Greater Greater Washington

Virginia’s antebellum rail network was built to connect the state’s hinterland to its own ports

Rail took a while to reach Northern Virginia. The railroad first reached Washington, DC in 1835, but it would be another twenty-six years before the line was extended across the Potomac.
insider.si.edu

The story of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, 1827-1927 by Edward Hungerford; profusely illustrated with maps, prints, photographs, etc., etc

VOL I: Baltimore faces a crisis -- Organizing the Baltimore and Ohio -- The fourth of July, 1828 -- A great task is right ahead -- Getting down to hard work -- Traffic begins upon the new railroad -- ...
Greater Greater Washington

In the years after the Civil War, Washington became a junction between northern and southern railroads

Washingtonians in 1860 could take trains directly to Baltimore and from there to Philadelphia, Harrisburg, or the trans-Appalachian West. A journey from Alexandria to Richmond, however, required a ...