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116-629: Lee Hall Depot was built around 1881 as a part of the Peninsula Extension of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway , being the most Western part of the Warwick County region of the expansion. It connected the Warwick Courthouse with the stations at Williamsburg and Yorktown, along with other stations on the peninsula. On October 19, 1881, the first passenger train to depart from Newport News left

232-467: A blue arrow pointing diagonally upward. No green or red anywhere to be found in the new paint scheme. The iconic red diamond was revised to have the abbreviation "REX". Tom Kole, having only joined REA Express the previous year, had taken over as president and CEO of REA Express, Inc, dethroning Spenser D. Mosely, who'd led the buyout in 1969. In 1971, REA Express initiated a lawsuit against 160 railroads for $ 145 million ($ 1.09 billion in 2023) over

348-494: A city whose site had been selected in 1632 for the very reason that it was on the center ridge, or spine, of the land between the adjacent rivers. After the capital of Virginia had moved to Richmond in 1780, Williamsburg had been reduced in prominence. It was not sited on a major water route and in the 18th and early 19th century, transportation in Virginia was largely by navigable rivers and in some cases, canals. A canal project linking

464-529: A day each way between Williamsburg and Penniman. After World War I, the area was largely abandoned, and then placed into use again in World War II under the name Cheatham Annex as a supply depot for the U.S. Navy. Rail service became inactive, and grade crossings along the spur line at the State Route 143 (Merrimack Trail) and several other points were removed in 2008. During World War II, beginning in 1942,

580-606: A distance of about 75 miles (121 km) were several rivers and some wetlands down the Peninsula to reach Newport News. The initial solution to overcoming that major obstacle in Richmond was the Church Hill Tunnel . The tracks to the new tunnel left the old Virginia Central line west of 17th street and curved southeasterly to enter the tunnel east of N. 18th Street and north of E. Marshall Street under Cedar Street. The east end of

696-475: A item larger than a letter, up to 11 pounds (5.0 kg) in weight. This was on top of laws, Private Express Statutes , that gave the US Post Office the exclusive right to transport letters. Express companies could not transport letters, unless the letter had the correct United States Postage applied, on top of the rates the express company charged. Private railway express business increased steadily through

812-412: A national near-monopoly to ensure the rapid and safe movement of parcels, money, and goods during World War I . REA ceased operations in 1975, unable to adapt to changes in the rail industry, and increased competition from other modes of package delivery. Express delivery in the early 19th century was almost all by horse, whether by stagecoach or riders on horseback. The first parcel express agency in

928-429: A number of issues. They also initiated a lawsuit against United Parcel Service , alleging that UPS had conspired for 60 years to monopolize the small parcels' market. The company also became involved with lawsuits with unions over the efforts to layoff large numbers of employees at once. ICC data revealed that REA Express now only handled 1% of intercity small parcels traffic. During the railroad strike of October 1974,

1044-596: A plan offered by the Virginia General Assembly , in 1868, the new project was merged with the extant Virginia Central Railroad , connected Richmond with the westernmost point at the time. The new enterprise was to be known as the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O). The head of the Virginia Central Railroad was former Confederate General Williams Carter Wickham of Hanover County, Virginia . He

1160-512: A railway line from Richmond to the mouth of the James River. To extend the line east to Hampton Roads from the end of the former Virginia Central Railroad at Richmond in the Shockhoe Valley, there was only a single major obstacle: Richmond's Church Hill , occupied by some of the city's older and nicer buildings. From there east, the only significant obstacles across the gentle coastal plains

1276-693: A single railroad from owning the company, as Pennsylvania Railroad received only 126 shares, New York Central 98 shares, and third and fourth highest Southern Pacific and Santa Fe with 46 shares each. Some of the smallest railroads to receive any shares, such as the Bangor & Aroostook , received only a single share. Share ownership was not required to participate in the Railway Express Agency, with share-less railroads still moving REA traffic. However they wouldn't receive profits from REA, which were paid out according to share ownership. A notable standout from

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1392-590: A single unified entity, American Railway Express Company . All contracts between express companies and railroads were nullified, and McAdoo proposed that all existing express companies be consolidated into a single company to serve the country's needs. The result was a new company called the American Railway Express Agency, which was formed in July 1918 as a consolidation of the four major and three minor express companies. The new entity took custody of all

1508-424: A smaller amount of semi-trailers. Due to REA's connections to the railroads and ICC regulations for most of its existence, packages were required to be transported by rail. Transport by truck or other mode required explicit permission from the railroad impacted by the change of transport mode. Even following loosening of these regulations still had notable limitations, such as a package being allowed by truck, only if

1624-411: A standardized design used for all Chesapeake and Ohio Railway freight houses. Its construction began sometime in 1881. The initial building was a simple one-story freight depot building measuring 25 feet (7.6 m) by 50 feet (15 m), with five double sliding doors along the freight platform. In 1893 a two-story section with a trackside pentagonal facade was added to the building. It had an office for

1740-484: A store, a post office, bank, police station, church, YWCA, YMCA, Mess Halls canteen, and a hospital. The C&O built a spur track on the Peninsula Subdivision from a point about 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Williamsburg (mp 33) to Penniman. The C&O depot at Penniman opened on 1 June 1916. By the fall of 1918, Penniman was a town of about fifteen thousand inhabitants, and there were three passenger trains

