‘The Criminals Built It’

You have heard about things that criminals do.  You hear about criminals stealing and killing.  When the criminals get caught and convicted, they, of course, go to prison.  In Washington D.C., criminals were sent to either D.C. Jail, located in the District of Columbia, or they were sent to the Lorton Reformatory and Workhouse in Lorton, Virginia.  Opened in 1910 as a prison farm, the reformatory held many convicts to include the musician Chuck Brown and suffragist and women’s rights activist Lucy Burns.  While in incarceration, they were put to work.  They did farming, and they made bricks that were used to build some of the prison complex.  As they were creating products, there was a need to ship these products elsewhere.

In 1911, the Lorton and Occoquan Railroad began operations.  The narrow gauge line began at the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad near the Lorton Station, and it ran through the complex to a brick house located on the Occoquan River.  It was used to transfer criminals to and from the reformatory as well as supplies and products to its junction with the RF&P.  The railroads main line was only four miles long with a total trackage of seven miles.  What is special about the railroad is that, unlike other railroads in the U.S., the Lorton and Occoquan Railroad was completely built by inmates of the prison.  When it came to the Lorton and Occoquan, you can truly saw that ‘the criminals built it’.  Their claim to fame is that it is the only railroad in the world by entire by criminals.

Where is the railroad today?  The L&O Railroad ceased operations in 1980.  The rolling stock was sold off.  The reformatory and workhouse continued as a prison until it was closed in 2004.  Much of the property was sold off to developers.  Sections of the reformatory was converted into housing.  The main complex was converted into an arts center that features artist studios, galleries, and theater, and the Lucy Burns Museum.

As for what remains of the Lorton and Occoquan Railroad, the some of the rail lines were converted to rail trails while other sections were paved over with roads.  Along the rail trail, you will find a brick arch bridge.  This bridge, also built by criminals, was built to allow Virginia Route 611 to cross over the railroad, and it is the only bridge of its kind in the state.  It is also one of two railroad structures that remain from the railroad.  As you continue along the trail, you will come upon the ruins of an old box car used on the railroad.  Although the original bridge over Giles Run was demolished, the current bridge was built on the old abutments.  The only other structure that remains is the old engine house behind the arts center.  It is currently in ruins.  (Plans to retore the engine house is currently unknown.)

Today, you may not be able to ride the railroad that was built by inmates, but you can walk the trails that brought the inmates in and brought products and goods they made out.  You can truly reminisce about the Lorton and Occoquan Railroad.  ‘The criminals built it’.