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. A number of communities developed along their routes. In 1910, they merged into the Washington-Virginia Railway, which entered receivership after a dozen years,[2] was split into two companies in 1927, and stopped operating trolleys by 1939.
At its peak, the system consisted of lines that ran from downtown D.C. to Fort Humphries/Mount Vernon, to Fairfax via Clarendon and to Rosslyn; from Rosslyn to Fairfax and Nauck; from Alexandria to Bluemont via Bon Air; from Georgetown to Bon Air and from Georgetown to Great Falls.
The major lines of the Washington-Virginia Railway converged at Arlington Junction, which was located in the northwest corner of present-day Crystal City south of the Pentagon[3] and in Rosslyn at the south end of the Aqueduct Bridge, near today's Key Bridge and adjacent to a W&OD station.
The Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) Railway terminated in Georgetown at a station on the west side of the Georgetown Car Barn after crossing the Potomac River from Rosslyn over the Aqueduct Bridge. After the Francis Scott Key Bridge replaced the Aqueduct Bridge in 1923, the W&OD was no longer allowed to cross into D.C. Instead, Washington streetcars crossed the river on the new bridge, reaching a turnaround loop in Rosslyn where passengers could transfer to Northern Virginia trolleys.
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. Much of the system was shut down in 1932 after the trolleys lost their direct connection to Washington, D.C., and the last trolley ran in 1941.
Most of what remains of the system was affiliated with the W&OD, whose right-of-way has been turned into two trails, a park, part of I-66, and Old Dominion Drive.
Washington—Virginia Railway system map (c. 1915). Washington—Virginia Railway Company (publisher). In"Figure 18: A map of the electric train line"(PDF). South Railroad Street Park Master Plan: General Management Plan and Conceptual Development Plan. Fairfax County Park Authority. September 27, 2006. p. 19. Archived from the original(PDF) on October 7, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
1900 map of Alexandria County, Virginia (now Arlington County), showing the routes of the Washington, Arlington & Falls Church Railway and the Washington, Alexandria & Mt. Vernon Electric Railway: "Map of Alexandria County, Virginia for the Virginia Title Co". Alexandria, Virginia: The Company. 1900. Archived from the original on September 28, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2019 – via Library of Congress website.
Circa 1907 map of Alexandria County, Virginia (now Arlington County), showing the routes of the Washington, Alexandria and the Mt. Vernon Railway (W. A. & Mt V. Ry.) and the Washington, Arlington & Falls Church Railway (W. A. & F. C. Ry.): Noetzel, Gregor; Boteler, G. G. (1907). "Map of Alexandria County, Virginia: formerly part of the District of Columbia". Washington, D.C.: G.G. Boteler. Archived from the original on July 18, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2019 – via Library of Congress website.
1900 map of Alexandria County, Virginia (now Arlington County), showing the routes of the Washington, Alexandria & Mt. Vernon Electric Railway near Arlington Junction: "Map of Alexandria County, Virginia for the Virginia Title Co". Alexandria, Virginia: The Company. 1900. Archived from the original on September 28, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2019 – via Library of Congress website.
Circa 1907 map of Alexandria County, Virginia (now Arlington County), showing the routes of the Washington, Alexandria and the Mt. Vernon Railway (W. A. & Mt V. Ry.) and the Washington, Alexandria and Mt. Vernon Railway (W. A. & Mt V. Ry.) near Arlington Junction: Noetzel, Gregor; Boteler, G. G. (1907). "Map of Alexandria County, Virginia: formerly part of the District of Columbia". Washington, D.C.: G.G. Boteler. Archived from the original on September 28, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2019 – via Library of Congress website.