Chesterfield Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Chesterfield Railroad was located in Chesterfield County, Virginia
. It was a 13-mile (21-kilometre) long mule-and-gravity
powered line that connected the Midlothian
coal
mines with wharves that were located at the head of navigation on the James River
just below the fall line
at Manchester
(on the south bank directly across from Richmond
). It began operating in 1831 as Virginia's first common carrier
railroad.
Although it was dismantled before the American Civil War
after being supplanted by the steam-powered Richmond and Danville Railroad
, several portions of the embankments for the roadbed are extant in Chesterfield County near present-day Midlothian Turnpike.
mining in the Midlothian
area of Chesterfield County began in the 18th century. Around 1701, French Huguenot
settlers to the area discovered the existence of the coalfield. In a 1709 diary entry William Byrd II
, who is credited as the founder of Richmond
, and had purchased 344 acres (1.4 km²) of land in the area where coal was found, noted that "the coaler found the coal mine very good and sufficient to furnish several generations." It was first commercially mined in the 1730s, and was used to make cannon at Westham (near the present Huguenot Memorial Bridge
) during the American Revolutionary War
. http://www.greatcpa.com/coalmine.htm
In 1804, the Manchester and Falling Creek Turnpike was built to ease traffic on what is now Old Buckingham Road. In 1807, became the first graveled roadway of any length in Virginia. http://www.greatcpa.com/coalmine.htm However, by 1824, Midlothian area coal mine owners were frustrated by the difficulty of transporting on the toll road
now known as Midlothian Turnpike more than 1,000,000 bushel
s of coal by wagons and horse teams to waiting ships below the falls at Manchester
on the banks of the James River
.
Seeking a better method of transportation so that their markets could be expanded, in 1825, a group of mine owners, including Nicholas Mills
, Beverley Randolph and Abraham S. Wooldridge, resolved to build a tramway
. The Wooldridge family hailed from East Lothian
and West Lothian
in Scotland
, and named their mining company Mid-Lothian, the source of the modern name.
, Virginia's State Engineer, surveyed the proposed route and deemed it feasible for construction. This feasibility study was necessary to obtain funding assistance from the Virginia Board of Public Works
, a state agency which, beginning in 1816, invested in a portion of the stock of privately-managed companies building canals, turnpikes, and, later, railroads.
In February 1828, the Chesterfield Railroad Company obtained its charter from the Virginia General Assembly
. Within a year, $100,000 stock was subscribed, half purchased by the colliers of Chesterfield County and half by Richmond-area investors. The company hired Moncure Robinson
, (1802–1891) a European-trained engineer
and U.S. railroad pioneer to supervise construction.
In 1830, capital stock was increased to $150,000 to cover unexpectedly high construction expenses. By June 1831, the construction was completed at $127,000 total cost.
In 1836, the Chesterfield Railroad Company reported carrying 25,903 cars, 84,976 ton
s (77,089 tonne
s) of coal. It received gross revenues of $83,409. This equaled 19% of stockholders' original investment repaid plus 6% dividend. It was reputed to be the most profitable railroad in the world at the time.
In 1840, one of the mining companies reported that 300,000 bushels of coal were extracted from the 777 feet (236.8 m)-deep Pump Shaft alone, one of the more active mines, using the labor of approximately 150 men and 25 mules. http://www.midlomines.org/history.html It is believed that most of this coal was shipped out by the Chesterfield Railroad.
By 1844, the Chesterfield Railroad had repaid the stockholders' entire original investment and consequently came under regulation of Virginia Board of Public Works, which adjusted charges to fix a dividend return of 6%. The rate for carrying coal reduced from 6¢ per bushel to 3¢.
began operation to Coalfield Station (later renamed Midlothian). Although unsuccessful lawsuits followed, the Chesterfield Railroad was quickly supplanted by the competition. It filed its last report with the Virginia Board of Public Works in 1851. With permission from the state legislature, the Chesterfield Railroad was dismantled before the American Civil War
.
s, Chesterfield Railroads moved its railcar
s loaded with coal mostly by gravity downhill to the docks on the James River
at the southern edge of Manchester
. In places where the line ran uphill, mule
s helped the cars climb some slopes. The empty cars were hauled back uphill by the mules to the mine, to be reloaded again. In one area the weight of the loaded cars and their downhill motion pulled the empty cars (connected to the full ones by ropes and drums) back toward the mines.
