I love old railroad photos like this. You’re looking at a couple photos of the Alexandria railroad roundhouse back during the Civil War. They’re just beautiful photos, frozen in time, so make sure you click on them for a larger, more detailed version. You’ll love them.
Photograph shows a locomotive moving away from the roundhouse at the Orange & Alexandria railroad yard in Alexandria, Virginia. Railroad signal lights on pole in foreground.
Photograph shows wood burning locomotive “Gen. Haupt” named for Herman Haupt, chief of Construction and Transportation, in front of the roundhouse at the Alexandria station.
3 thoughts on “Gorgeous Photos of the Alexandria Railroad Roundhouse During the Civil War”
Yep, these photos are great to look at!
Some interesting trivia.
There is a roundhouse shaped community building at the corner of Roundhouse Lane and South Fayette. It’s an obvious homage to the old roundhouse. I’ve heard locals say it was built on its location. Certainly very close, but the old roundhouse was located at the corner of what is now Roundhouse Lane and S. Henry.
I don’t think those are signal lights on the pole in the first photograph. They look very much like insulators for telegraph wires, wires which in this case have not been strung just yet.
On top of the roundhouse cupola, you can see the platform used by Alexander Gardner to take a series of photos of Alexandria during this period, which are also fascinating . . . almost a 360-degree portrait of the city during Union occupation.
Yep, these photos are great to look at!
Some interesting trivia.
There is a roundhouse shaped community building at the corner of Roundhouse Lane and South Fayette. It’s an obvious homage to the old roundhouse. I’ve heard locals say it was built on its location. Certainly very close, but the old roundhouse was located at the corner of what is now Roundhouse Lane and S. Henry.
I don’t think those are signal lights on the pole in the first photograph. They look very much like insulators for telegraph wires, wires which in this case have not been strung just yet.
On top of the roundhouse cupola, you can see the platform used by Alexander Gardner to take a series of photos of Alexandria during this period, which are also fascinating . . . almost a 360-degree portrait of the city during Union occupation.