On March 2, 1859, the piercing cry of a steam whistle could be heard echoing across Meems Bottom, and from Third Hill to Hell Town, signaling to all that the Railroad had finally reached Mount Jackson. It had been a long time coming, and when it came, the heart of the Shenandoah Valley was connected to the outside world like never before. The Manassas Gap Railroad Company had been chartered by the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1851, and began construction of its line that same year. The work began at the eastern terminus of the line in Alexandria, and progressed westward toward a low place in the Blue Ridge Mountains from which the railroad would take its name. Once through Manassas Gap, the railroad passed through the town of Front Royal before crossing the Shenandoah River, and continuing around the north end of Massanutten Mountain. Beyond the Massanutten lay the town of Strasburg; where the line turned south, and was to continue to its western terminus at Harrisonburg.
Ups and downs with investors, contractor disputes, and construction delays slowed progress. Even with delays, tie after tie was laid on new stone ballasts, cuts were cut; and, fills were filled. The railroad was completed to Strasburg in 1854, Woodstock in 1856, and then all the way to Mount Jackson three years later. As soon as the first train smoked and puffed down the track, the farmers of Shenandoah County brought wagon loads of goods to the nearest station and filled railcars headed east. Cattle by the hundreds were driven to the loading pens, and then into cattle cars to head to new markets that brought new prosperity to the region. The farm families of the Valley were suddenly connected to a world market with much of their grain and stock being transported, first by the new railroad, and then by ship to far off customers once unreachable. Passenger service brought new business as well, with locals, business travelers and tourists all using the line as soon as it was completed. These travelers needed places to eat and sleep, and hotels sprang up near the stations in Strasburg, Edinburg, and Mount Jackson. Wagon and buggy services were created to take people and their luggage from the station to their destination. Resort destinations like Orkney and Cacapon added rooms and amenities, and dozens of other small industries and services grew everywhere the railroad went.
In 1860, Michael Graham was awarded the contract to complete the railroad from Mount Jackson to Harrisonburg. Graham, his wife and children purchased the Central Hotel in town and a sizable house nearby. Graham set about hiring the crews needed to fulfill his contract with the railroad. Supplies and materials were forwarded along the line to begin laying track; building culverts and bridges, with the goal of finishing construction within the next year. By April, work on the grade was completed as far as Timberville, and the trestles were nearing completion. Unfortunately, the outbreak of the Civil War brought work to a halt, and the railroad would not extend past Mount Jackson for another nine years. The enterprising Graham began purchasing horses and loads of straw to sell to the Confederate government. Graham’s allegiance to the Confederacy ended with his willingness to profit from their need for supplies and materials. When the Union Army arrived in Mount Jackson, Graham immediately began supplying information to Union commanders by spying and scouting at various times throughout the war for Generals Banks, Fremont, Hunter and Meade. He reported after the war that he had supplied the materials for the construction of the Confederate Hospital in Mount Jackson and submitted a $4000.00 claim for damages to the Federal government to be reimbursed for his losses. The government paid the claim.
Following the end of the Civil War, work began to repair the line; which had been heavily damaged by the armies, and to complete the line to Harrisonburg. This work would continue into the mid-1870’s with the railroad once again becoming a major driver of the region’s economic prosperity. New Market was the only town along the Valley Pike that was bypassed by the railroad. This was at the request of New Market’s town leaders; who were opposed to the railroad on the grounds that the noise would bother the citizens of the town, and scare milk cows into reduced production. Town officials felt that these concerns far outweighed any economic benefits that the railroad could ever bring to New Market. The vocal opposition drove the miles westward, and along with it, all the economic benefits and growth that followed the line. In 1876, a derailment on the Narrow Passage Bridge sent a train over the edge and it plummeted more than 180 feet to the creek bottom below. The mangled wreck of twisted iron and wood was littered with the bodies of cattle, and passengers, and represented one of the worst railroad disasters in Virginia history. The bridge was in the process of being rebuilt at the time of the accident. The new bridge was completed; service resumed; and continued well into the 20th century.
Passing through several hands the railroad became part of the Southern Railway and would haul passengers, freight, cattle and loads of limestone from the quarries that developed along the line. Civil War Veterans, touring groups, fraternal organizations and family tourists came by the thousands each year to explore the Valley, its natural beauty and history. By the late 1940’s, the steam engines on the line were replaced by new more powerful and dependable diesel locomotives. Passenger travel slowed as bus service along Route 11 became a more economical and expedient option for travelers, and reliance on the automobile became more universal. The last passenger trains stopped running the line in the early 1950’s, but freight service continued in earnest, and to the advantage of the county’s economy for decades. The last long line train to run the line was the Valley Queen. She rumbled over the rails between Strasburg and Harrisonburg daily, taking about 12 hours round trip with a maximum speed of twenty-five miles per hour out of town, and 8 miles per hour through the towns.
When the corporate merger created the Norfolk Southern Railway (NSR) the line came under the care and operation of the new company and was one of three parallel lines that the company now owned. The company’s business model put a heavy emphasis on intermodal traffic and long-distance shipping. This focus and the redundancy of the line resulted in less and less investment by NSR. Higher shipping rates and less service drove customers away from the once vibrant railroad. By 2020, the last rail cars were removed from the line and service was discontinued. At the same time short line service immediately north and south of this line is booming and the economies in those areas are showing positive results. Rail transportation, and this particular railroad, have seen many changes through the years; periods when the line was operable and periods when it wasn’t. Its bridges have been burned and rebuilt; its track upgraded and its ties replaced. The line has seen triumph and tragedy, great warring armies and peacetime recreational travelers. What has remained constant is the line’s importance to the future of the region. Every generation has returned to the railroad for its own use, reviving the rails and along with them the economy of Shenandoah County.
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