One of the most remarkable features was a cycloidal inclined plane, a drum and rope device by which loaded coal-carrying cars lowered down the steep western slope of Falling Creek
Valley pulled by two empty cars traveling up the slope. On the eastern side, the loaded cars were then raised 80 feet (24.4 m) over a 1000 feet (304.8 m) distance, with power supplied by animals. After completing that movement, the roadbed was mostly a gradual downhill slope over relatively level terrain towards Manchester.
At this location, a short portion of the former rail bed on a fill is still visible just south of the marker, between a retail center and a condominium complex.
Just 1 mile (1.6 km) west of this marker, the site of the cycloidal inclined plane on the steep western slope of Falling Creek Valley is still recognizable and juxtaposes the remains of the railroad bridge at Falling Creek. The location is about 1 miles (1.6 km) east of the Village of Midlothian on US Highway 60.
Chesterfield County, Virginia
Chesterfield County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. In 2010, its population was estimated to be 316,236. Chesterfield County is now the fourth-largest municipality in Virginia . Its county seat is Chesterfield...
. It was a 13-mile (21-kilometre) long mule-and-gravity
Gravity railroad
A gravity railroad or Gravity railway is a railroad on a slope that allow cars carrying minerals or passengers to coast down the slope by the force of gravity alone. The cars are then hauled back up the slope using animal power or a stationary engine and a cable, chain or one or more wide, flat...
powered line that connected the Midlothian
Midlothian, Virginia
Midlothian is an unincorporated community in Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States. Founded over 300 years ago as a coal mining village, it is now a suburban community located in the Southside of Richmond well beyond the city limits of Richmond in the Richmond–Petersburg region.It was named...
coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
mines with wharves that were located at the head of navigation on the James River
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
just below the fall line
Fall line
A fall line is a geomorphologic unconformity between an upland region of relatively hard crystalline basement rock and a coastal plain of softer sedimentary rock. A fall line is typically prominent when crossed by a river, for there will often be rapids or waterfalls...
at Manchester
Manchester, Virginia
Manchester, Virginia is a former independent city in Virginia in the United States. Prior to receiving independent status, it served as the county seat of Chesterfield County, between 1870 and 1876...
(on the south bank directly across from Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
). It began operating in 1831 as Virginia's first common carrier
Common carrier
A common carrier in common-law countries is a person or company that transports goods or people for any person or company and that is responsible for any possible loss of the goods during transport...
railroad.
Although it was dismantled before the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
after being supplanted by the steam-powered Richmond and Danville Railroad
Richmond and Danville Railroad
The Richmond and Danville Railroad was chartered in Virginia in the United States in 1847. The portion between Richmond and Danville, Virginia was completed in 1856...
, several portions of the embankments for the roadbed are extant in Chesterfield County near present-day Midlothian Turnpike.
History
CoalCoal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
mining in the Midlothian
Midlothian, Virginia
Midlothian is an unincorporated community in Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States. Founded over 300 years ago as a coal mining village, it is now a suburban community located in the Southside of Richmond well beyond the city limits of Richmond in the Richmond–Petersburg region.It was named...
area of Chesterfield County began in the 18th century. Around 1701, French Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
settlers to the area discovered the existence of the coalfield. In a 1709 diary entry William Byrd II
William Byrd II
Colonel William Byrd II was a planter, slave-owner and author from Charles City County, Virginia. He is considered the founder of Richmond, Virginia.-Biography:...
, who is credited as the founder of Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, and had purchased 344 acres (1.4 km²) of land in the area where coal was found, noted that "the coaler found the coal mine very good and sufficient to furnish several generations." It was first commercially mined in the 1730s, and was used to make cannon at Westham (near the present Huguenot Memorial Bridge
Huguenot Memorial Bridge
Huguenot Memorial Bridge is located in Henrico County and the independent city of Richmond, Virginia. It carries State Route 147 across the former Chesapeake and Ohio Railway , the James River and Kanawha Canal, and the James River in the fall line region above the head of navigation at...
