For nearly 150 years, a great iron road has snaked its way through the Franconia community. This railroad was born in the era of the legendary railroad tycoons, and its history weaves a tale of political intrigue in the Reconstruction Era. Started in 1872, this railroad went by many names over the next century including the Alexandria and Fredericksburg Railway, the Washington Southern Railway and the company recalled fondly by many: the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad. Today the railroad is owned by CSX. Whatever its name, this railroad tied the Franconia community together, gave it a lasting identity and a doorstep to the nation. Following the Civil War, railroads around the country were entering a golden age. The world's largest railroad, the Pennsylvania Railroad, had its eye on the South. Its visionary founders, John Thomson and Thomas Scott wanted a way into the South and its markets by any means necessary, and the Alexandria and Fredericksburg Railway offered them just that chance. This hastily built railroad was held together sometimes by only a sheer force of will and a few wood planks. Phineas Barnum, founder of the Ringling Brothers Circus, even exclaimed, "I have been all over the United States, but this is the first railroad I ever saw tied to a tree!" Yet for its humble beginnings, the Alexandria and Fredericksburg Railway would grow over the next century into one of the most important railway corridors on the East Coast. "The Iron Road of Franconia" is a community-focused book that documents the many flag stops that dotted the countryside throughout the county. These stops came and went over the years, but were integral in developing Franconia's economy and future development sites. Some of the stops found were previously unknown to anyone, their foundations forgotten, left to lie in the woods. This book also documents some of the strange yet memorable occurrences on the rails over the years, including wrecks, robberies and explosions!

This book is being released to the BookCrossing festival tables at the Gaithersburg book festival. This book was left there on purpose for you to find. Read and enjoy!

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The author is a friend of mine. Glad I finally got my hands on a copy of his book!

I picked this up at today's BC-in-DC holiday gathering. This book was written by a member of our group, and I look forward to reading this.

I live not very far from the route of the RF&P Railroad, just outside of Alexandria, Virginia, and while I'm not exactly a huge railroad history buff, I am interested in the local history of the area. Combine that interest with the fact that this book was written by someone I know, who has a deep knowledge of local history, and I couldn't resist picking this up when I saw it.

I had almost no meaningful knowledge of the history of the local railroads, and only the most cursory understanding of the history of railroads more generally. This book opened my eyes to the complexity of how our railroad network was developed and how it changed over time. In particular, I found the information about how smaller railroads were owned and operated by larger railroads, or by partnerships between other railroads, enlightening. In addition, the discussion of the differences between railroad development in the North and the South prior to the Civil War was something I had never really considered before.

This book is well written, deeply researched, and easy to read. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in railroad history generally, as well as those interested in the local history of this part of Virginia.

This book will be available at today's BC-in-DC meeting at Potbelly Sandwich Works in Carlyle.

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I hope you enjoy the book!

A friend in the book group for my congregation recently was asking for book recommendations for a friend. She said he was into nonfiction and historical stuff about the local area and was interested in urban planning and transportation (IIRC). I said if only I knew if Resqgeek still had that copy of Nathan's book he recently read. I got distracted and forgot to ask. But it showed up on the table today and I will pass it along this weekend.

Taking the opportunity to share this book with a friend who will share it with a friend of hers who has a particular interest in this type of info.

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