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Manassas Gap |
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| This road was chartered in 1850 to
connect the Shenandoah Valley town of Strasburg with the port of
Alexandria, Virginia. Construction had been completed in the Valley to Mount Jackson,
in route to Harrisonburg, in 1859. The road used the track of the Orange &
Alexandria Railroad from Tudor Hall (Manassas) to Alexandria. The rental of the
O&A rail was so high that plans were made to construct a separate
line from Tudor Hall to east of Alexandria. Half of the grading and
masonry work was completed when funds ran out in 1858. This grading was prominent
in the 2nd Battle of Manassas.
The railroad's most important war role was the transportation of Johnston's troops from the Valley to Manassas in time to fight in the 1st Battle of Manassas. The road supplied Confederate troops in northern Virginia until Johnston left the area, in 1862, to head to Richmond to meet McClellan. From then on, the road was torn up by both sides and mostly abandoned. In 1863, the company headquarters and shops were established in Greensboro, N. C. In 1864, its rolling stock was in use on the Piedmont Railroad. |
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| Black's Number | 110 (map) |
| Track | 90 miles of 4 foot 8 inch gauge, 38 miles 60# T-rail and 52 miles of 52# T-rail |
| Locomotives | 9; 10 names |
| Cars | 232 |
| Stations | 20 |
| Officers | 1 |
| Tredegar Purchases | All |
| Significant Documents | |