1856-506: A ticket office situated between separate waiting rooms; one for white passengers, and a smaller one for "colored" passengers. This section's interior was finished in beaded wood paneling. The operator's bay had an indoor water well, which was accessible through a trapdoor in the floor. In June 2018, the Lee Hall Train Station Foundation was donated CSXT 900066, originally C&O 904144, a type-C27A bay-window caboose by

1972-547: A time. It was also the site in 1886 of the organizational meeting for the Chesapeake Dry Dock and Construction Company. The latter evolved into the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company . For a brief time, Warwick County shifted the location of its county seat to Newport News from the historic location at Denbigh , where it had been situated since colonial times. However, the growth at Newport News

2088-470: A train journey from Williamsburg to Newport News. This simulator was built by museum volunteers. “Chessie’s Place” is the children's area of the museum, focusing on Chessie , the mascot of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. It contains toy and model trains, informational signs and pamphlets, a wooden toy train table, musical instruments, story books, arts and crafts, and other activities. Peninsula Extension The Peninsula Extension which created

2204-415: A wooden "replica" of a C&O diesel locomotive cab that is used to simulate driving a modern-day locomotive. It uses a locomotive control stand taken from an actual engine, with the switches and levers connected to a computer system attached to the back of the simulator. The brake valves were donated by Multi-Service Supply Inc. of Pennsylvania . A TV screen stands in as the front window and plays footage of

2320-563: A work train was trapped by a collapse near the western end. Two workmen crawled under flat cars and escaped out the eastern end of the tunnel, and two bodies including the engineer's were recovered, but two other workers were unaccounted for. During the next week, the community anxiously watched rescue efforts, but each time progress was made, further cave-ins occurred. Eventually, the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC), which regulated railroads in Virginia, ordered

2436-663: Is not located on federal property now forms a rail trail in Waller Mill Park. The Fort Eustis Military Railroad is a United States Army rail transportation system existing entirely within the post boundaries of the United States Army Transportation Center and Fort Eustis (USATCFE), Fort Eustis , Virginia. It has served to provide railroad operation and maintenance training to the US Army and to carry out selected materiel movement missions both within

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2552-825: The Alleghany Mountains , were the falls of the Kanawha River . They similarly marked the head of navigation, but from the west. From the falls of the Kanawha, ships could follow the river to its confluence with the Ohio River, which in turn, flowed west to the Mississippi River. In the earlier periods during which a transportation link was contemplated, the Colony of Virginia (according to the British and its own calculations) extended all

2668-605: The American Railway Express Agency and later renamed the American Railway Express Inc. , was a national package delivery service that operated in the United States from 1918 to 1975. REA arranged transport and delivery via existing railroad infrastructure, much as today's UPS or DHL companies use roads and air transport. It was created through the forced consolidation of existing services into

2784-531: The CSX for display. The caboose, which was built for the C&;O by Fruit Growers Express at their Alexandria repair shop in 1980, had been in use as a shoving platform, a type of railroad car used when trains have to reverse for a long period of time, as a place at the "front" for the switcher crew to stand, but was decommissioned after it was discovered to have a brake defect, and slated to be scrapped. After being contacted by

2900-622: The Chickahominy River south of Bottoms Bridge , Diascund Creek south of Lanexa , and the Warwick River east of Lee Hall. Construction on the tracks between Richmond and Newport News began in Newport News in December 1880. In a method used before by Huntington, work also began from Richmond the following February, and crews at each end worked toward each other. The crews met and completed

3016-454: The E.I. DuPont Nemours company announced that it would develop a large black powder and shell-loading plant facility six miles northeast of Williamsburg in York County . The plant as built was large enough to have ten thousand employees. The new plant and the new town for the workers and families were named Penniman . At its peak, Penniman had housing for 15,000, and included dormitories,

3132-822: The Eastern Continental Divide in the Allegheny Mountains which lead to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico . He had mapped out several potential routes, and in 1785, he been an early investor in a canal venture. The James River was navigable east from the Fall Line at Richmond and Manchester to Hampton Roads , the Chesapeake Bay , and the Atlantic Ocean. However, from these sister cities at

3248-462: The English electrical engineer , Frank Ayton reckoned that with 1,800 electrical vehicles in operation, they were the biggest user of electric vehicles in the world. They also used 4,700 gasoline-powered vehicles for long-distance work and 17,500 horses. By December 1941, REA had acquired 12,000 trucks. Most of these were delivery style trucks for local deliveries between terminals and customers, with

3364-490: The Interstate Commerce Commission granted approval for a monopoly to exist, but encouraged railroads to start their own independent express services. Sixty-nine railroads would take over American Railway Express Inc. on 1 March 1929, under the Railway Express Agency. This takeover consisted of allocating 1,000 shares of stock, according to the levels of express revenue generated by a railroad. This prevented

3480-422: The Interstate Commerce Commission , and one count of conspiracy. Kole, along with others, were accused of embezzling over $ 100,000 ($ 566,234 in 2023) from REA Express during its final years. Kole was sentenced to two years in prison in early 1978 after pleading guilty to the conspiracy charge on 16 January 1977. The original 1929 contract with railroads lasted 25 years, ending in 1954. The arrangement granted REA

