map, ''note: labeled as Coal Brook RR'']]
The was located in
Chesterfield County ,
Virginia . It was a 13
Mile (21
Km ) long mule-and-gravity powered line that connected the
Midlothian Coal mines with wharves that were located at
Manchester , directly across from
Richmond . It began operating in
1831 , was Virginia's first railroad, and one of the
First In The U.S.
Coal mining in the Midlothian area of Chesterfield County began in the
18th Century . By
1824 , Midlothian 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 in 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 ,
Beverly Randolph and
Abraham S. Wooldridge , resolved to build a
Tramway .
In the winter of
1827 ,
Claudius Crozet , Virginia's State Engineer, surveyed the proposed route, deeming it feasible for construction. This feasibility study was necessary to obtain funding assistance from the
Virginia Board Of Public Works .
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.
By September, 1831, the railroad was operational, using horses, mules and gravity as motive power. 160 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 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.
By
1844 , it 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¢.
In
1850 , the new steam-driven
Richmond And Danville Railroad began operation to
Coalfield Station (later renamed Midlothian). Unsuccessful lawsuits followed, and 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 .
Operating its entire lifetime without any
Locomotive s, Chesterfield Railroads moved it
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 pull two empty cars up the slope.
The Chesterfield Railroad is commemorated by two Virginia Historical Markers and an exhibit in the Chesterfield Museum.
Historical marker , is located on
U.S. Highway 60 , 3.78 miles (6.08 km) west of the Richmond city limits at Virginia State Route 150, and 1.5 miles (2.41 km) west of the junctions of US Highway 60 and Virginia 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.
Historical marker is located about 2 miles 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 mile east of the Village of Midlothian on US Highway 60.
An exhibit on local mining history in the
Chesterfield Museum includes a length of iron rail from the incline railway, first in Virginia.
- Thomas F. Garner, Jr., editor, ''Historically Significant Sites on the Mid-Lothian Coal Mining Co. Tract In Chesterfield County, Virginia'', a collection of articles and excerpts
- Coleman, Elizabeth Dabney (1954) ''Forerunner of Virginia's First Railway'' by ''Virginia Caval-cade Magazine'', Volume IV, Number 3, page 7. Virginia State Library: Winter issue, 1954.
- Scarburgh, George Parker, (1850), ''Opinion of Honorable George P. Scarburgh, of Accomac, Virginia, in the cases between the Chesterfield Railroad Company and the Richmond and Danville Railroad Company'' Richmond, VA: H. K. Ellyson
- Gamst, Frederick C. (1990) ''The Ingenious Railroad on Falling Creek, Virginia's First'' article in: ''The Messenger'' Chesterfield Courthouse, VA (Oct. 1990 issue . No.18, p. 1, 4-9)
- James, George Watson (1967), ''Gravity plus mules equal "steam." '' in: ''Virginia Record'' Richmond, VA. (Apr. 1967 issue v.89, no.4, p. 8)
- McCartney, Martha W., (1989) ''Historical Overview Of The Midlothian Coal Mining Company Tract - Chesterfield County, Virginia''
- David B. Robinson, Coal Mining in Chesterfield County, Virginia
- [http://www.chesterfield.gov/HistoricChesterfield/history.asp Chesterfield County Virginia official website, Historic Chesterfield page]
- Chesterfield Railway Chronology
- Trains From Yesterday: The Bicentennial story of Southern Railway
