis Railway (circa 1872-1873) - Harrisonburg Va. to Mt. Solon Va.
  • Branch Railroad of Crimora (circa 1887) - Manganese mining spur at Crimora Va.
  • Chesapeake and Western Railway - Harrisonburg Va. to North River Gap
  • City Street Car Company (circa 1890-1931) - Horsecar then trolley service Staunton
  • Staunton Development Company Belt Line (circa 1890-1894) and associated industries
  • Shendun Street Railway (circa 1890-1896) - Horsecar service Shedun Station to the Caves
  • Waynesboro and Basic City Street Railway (circa 1890-1896) - Horsecar service between Basic City Va. and Waynesboro Va.
  • Virginia Portland Railway Company (circa 1901-1967)- Marble and limestone line Fordwick Va.
  • Stielgel Lumber - Lumber, Tanning, Coal fields near Stokesville Va.
  • Imperial Extract Extract Company (circa 1914-1917) - Tank car fleet at Stokesville Va.
  • Mill Creek Lumber Company (circa 1914-1917) - Lumber line from Millboro Va. to Williamson Va.
  • Augusta Woods Products (circa 1914-1924) - Lumber line from Millboro Va. to Dearfield Va.
  • Lyndhurst and Sherando Railway (circa 1914-1916) - Lumber and Manganese line from Lipscomb Va. to Mt. Torry.
  • Steel Ores Railway (circa 1906-1913) - Manganese line from Lipscomb Va to the Kennedy Mines.
  • Manganese Products Corporation (circa 1916-1918) - Lumber and Manganese line from Lipscomb Va. to Mt. Torry.

    • Railroad companies that planned to build in Augusta County

    Here is a brief list of railroad companies that planned to build in Augusta County, but for one reason or another failed to construct.

  • Staunton and Potomac Railroad, (chartered March 28, 1831) - Harpers Ferry to Staunton
  • Rivanna and Valley Railroad, (chartered March 5, 1835) - Charlottesville to Rockfish Gap
  • Staunton and James River Rail-road, (chartered March 9, 1835) - Scottsville to Staunton
  • Staunton and Charlottesville Rail-road Company - Staunton to Charlottesville
  • North River Railway Company (circa 1873) - Coal line to Dora Mines near Stokesville Va.
  • Royal Land Company (chartered 1876-8) - Narrow gauge railroad from Mathias Pt. Va. to Pittsburg Pa.
  • Staunton and West Augusta Railroad Company, (chartered February 10, 1880) - Staunton to North Gap
  • Basic City, West Virginia, and Pittsburgh, (chartered March 4, 1890)
  • Atlantic, Staunton, and West Virginia Railroad Company, (chartered February 15, 1892) Chesapeake Bay to West Virginia
  • Basic City, Bridgewater and Piedmont Railway Company (chartered January 23, 1896)
  • Staunton and Augusta Railroad Company, (chartered February 21, 1898)
  • Bellington and Beaver Creek Railroad, (chartered December 6, 1889) Beaver Creek WVa to Staunton
  • Virginia Valley Traction Company, (chartered September 6, 1905)

    • Persons who contributed to building railways in Augusta County

    Here is a brief list of persons who contributed to building railways in Augusta County.

  • Claiborne Rice Mason - Louisa Railroad Superintent, Railroad contractor for Virginia Central and others, Staunton resident
  • Col. Clauduis Crozet - Civil Engineer for the Blue Ridge Tunnel, Brooksville resident
  • Charles Ellet Jr. Eng. - Chief Engineer of the Virginia Central (1853) and for the Mountain Top Track
  • Garrett Gideon Gooch - Railroad contractor and Staunton merchant
  • Charles E. Hoge - Railroad contractor and Staunton oo
  • Michael G. Harman - Virginia Central R.R. shareholder, Civil War Major, Railroad contractor for Valley Railroad and others, Millbrook resident
  • Lorenzo Silbert - Metalurgist, inventor, iron furnance consultant, Stokesville resident
  • Jediah Hotchkiss - Map maker, geologist, surveyor, real estate enterpreur, Staunton resident
  • R.D. Apperson - Manager of the City Street Car Company, Staunton resident

    • Baggage Cart Preservation

      C&O Railway Express cart on display at the museum's former location.  
       

        The C&O baggage cart is from the collection of Vic Meinert who purchased the 1903 Collins train station from the C&O in Staunton for renovation. The cart was sold as surplus to a third party and later obtained by the museum. It is currently stored by a volunteer as it is too large for self-storage.


    Ann Hundley Dovel Collection

      Ann seated at the PRR CTC machine in Wilmington Del.  
       

        The museum is the recipient of the photographic collection of Ann Hundley Dovel of Bridgewater Virgina who was a female pioneer in railfanning. She was featured on the July 1960 cover of TRAINS magazine, "Who is she?" and in a feature article written by Ogle Winston Link.

      Letter from TRAINS magazine  
       

        No stranger to railfanning, she participated in most of the Illoni and NRHS railfan trips of 1958-1962. The collection includes, slides, train orders and ticket stubs which correlate her travels.

    Subject matter includes:

  • NRHS Trip to Montreal for CRR 4-4-0 fantrips.
  • Trip on the Belfast and Moosehead Lake RR.
  • Illoni Trip on the D&RGW narrow gauge between Alamosa NM. and Silverton NM.
  • Illoni Trip on the CB&Q, UP, D&RGW west of St. Louis Ill.
  • NRHS Trips on the Reading Rambles featuring 2100, 2101, and 2102 in steam.
  • NRHS Trip on the Buffalo Creek and Gauley, WVa.
  • NRHS Trip on the U.S. Army Transportation Corps Railroad at Ft. Eustis Va.
  • Visit of the N&W Roundhouse at Lambert Pt. Va.
  • NRHS Trip on RDCs from Balitmore Md. to Harrisburg Va. on the Valley Branch of the B&O.
  • NRHS Trip on the N&W from Roanoke to Saltville Va.
  • NRHS Trip on the Blue Ridge Railroad to Piney River Va.

    • Library Collection

        The museum posses a collection of over one hundred titles of books specific to railroading and model railroading. Subject coverage varies by publisher, author, and region. Additionally the museum has magazines from Classic Toy Trains, Model Railroader, and O Gauge Railroader. These are currently stored by a volunteer as it is too large for self- storage.

      Copyright (C) 2023, Augusta County Railroad Museum, All rights reserved.