The original Fort Defiance Depot was constructed under ownership of the Valley Railroad and oversight of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad between 1874/85. The building was located eight miles north of Staunton, VA and received its name due to it proximity to the settlement of Fort Defiance, a village named for an old stone church with a fort built around 1755.
The VRR sought to bring economic prosperity to a region that was still suffering the aftermath of the American Civil War and connect it to southern manufacturing. The B&O was funding much of the effort for it's own benefit and connecting it to their mainline at Harpers Ferry in order to compete with the Pennsylvania Railroad supported Shenandoah Valley Railroad which was being constructed to the east and connecting Roanoke to the south to Hagerstown, MD in the north.
From 1889-1941 sidings were located at Fort Defiance on the west side of the main and had a total capacity of 28 cars. In 1909 the original depot burned down and this structure replaced it in 1913 under the B&O combination "Class B" depot requirements able to receive both passengers and freight. A brick floor was installed at its southern end in order to facilitate the receiving of goods such as coal from West Virginia that was used primarily for heating the Augusta Military Academy which was nearby. The northern end of the structure served as the ticket office, window and waiting area and featured wood flooring.
The VRR never really realized its goal of connecting the Shenandoah Valley with connections to the south and only made it ad far as Lexington and the railroad saw ownership change a few times. The track that the depot stood by today is privately owned under the LLC of the Shenandoah Valley Railroad, a shortline that runs between Harrisonburg and Staunton. The current railroads name is recycled from the line that once competed with the VRR which is now operated by Norfolk Southern. The current board of the SVRR decided to have the depot moved approximately 4.5 miles from it's original location in 2019 to preserve its history and and was added to the Valley Pike Farm Market along US Route 11 at Weyers Cave.
Photo of station being disassembled https://www.railpictures.net/photo/688066/
Photo of station along tracks
https://www.railpictures.net/photo/579446/
Solely the CW Past and Present.
July 5, 1895 CW moved its first load of freight and although its existence is merely on paper today, its roots run deep. 129 years and still moving freight. The CW operates as a subsidiary of Norfolk Southern.