) during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. http://www.greatcpa.com/coalmine.htm
In 1804, the Manchester and Falling Creek Turnpike was built to ease traffic on what is now Old Buckingham Road. In 1807, became the first graveled roadway of any length in Virginia. http://www.greatcpa.com/coalmine.htm However, by 1824, Midlothian area coal mine owners were frustrated by the difficulty of transporting on the toll road
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
now known as Midlothian Turnpike more than 1,000,000 bushel
Bushel
A bushel is an imperial and U.S. customary unit of dry volume, equivalent in each of these systems to 4 pecks or 8 gallons. It is used for volumes of dry commodities , most often in agriculture...
s of coal by wagons and horse teams to waiting ships below the falls at Manchester
Manchester, Virginia
Manchester, Virginia is a former independent city in Virginia in the United States. Prior to receiving independent status, it served as the county seat of Chesterfield County, between 1870 and 1876...
on the banks of the James River
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
.
Seeking a better method of transportation so that their markets could be expanded, in 1825, a group of mine owners, including Nicholas Mills
Nicholas Mills
Nicholas Mills Sr. was a prominent businessman in Richmond, Virginia. He built a 13 mile tramway known as the Chesterfield Railroad Company to connect the coal pits of Chesterfield County to the James River. He was at one time the owner of the Chesterfield Coal Pits and president of the Tredegar...
, Beverley Randolph and Abraham S. Wooldridge, resolved to build a tramway
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
. The Wooldridge family hailed from East Lothian
East Lothian
East Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh....
and West Lothian
West Lothian
West Lothian is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, North Lanarkshire, the Scottish Borders and South Lanarkshire....
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and named their mining company Mid-Lothian, the source of the modern name.
Planning and construction 1827-1831
In the winter of 1827, Claudius CrozetClaudius Crozet
Benoit Claudius Crozet was an educator and civil engineer.Crozet was born in France. After serving in the French military, in 1816, he immigrated to the United States. He taught at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, and helped found the Virginia Military Institute at Lexington,...
, Virginia's State Engineer, surveyed the proposed route and deemed it feasible for construction. This feasibility study was necessary to obtain funding assistance from the Virginia Board of Public Works
Virginia Board of Public Works
The Virginia Board of Public Works was a governmental agency which oversaw and helped finance the development of Virginia's internal transportation improvements during the 19th century. In that era, it was customary to invest public funds in private companies, which were the forerunners of the...
, a state agency which, beginning in 1816, invested in a portion of the stock of privately-managed companies building canals, turnpikes, and, later, railroads.
In February 1828, the Chesterfield Railroad Company obtained its charter from the Virginia General Assembly
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...
. Within a year, $100,000 stock was subscribed, half purchased by the colliers of Chesterfield County and half by Richmond-area investors. The company hired Moncure Robinson
Moncure Robinson
Moncure Robinson was a European-trained civil engineer and U.S. railroad building pioneer. He built the Chesterfield Railroad, the first in Virginia completed in 1831. He built the bridge across the James River between Manchester and Richmond, Virginia for the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad...
, (1802–1891) a European-trained engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
and U.S. railroad pioneer to supervise construction.
In 1830, capital stock was increased to $150,000 to cover unexpectedly high construction expenses. By June 1831, the construction was completed at $127,000 total cost.
Most profitable railroad in the world 1831-1850
By September, 1831, the railroad was operational, using horses, mules and gravity as motive power. One hundred and sixty cars were put into operation, and it was an instant financial success.In 1836, the Chesterfield Railroad Company reported carrying 25,903 cars, 84,976 ton
Ton
The ton is a unit of measure. It has a long history and has acquired a number of meanings and uses over the years. It is used principally as a unit of weight, and as a unit of volume. It can also be used as a measure of energy, for truck classification, or as a colloquial term.It is derived from...
s (77,089 tonne
Tonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
s) of coal. It received gross revenues of $83,409. This equaled 19% of stockholders' original investment repaid plus 6% dividend. It was reputed to be the most profitable railroad in the world at the time.