3596-567: The National Register of Historic Places in November, 2010 during its restoration. The exterior renovations were completed in 2014. In September 2015, the Lee Hall Train Station Foundation received a $ 600,000 federal grant to pay for the building's interior refurbishment. The museum had a soft opening in June 2021, but officially opened in July of that year. The Lee Hall Depot was built in stages, to

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3712-561: The Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W) shipping from Lambert's Point and that of the later-completed Virginian Railway (VGN) at Sewell's Point turned the harbor of Hampton Roads , the East Coast of the United States' largest ice-free port , into the largest coal export point in the world by 1915. Collis P. Huntington and his associates set developing the tiny unincorporated community at Newport New Point. His Old Dominion Land Company built

3828-579: The Peninsula Subdivision of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) was the new railroad line on the Virginia Peninsula from Richmond to southeastern Warwick County . Its principal purpose was to provide an important new pathway for coal mined in West Virginia to reach the harbor of Hampton Roads for coastal and export shipping on collier ships . Completed on 16 October 1881,

3944-513: The U.S. Army base at Fort Monroe was a fortress situated to guard the entrance to the harbor of Hampton Roads from the Chesapeake Bay (and the Atlantic Ocean). The tracks were completed about 9 miles (14 km) to the town which became Phoebus in December 1882. A passenger and freight station was opened. When the town was incorporated as a political subdivision of Virginia in 1900, it

4060-634: The civil engineering skills of Claudius Crozet . Both railroads and canals had conquered the Blue Ridge Mountains and entered the Shenandoah Valley region when the American Civil War broke out in 1861, bringing new work to a virtual halt. By the end of the War in 1865, many of Virginia's railroads, turnpikes, and canals lay in ruins, although the related debt which had helped fund building them

4176-595: The head of navigation , seven miles (11 km) of rapids marked the transition to the Piedmont Region , and only very shallow craft such as bateau boats could navigate portions of the river from that point west. Over 250 miles (400 km) from Richmond, across the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Shenandoah Valley, and what was called the "Transmountaine" region in old Virginia, better known in modern times as

4292-471: The interwar period , along with interpretive signs attached to plastic barriers giving context as to what the rooms were and how they were used. Inside is period furniture, cookware, toys, décor, clothes, and other objects, along with C&O memorabilia, which is also of the time. The only pieces original to the station are the porcelain sink and water heater. This space is often fitted out to house other temporary and smaller exhibits. The Lee Hall Depot owns

4408-497: The 1950s. The cars stood out with the simple dark green paint scheme and Railway Express Agency on the side. From the 1950s onward, the iconic red diamond logo was also painted on the side. The fleets consisted of baggage cars , refrigerator cars and box cars , all capable of high speed operation and equipped to be added to passenger train consists. Despite being known for their railroad connection, Railway Express Agency maintained an extensive fleet of motor vehicles. In 1925,

4524-577: The 19th century, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) was the fulfillment of a long-held goal of Virginians. Many years before the American Revolution, George Washington , a Virginian licensed as a surveyor by the College of William and Mary during the colonial era, identified the importance of a transportation link between the navigable waters flowing to the Atlantic Ocean and those across

4640-521: The 4,000-foot (1,200 m) long tunnel appeared just north of today's Williamsburg Road near 31st Street below Libby Terrace Park. The construction of the Church Hill Tunnel was problematic. Unlike the bedrock through which the C&O carved its western tunnels, in Richmond, the blue marl clay shrink-swell soil tended to change with rainfall and groundwater. There were cave-ins during the construction. Ten workers were reportedly killed. The tunnel

4756-419: The C&O tracks initially ran down Duke of Gloucester Street and through the grounds of the former Capitol at the eastern end. In 1907, the C&O replaced its passenger station with a fine brick colonial style structure to accommodate the patrons of the tercentennial (300th anniversary) of the founding of Jamestown in 1607. Around this time, the ladies of Williamsburg who were among the early organizers of

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4872-564: The C&O was invaluable to the Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation . In the 1890s, the C&O acquired the Richmond and Allegheny Railroad (R&A) which had been built east from the Blue Ridge Mountains along the towpath of the James River and Kanawha Canal , proving an alternate "water level" route to Richmond following the north bank of the James River. To create a good connection to

4988-533: The Capitol end of the city were upset. So, the C&O main line only went down Duke of Gloucester Street from 16 October to 13 December 1881. After that date, the railroad was realigned to its current state north of Williamsburg. The leaders of Elizabeth City County and Warwick County even adjusted their mutual boundary slightly to allow the railroad to be completely within Warwick County at one location. Although

5104-420: The James River on the harbor of Hampton Roads . It later became clear that Huntington had never forgotten his 1837 visit to Newport News Point. By the early 1870s, he and his associates began buying up land on the Peninsula, nowhere more intensely than in Warwick County, where their Old Dominion Land Company soon owned enough for a railroad line, a coal pier and even more. In 1873, Major Robert H. Temple surveyed

5220-468: The Lee Hall Train Station Foundation, and initially turning them down, CSX decided to donate the caboose to the museum. After the donation, the car was moved to the U.S. Army Transportation Museum and restored by a large group of volunteers at a cost of $ 18,262. It was then donated to the City of Newport News, due to the fact that the foundation could not afford the $ 5 million liability insurance required to have

