History of the Piedmont Railroaders

The 1925 Warrenton Diorama

The Warrenton Diorama is one of the first projects the Piedmont Railroaders undertook.
It represents the early Southern Railway train station and surrounding area in the
Town of Warrenton, Virginia.

The N-Scale diorama is currently on loan to the Town of Warrenton and is on
display in the first floor lobby of the Circuit Courthouse.

The pictures shown below depict the extensive yard and tracks and surrounding
buildings as they were around 1925, when the branch was still operating
trains to Calverton.

The passenger platform and roof were once connected to the station building,
which is currently being used as an elegant restaurant called
"Claire's at the Depot"

The shed structure shown in the middle left of the picture is long gone,
although the pilings are still there. The town N&W caboose is located
next to where the shed once stood. Piedmont Railroaders were also heavily involved in the
restoration of the caboose and it's display track and outbuildings.

Only two of the club's charter members who worked on the diorama project
are still active in the club today.

Colorized picture of Warrenton taken sometime in the mid-1800's.
Note the use of stub switches, link-and-pin couplers and
wood burning locomotives .

Caboose #518554 was donated to the Town of Warrenton, Va. in 1995 and moved to the current behind the former Southern Railway Passenger Depot in Warrenton.
Piedmont Railroaders participated in the site preparation included clearing of dense brush overgrowth, rebuilding the
ballast roadbed and relaying of over 400 feet of track including a track switch using donated materials. 
The caboose interior and exterior was completely restored to an in service appearance and completed in October 1998.