In 1840, one of the mining companies reported that 300,000 bushels of coal were extracted from the 777 feet (236.8 m)-deep Pump Shaft alone, one of the more active mines, using the labor of approximately 150 men and 25 mules. http://www.midlomines.org/history.html It is believed that most of this coal was shipped out by the Chesterfield Railroad.
By 1844, the Chesterfield Railroad had repaid the stockholders' entire original investment and consequently came under regulation of Virginia Board of Public Works, which adjusted charges to fix a dividend return of 6%. The rate for carrying coal reduced from 6¢ per bushel to 3¢.
Outmoded by steam railroad competition 1850-1851
In 1850, the new steam-driven Richmond and Danville RailroadRichmond and Danville Railroad
The Richmond and Danville Railroad was chartered in Virginia in the United States in 1847. The portion between Richmond and Danville, Virginia was completed in 1856...
began operation to Coalfield Station (later renamed Midlothian). Although unsuccessful lawsuits followed, the Chesterfield Railroad was quickly supplanted by the competition. It filed its last report with the Virginia Board of Public Works in 1851. With permission from the state legislature, the Chesterfield Railroad was dismantled before the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Design features
Operating its entire lifetime without any locomotiveLocomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s, Chesterfield Railroads moved its railcar
Railcar
A railcar, in British English and Australian English, is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach , with a driver's cab at one or both ends. Some railways, e.g., the Great Western...
s loaded with coal mostly by gravity downhill to the docks on the James River
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
at the southern edge of Manchester
Manchester, Virginia
Manchester, Virginia is a former independent city in Virginia in the United States. Prior to receiving independent status, it served as the county seat of Chesterfield County, between 1870 and 1876...
. In places where the line ran uphill, mule
Mule
A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny...
s helped the cars climb some slopes. The empty cars were hauled back uphill by the mules to the mine, to be reloaded again. In one area the weight of the loaded cars and their downhill motion pulled the empty cars (connected to the full ones by ropes and drums) back toward the mines.
One of the most remarkable features was a cycloidal inclined plane, a drum and rope device by which loaded coal-carrying cars lowered down the steep western slope of Falling Creek
Falling Creek
Falling Creek is a tributary of the James River located near Richmond, Virginia. Approximately in length, it varies in width between at its source to several hundred feet in the Falling Creek Reservoir. Falling Creek rises in the Salisbury section of northwestern Chesterfield County and empties...
Valley pulled by two empty cars traveling up the slope. On the eastern side, the loaded cars were then raised 80 feet (24.4 m) over a 1000 feet (304.8 m) distance, with power supplied by animals. After completing that movement, the roadbed was mostly a gradual downhill slope over relatively level terrain towards Manchester.
Heritage & Remnants
The Chesterfield Railroad is commemorated by two Virginia Historical Markers and an exhibit in the Chesterfield Museum.First Railroad in Virginia Historical marker & remnant site nearby
Historical marker First Railroad in Virginia, S-30, is located on U.S. Highway 60, 3.78 miles (6.08 km) west of the Richmond city limits at State Route 150, and 1.5 miles (2.41 km) west of the junctions of US Highway 60 and State Route 76.At this location, a short portion of the former rail bed on a fill is still visible just south of the marker, between a retail center and a condominium complex.
Chesterfield Railroad Virginia Historical marker & remnant site nearby
Historical marker Chesterfield Railroad, O-64 is located about 2 miles (3.2 km) east of the Village of Midlothian in U.S. Highway 60.Just 1 mile (1.6 km) west of this marker, the site of the cycloidal inclined plane on the steep western slope of Falling Creek Valley is still recognizable and juxtaposes the remains of the railroad bridge at Falling Creek. The location is about 1 miles (1.6 km) east of the Village of Midlothian on US Highway 60.
Chesterfield Museum
An exhibit on local mining history in the Chesterfield Museum includes a length of iron rail from the incline railway, first in Virginia.External links
- Virginia Places: Coal Transportation pages
- Midlothian Mines and Rail Road Foundation
- Old Dominion Railway Museum, Richmond, VA
- Virginia Department of Historic Resources, Highway Marker official website
- Coal Mining in Chesterfield County, Virginia website
- Virginia Historical Society
- Chesterfield Chesterfield Historical Society
- Trains From Yesterday: The Bicentennial story of Southern Railway