5336-517: The Norge Station had been repainted in its original livery, featuring a bright orange as the primary color. The former C&O station from Ewell also survives, and is in an adaptive reuse. However, the other James City County stations which were located at Diascund , Toano , Kelton (Lightfoot) and Grove are all gone without a trace. In Williamsburg, a number of years before the Restoration,

5452-473: The Peninsula throughout the 20th century. Over 125 years after it opened, many of the stations are gone. Spur lines have both come and gone. Also gone are the steam locomotives , save one on display at Huntington Park in Newport News, another at the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond, and a third which was left buried in Richmond's Church Hill Tunnel . Despite the changes, in the early 21st century,

5568-521: The U.S. Army built connecting tracks and operated its own locomotive for a number of years. At Old Point Comfort, in addition to the Army base at Fort Monroe, the Hampton Branch served both the older Hygeia Hotel and the new Hotel Chamberlin , popular destinations for civilians. During the first half of the 20th century, excursion trains were operated to reach nearby Buckroe Beach , where an amusement park

5684-529: The U.S. Navy took over a large area on the north side of the Virginia Peninsula in York County which became known as Camp Peary , initially for use as a Seabee training base. The C&O extended a spur track from its main line tracks to the site and established Magruder Station near the former unincorporated town of Magruder . The spur tracks were later removed. A portion of the old right-of-way which

5800-485: The United States is generally considered to have been started by William Frederick Harnden (1812–1845), who in 1839 began regular trips between New York City and Boston, Massachusetts , as a courier transporting small parcels, currency and other valuables. Another, Wells Fargo & Co , was founded in 1853. Other early express companies included Southern Express Company , Adams Express Company ; and Butterfield Overland Mail . As railroads developed and expanded through

5916-531: The United States, linking towns of all sizes, stagecoach and horseback gave way to rail. The express business flourished in the latter half of the 19th century, and by 1900 there were four principal parcel express companies, all of which included the rapidly advancing railways as one of their means of transport: Adams Express Company, Southern Express Company, American Express Company, and Wells Fargo. The United States Post Office Department introduced parcel post in 1913. This service enabled an individual to mail

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6032-476: The agency. In response to customer demand, REA added a Chicago -based refrigerator car line. In 1927, REA began an Air Express Division. In 1938, the remainder of Southern Express also joined the consolidated REA. Following the end of the war, express operations remained profitable into the 1950s. As passenger operations struggled from the growing airline industry and automobile ownership, express revenues did better than passenger in some situations. The reality

6148-607: The building of turnpikes and canals. Work on the James River and Kanawha Turnpike and the James River and Kanawha Canal , both prominent infrastructure improvements, was partially funded by the Virginia General Assembly through the Virginia Board of Public Works , although the canal was never completed. By the 1830s, railroads were emerging as a favorable technology for such purposes, and Virginia's network of turnpikes, canals, and railroads grew, substantially guided by

6264-561: The caboose moved by rail. The caboose was delivered to the depot by the Fort Eustis Military Railroad, and placed on a 250-foot (76 m) piece of display track, originally a siding for the station, by crane on May 19, 2022. The caboose is currently open for tours on Saturdays and during special events. The Lee Hall Train Station Foundation is currently restoring an 80-foot (24 m) hospital car built in 1944 used at

6380-542: The colonial capital city to the James and York rivers had been planned and begun for Williamsburg. However, it was never completed due to the American Revolutionary War . Although new railroads seem to be springing up in many places after 1830, until now, none had come to Williamsburg or the lower Peninsula. Until the coming of the railroad, the areas furthest from the rivers were generally the least-populated, excepting

6496-481: The company had agreements with dozens of airlines to transport express freight on their aircraft. REA's domination of air express freight would come to an end shortly before its demise, when the Civil Aeronautics Board , responsible for regulation of aviation operations, required airlines that REA was using to ship its express cargo, to discontinue the practice by 5 June 1974. REALCO , REA Leasing, Co.,

6612-470: The country temporarily starting on 28 December 1917. This order however, did not include the various major express companies. McAdoo did not view the multiple companies as a favorable arrangement, and pushed for their consolidation into a single organization, which was done on 1 July 1918. Railroad-owned Great Northern Express, Northern Express, Western Express, and non-railroad-owned Adams Express, American Express, Wells Fargo, Southern Express were merged into

6728-460: The depot from being demolished by the CSX Railroad. The process involved carefully splitting the building into two sections, one being the waiting room wing, and the other the cargo bay and mid-section, and then joining them together on a new foundation. The process was undertaken by PMA Designs, Expert House Movers, and the City of Newport News at a cost of $ 900,000. The Lee Hall Depot was listed on

6844-448: The depot was used for passenger service by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway until Amtrak took over service on May 1, 1971. Amtrak resumed service to Lee Hall, albeit as a request stop , with the Colonial on October 30, 1977. Starting in 1978, the waiting room was leased to the 'Peninsula Model Railroad Club' to house their N scale model railway. In 1981, to celebrate the centenary of

6960-564: The end in 1975, REA Express, Inc. lost an average of $ 50,000,000 ($ 415,426,497 in 2023) every year. On February 18, 1975, REA Express, Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy , blaming: high inflation, lack of available credit, a downturn in express shipments and losses due to continued issues with railroads. In June 1975, wildcat strikes occurred at facilities in New York City , Chicago , St Louis , Kansas City , Philadelphia and Oklahoma in reaction to bankruptcy reorganization efforts during

7076-423: The end of World War I. During the winter of 1917, the United States suffered a severe coal shortage. On December 26, President Woodrow Wilson nationalized the railroads in order to move federal troops , their supplies, and coal. Treasury Secretary William Gibbs McAdoo was appointed Director General of the newly formed United States Railroad Administration (USRA), which controlled all significant railroads in

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7192-442: The exclusive right to express services on railroads. The railroads would provide rolling stock, space at stations, access to railroad platforms, as well as space in any baggage cars that was not being used. In turn, REA would provide 85% of gross revenue from its rail car shipments to the railroads. After operating expenses were calculated, any profits would be disbursed monthly to the shareholder railroads, according to REA traffic on

7308-536: The existing line at Fulton yard, and as an added benefit, avoid the troublesome Church Hill tunnel, the C&O constructed a 3-mile-long double track elevated viaduct along the riverfront extending between the area of Hollywood Cemetery east past downtown Richmond, the Shockoe Valley , and Church Hill to join the Peninsula Subdivision at Fulton Yard (east of the tunnel). At the same time, a new Main Street Station

7424-452: The first Altair 8800 microcomputer was lost. It had been shipped from Albuquerque to Popular Electronics magazine in New York via REA and never arrived. The effects of the recession literally pulled the rug out from under our carefully planned recovery program and our cash position during the past two months has become critical. Our attempts to obtain Government‐backed loans and relief legislation have not been successful. From 1969 to

7540-403: The gentler climate of eastern Virginia and depressed post-Civil War land prices would be attractive to his fellow Scandinavians who were farming in other northern parts of the country. He began sending out notices, and selling land. Soon there was a substantial concentration of relocated Americans of Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish descent in the area. The location earlier known as Vaiden's Siding on

7656-763: The group which became Preservation Virginia (formerly known as the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities) successfully prevailed upon the Old Dominion Land Company to turn over ownership of the capital historic site. Beginning in 1926, Reverend Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin led a campaign to preserve and restore Williamsburg's colonial-era properties. He was successful in gaining the interest and financial support of philanthropists Abby Aldrich Rockefeller and her husband, Standard Oil heir John D. Rockefeller Jr. The Rockefellers made historic Bassett hall at Williamsburg their second home for several months each year, and took substantial interest in details of "The Restoration" which created Colonial Williamsburg . Partially on

7772-577: The high ground of the Peninsula between the rivers which border it. As a result, the route selected faced only gentle grades through coastal plains of the Tidewater region of Virginia , dropping only about 30 feet (9.1 m) in elevation, from Richmond (54 feet above sea-level) to Newport News (at 15 feet (4.6 m) above sea-level). The new C&O line ran through several American Civil War battlefield areas in eastern Henrico County and then through Charles City County , New Kent County , James City County , York County and Warwick County. It crossed

7888-497: The historic Norge railroad station building (circa 1908) of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was relocated about 1-mile (1.6 km) to a site adjacent to the James City County Branch of the Williamsburg Regional Library on Croaker Road. Community volunteers set to work providing a new foundation and restoring the exterior, with additional improvements set for the future. A community project, the local Virginia Gazette newspaper reported that in January 2009, following historical research,

8004-456: The interest of industrialist Collis P. Huntington and gained access to the new financing needed. Huntington had been one of the " Big Four ", the men involved in building the Central Pacific portion of the Transcontinental Railroad , which was at that time just reaching completion. Under the new leadership and financing, during 1869–1873 the hard work of building through West Virginia was done with large crews working from both ends, much in

8120-465: The intermodal Williamsburg Transportation Center , offering one of the more complete range of services of its type in the country. Lee Hall, the westernmost station in Warwick County, was named for the nearby mansion of Richard Decatur Lee . During the 1862 Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War , it served as the headquarters of Confederate General John B. Magruder . A tiny village which came to be known as Lee Hall, Virginia developed after

8236-519: The interstate highway system after WWII meant that trucks and other vehicles had more flexibility in transporting goods to a variety of cities. The increase in private ownership of automobiles doomed many passenger lines of the railroads, and industrywide restructuring took place. In 1959, REA negotiated a new contract, allowing it to use any mode of transportation. It also acquired rights to allow continued service by truck freight after passenger trains were discontinued. REA unsuccessfully attempted entering

8352-650: The key property donated to the APVA by Dominion Land Company, a major centerpiece, the brick Capitol was recreated, as well as dozens of other buildings. As part of the project to recreate the Governor's Palace, in 1935, the 1907 C&O station was replaced with an even finer one located about a half mile west of the original site. Later owned by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the 1935 structure itself has been carefully maintained and modernized and serves as

8468-486: The landmark Hotel Warwick, opened in 1883, which played a significant role in the development of the city. The hotel dominated the landscape, and was the civic and commercial center of the area during its early years. The first bank at Newport News, the first newspaper, the U.S. post office, the federal customs office, and even the municipal government of Warwick County were each located within the Hotel Warwick, at least for

8584-420: The largest in Virginia in land area.) During its more than 125-year existence, the Peninsula Subdivision has continued to serve coal and passenger traffic, now operated by CSX Transportation and Amtrak . In earlier times, it was an important factor in commerce and growth of some of the communities it has served, as well as for the United States military, particularly during World War I and World War II when

8700-435: The line 1.25 miles (2.01 km) west of Williamsburg on 16 October 1881 although temporary tracks had been installed in some areas to speed completion. This was just in the nick of time because Huntington and his associates had promised they would provide rail service to Yorktown, where the United States was celebrating the centennial of the surrender of the British troops under Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781. (That event

8816-418: The main business purpose was unquestionably shipping eastbound coal to Newport News, the C&O dutifully established freight and passenger stations at frequent intervals along the way. In addition to many small depots, larger facilities were located at Providence Forge , Williamsburg, and at Lee Hall. At Newport News, an ornate Victorian style passenger station was built right on the waterfront. No sooner had

8932-603: The manner the Union Pacific Railroad and the Central Pacific Railroad had been built to complete their transcontinental rails. The final spike ceremony for the 428-mile (689 km) long line from Richmond to the Ohio River was held on 29 January 1873 at Hawks Nest railroad bridge in New River Gorge , near the town of Ansted, West Virginia . Virginia's long dream for the C&O had been trade with

9048-400: The mountains and east to Richmond, where ocean-going shipping called. However, one problem they faced was that depth of the channels of the tidal portion of the river to reach Richmond was insufficient to accommodate the draft required by the large colliers. As a young man in 1837, Collis P. Huntington had visited the rural village known as Newport News Point in Warwick County at the mouth of

9164-460: The nearby Fort Eustis during World War II ; the car was formerly owned by the U.S. Army Transportation Museum . Once the restoration is completed, the car will be moved to the museum grounds and put on display on the exhibition track next to the caboose. The cargo bay contains a large collection of model trains, of which most are in O gauge . The collection is kept in several large display cases, which also contain plaques and signs. The collection

9280-448: The nearby Camp Abraham Eustis, now Fort Eustis , giving the building its current two-story midsection and pair of wings. The ticket office was heavily remodeled in 1932. To help supplement the cargo bay, which was overflowing due to supplies being shipped in and out for the war effort , a storage shed (now demolished) was built in 1943. The office used by the station's Railway Express Agent was removed between 1955 and 1956, and after that

9396-450: The new double-tracked railroad and the other development visions of industrialist Collis Potter Huntington resulted in a 15-year transition of the rural farm village of Newport News into a new independent city which also became home to the world's largest shipyard. The railroad, one of the later developed in Virginia, became important to many communities, opening transportation options, and stimulating commerce and military operations on

9512-505: The offer, bought 500,000 unissued shares from a 1963 stock split. Some railroads objected to this effort, and initiated legal action, and eventually Greyhound withdrew their offer. Attempts to buy REA would continue through the rest of the 1960s. By 1969, arrangements were made to sell REA. Five existing REA cooperate officers would buy out the shares at $ 1 ($ 8.31 in 2023) per share, or around $ 2.5 million ($ 20.8 million in 2023) in total. In November, Tom Kole, formerly of Ryder Truck Lines ,

9628-408: The old colonial capital of Williamsburg. The Peninsula Extension was good news for the farmers and merchants of the Virginia Peninsula, and they generally welcomed the railroad. Williamsburg allowed tracks to be placed down the main street of town, Duke of Gloucester Street , and even directly through the ruins of the historic capitol building. These tracks did not last long, as some landowners around

9744-488: The operator, a baggage room, and space for the Railway Express Agency . The upstairs section contained a four-room living accommodation for the stationmaster. The wood frame depot and addition were detailed using Stick style applied elements. A more ambitious design for the 1918 additions included substantial Stick style detailing of overhangs and surfaces, but was built with more restraint. The 1918 section included

9860-456: The package either traveled by rail earlier in its journey or would go by rail in a later portion of its journey. American Railway Express would be one of the first air freight companies in the United States, making a test flight on 14 November 1919. This early success would persist, for decades, with REA dominating the field through 1950s. REA didn't operate its own aircraft, similar to its arrangement with railroads to use space in baggage cars,

9976-439: The peninsular extension, the depot was renovated and some celebrations took place there on October 16, 1981. Among the festivities at the depot were the unveiling of a large oil painting created by Sidney King of the first trip from Lee Hall to Yorktown, Chesapeake and Ohio 614 and an Amtrak locomotive both giving brief train rides, ending at the station, and two "Silver Spike" reenactments by CSX and Virginia officials. The event

10092-553: The piggyback and container business. Another blow came when the Civil Aeronautics Board terminated REA's exclusive agreement with the airlines for air express. By 1965 many of REA's refrigerator cars, stripped of their refrigeration equipment, were in lease service as bulk mail carriers. Many were relegated to work train service. In February 1964, Greyhound Lines attempted to buy a majority ownership stake in Railway Express Agency, for $ 20 ($ 196.00 in 2023) per share, for at least 50% of all shares, and to demonstrate their commitment to

