Northern Virginia trolleys

The Northern Virginia trolleys were the network of electric passenger rails that moved people around the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., from 1892 to 1941. They consisted of six lines operated by as many as three separate companies connecting Rosslyn, Great Falls, Bluemont, Mount Vernon, Fairfax City, Camp Humphries and Nauck across the Potomac River to the District of Columbia. After early success, the trolleys struggled. They were unable to set their own prices and found it difficult to compete with automobiles and buses. As roads were paved and improved, they gradually lost customers. A final blow came in 1932, when they were forced to give up their direct connection to Washington, D.C.; much of the system was shut down that year. The Great Depression led to further contractions of the system. The last passenger service was terminated in 1941. Northern Virginia's trolleys were originally operated by three companies that all planned to operate within the District of Columbia, but were never integrated into the Washington streetcar network. Two companies were founded in 1892: the Washington, Arlington and Falls Church Railway Company and the Washington, Arlington and Mount Vernon Railway. Their tracks were laid when most of Northern Virginia was undeveloped and had few streets and roads. As a result, the trolleys mostly operated on private right-of-ways that their companies leased or owned. After they began operating, a number of communities developed along their routes. In 1910, following bankruptcy, they merged into one system, the Washington-Virginia Railway. Twelve years later, that company went into receivership. In 1927, two companies emerged. They were eventually purchased or transformed into bus companies and by the end of 1939 were no longer operating trolleys. A third company operated electric cars from 1911 to 1936 as the Washington and Old Dominion Railway; then from 1936 to 1941, and again briefly in 1943, as the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad.