Tag Archive | Loudoun County rail history
March 24, 2026  

Then & Now: The Leesburg, VA Passenger Station

The story of the Leesburg Passenger Station becomes even more vivid when viewed through the lens of Lewis Reed, the prolific early 20th-century photographer from Montgomery County, Maryland, whose work documented key moments and locations throughout the region. Reed’s images are renowned for their ability to capture everyday details of local life, including transportation scenes and important sites in Virginia and the greater Washington area.

Leesburg Passenger Station (THEN): When the Alexandria, Loudoun, & Hampshire Railroad (later W&OD) arrived on May 17, 1860, Leesburg realized a dream. A local newspaper praised the railroad, which “throws us within an hour or two’s ride of the cities of the seaboard, and opens up a new avenue of commerce and trade.” At first a single depot, located 0.2 mile east of here, served passengers and freight. In 1887 the railroad opened a separate passenger station here at King Street. It remained in use until passenger service ended in 1951.

Even as the passenger station itself vanished, Reed’s visual archives ensure its memory stays alive. His photographs remain a valuable bridge for comparing “then & now,” letting viewers step back in time and appreciate the evolution of Leesburg, one carefully developed print at a time. The continuing presence of Reed’s work in books and exhibits means the Leesburg Passenger Station is still seen and experienced today, long after trains have passed and the site has become part of the Washington & Old Dominion Trail.

Leesburg Passenger Station

A historic photograph of the Leesburg Passenger Station captured by Lewis Reed showing the depot in its early 20th-century setting.

Leesburg Passenger Station (NOW): Today it stands as a preserved historic site along the popular W&OD Trail, welcoming walkers, cyclists, and visitors who pause to look inside its windows and imagine the days when locomotives clattered through town. Interpretive signage and community support have helped keep its story alive, showing how the building has shifted from transportation hub to treasured local landmark.
Leesburg Passenger Station

Leesburg Passenger Station Marker seen from King Street today.

The Leesburg Passenger Station remains a rare survivor of Loudoun’s rail era, an enduring symbol of how a small wooden depot could once shape the rhythm of a town. Its transformation from active rail stop to preserved trail-side icon connects past and present, reminding us that even as technology changes, the places that ground a community can still hold meaning.

Source of Information: Leesburg Passenger Station Marker