10208-428: The pooled equipment and property of existing express companies (40%, the largest share, came from American Express , who had owned the rights to the express business over 71,280 miles (114,710 km) of railroad lines, and had 10,000 offices, with over 30,000 employees). During the war, redundant facilities were eliminated, staff transferred and procedures refined and improved within the new single company. Following

10324-484: The post and in interchange with the Peninsula Subsdivision via a junction at Lee Hall. It consists of 31 miles (50 km) of track broken into three subdivisions with numerous sidings , spurs , stations and facilities. The station at Oyster Point in Warwick County became a shipping point for the area's watermen during the years of extensive oyster harvesting. Although oystering has dwindled greatly in

10440-411: The preceding months, including a 10 percent pay cut, the dismissal of 3,200 employees and closure of 114 terminals. Despite reorganization efforts, the company wouldn't last long, collapsing eight months later on 6 November 1975. In 1978, former REA Express president and CEO Tom Kole would be indicted of six counts in federal court: Three counts of embezzlement, two counts of making false statements to

10556-571: The railroad just west of Williamsburg in James City County was renamed Norge . These citizens and their descendants found the area conditions favorable as described by Bergh, and many became leading merchants, tradespersons, and farmers in the community. These transplanted Americans brought some new blood and enthusiasm to the old colonial capitol area. The railroad has such community significance to Norge many generations later that, in February 2006,

10672-645: The railroad opened and built the Lee Hall Depot. Lee Hall Depot became a bustling railroad station after the 1918 establishment nearby of Camp Abraham Eustis, later renamed Fort Eustis at Mulberry Island. The depot was strategically located along the mainline midway between Skiffe's Creek and the Warwick River and was close to the access point to the base. Lee Hall Depot handled heavy troop movements during both World Wars. Railway Express Agency Railway Express Agency (aka REA Express) (REA), founded as

10788-497: The railroads. In 1954, this arrangement remained largely the same, however changes in railroad operations, as passenger rail was gradually vanishing, combined with increased competition from a growing less-than-truckload trucking industry forced revaluation of the agreement in October 1959. The structure of the agreement was completely overhauled, with REA now required to buy space on trains as required for their shipments. However, REA

10904-415: The rails of the Peninsula Subdivision continue to form an important link for Amtrak service from Williamsburg and Newport News. High quality bituminous coal was the motivation for originally building the line, and current owner CSX Transportation continues day and night to deliver massive amounts of it to be loaded onto ships destined for points worldwide. Opening at the outset of the final quarter of

11020-469: The return of railroads to private ownership and operation on 1 March 1920, the task of unwinding American Railway Express needed to be done. The efforts to improve the organization during the war and eliminate inefficiencies, particularly redundant facilities had now created an issue. The elimination of redundant facilities and pooling of equipment and personnel had made dismantling it and returning it to its pre-war state effectively impossible. With few options,

11136-509: The station and arrived at Yorktown for the ‘Cornwallis Surrender Centennial Celebration”, a commemoration of the British defeat at the Battle of Yorktown , via temporary track. After this, it was mostly used to ship agricultural products from nearby farms. The two-story midsection was added in 1893. A large waiting room was added in 1918 to help deal with an increase in soldiers, other military personnel, and supplies being shipped out from and taken to

11252-421: The takeover was Southern Railway , which had its own railway express service, Southeastern Express Co, that remained independent until being taken over in 1938. In March 1929, the assets and operations of American Railway Express Inc. were transferred to Railway Express Agency (REA). REA was owned by 86 railroads in proportion to the express traffic on their lines; no one railroad or group of railroads controlled

11368-439: The tracks to the coal pier at Newport News been completed in late 1881 than the same construction crews were put to work on what would later be called the Peninsula Subdivision's Hampton Branch. From a junction with the main line a few miles west of the coal pier which was named Old Point Junction, work began easterly a distance of about 10 miles (16 km) into Elizabeth City County toward Hampton and Old Point Comfort , where

11484-413: The tunnel sealed for safety reasons. Left inside was the work train complete with a 4-4-0 steam locomotive . Over the years, portions of the tunnel have collapsed, once claiming several houses. The circa-1901 Main Street Station was reopened to Amtrak passenger service in 2004. Expanded use as an intermodal facility for additional passenger trains and local transit bus service is planned. In 1916,

11600-598: The way to the west to what is now Cairo, Illinois , where the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers join. Of course, transportation was not the only obstacle to developing these western regions, as both the French and the Indians did not see it the same way. In any event, that 250-mile (400 km) gap in the navigable waters became a major focus for Virginians. By the end of the 18th century, efforts to link these heads of navigation were underway with

11716-439: The west, and Huntington's work accomplished that by 1873. However, he and others also realized that the new railroads for the first time offered a practical way to ship coal. The region's high quality bituminous coal had been known to be among West Virginia's vast natural resources, but until now, there had been no way to transport it to markets. The new C&O railroad provided a method of transporting this valuable product out of

11832-429: The years since, Oyster Point, now within the City of Newport News, became the site for a new city center development. The Oyster Point City Center , developed as a New Urbanism project, has been touted as the new "downtown" because of its new geographic centrality in the area. Beginning in the 1890s, C&O land agent Carl M. Bergh, a Norwegian-American who had earlier farmed in the mid-western states, realized that

11948-541: Was a descendant of several former Virginia governors and the grandson of constitutional lawyer John Wickham , who had set up shop in Richmond after the American Revolutionary War and served as a respected agent of financial interests in England and Scotland. However, in the volatile period of the late 1860s, General Wickham failed in his efforts to secure either southern or British financing as had been hoped. Finally, he journeyed to New York City , where he successfully attracted

12064-433: Was among the attractions that brought church groups and vacationers. No place on the Peninsula benefited more from the completion of the C&O's Peninsula Subdivision than southeastern Warwick County, soon to become better known as Newport News. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway became one of the country's wealthiest as West Virginia coal moved eastward to the coal piers . The coal volume of the C&O, combined with that of

12180-567: Was attended by Virginia's governor, John N. Dalton , the then President of CSX, Hays T. Watkins , French dignitaries, and the Member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Virginia's 1st district, Paul Trible . Lee Hall was dropped from the Colonial, now renamed to New England Express , in April 1995, after which, the building was used as a railcar maintenance facility. The Lee Hall Train Station Foundation

12296-415: Was brought to lead marketing. By then Railway Express Agency only received 10% of revenue from its rail operations, the remaining amounts came from trucking, 60% and air express, 40%. On 1 June 1970, the company adopted the new name REA Express, Inc. , revealing a new image to distance itself from its railroad past and nearly everything that reminded of it. Newly delivered trucks were now a light gray with

12412-444: Was built for passenger services adjacent to the viaduct. Both the landmark Main Street Station and the viaduct, believed to be the longest in the United States, were still in use as of 2008. After completion of the riverfront viaduct in 1901, the Church Hill Tunnel fell into disuse for over 20 years. Then in 1925, to add capacity, the railroad began efforts to restore it to usable condition. On 2 October, while repairs were under way,

12528-528: Was completed and opened in 1875. East of the tunnel, the C&O established its Fulton Yard , with a capacity of thousands of rail cars, a roundhouse to service the steam locomotives, and other support facilities. Planning and right-of-way acquisition for the Peninsula Extension took another 5 years. From Fulton Yard, after climbing out of the James River Valley, the surveyors generally followed

12644-649: Was considered most symbolic of the end of the conflict, which was later formalized by the Treaty of Paris in 1783). Only 3 days after the last spike ceremony, on 19 October, the first passenger train from Newport News took local residents and national officials to the Cornwallis Surrender Centennial Celebration at Yorktown on temporary tracks which were laid from the main line at the new Lee Hall Depot to Yorktown, and then removed afterward. The Peninsula Extension ran directly through Williamsburg,

12760-444: Was donated to the museum by former Lee Hall Train Station Foundation president, Milton "Ed" Lyon. Lee Hall is unique among railway stations in that the second story of its main body was where the stationmaster would live, along with his family if he had one; stationmasters were often bachelors. It housed a parlor, kitchen, and bedroom. These rooms have been recreated as so to give an idea of what these rooms might have looked like during

12876-517: Was founded in 2000 to help preserve the building; due to this, the Peninsula Model Railroad Club moved out of the building in 2001. A $ 3 million grant was awarded to Newport News to restore the building in 2005, of which $ 600,000 was used to restore the outside of the building. In 2009, Lee Hall Depot was moved 165 feet from its original location to the opposite side of the tracks to meet 1993 requirements that had to be met to prevent

12992-553: Was less ideal, as increased profitability observed in the early 1950s were result of shipping rate increases. Traffic was on a decline compared to the 1940s. In 4 years, 1946 to 1950, shipments fell 62 percent. REA concentrated on express refrigerator service after 1940, and continued to expand its fleet of express reefers until the mid- to late-1950s. At that time, business declined dramatically owing to competition from refrigerated motor trucks. By this time, overall rail express volume had also decreased substantially. Federal investment in

13108-404: Was named Phoebus in honor of its leading citizen, Harrison Phoebus , who is largely credited with prevailing upon the railroad to build the branch line to Old Point Comfort. From Phoebus, an extension across Mill Creek to reach Fort Monroe required a 2,800-foot (850 m) long trestle and was not completed until 1890. At that time, a passenger and freight facilities were also added. On the base,

13224-430: Was no longer required to get permission from a railroad to use a mode of transport other than rail. The payment structure was also revised, now a simple 50-50 split with the railroad, airline or motor carrier being used for that journey. This would be momentarily successful, but ultimately not enough for REA to make a meaningful turn around. Railroad rolling stock made a huge backbone of REA's fleet, particularly prior to

13340-450: Was still outstanding. After the War, part of Virginia had been subdivided to form the new state of West Virginia . Both states were heavily in debt, but wanted to encourage completion of a rail link to the Ohio River, which they saw as vital to rebuilding and expanding commerce. To do without government funding, the state legislatures of both Virginia and West Virginia tried to attract investors several times in 1866 and 1867. Finally, under

13456-457: Was such that, in 1896, it became one of only two Virginia localities to ever become an independent city from Warwick County without the additional stepping-stone of first becoming an incorporated town . (In the aftermath of that event, the county seat was returned to Denbigh. However, in 1958, voters of both communities chose to reunite, consolidating Newport News with the rest of the former county into an even bigger single independent city, one of

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