Station Number: 167
Code Number: 0285
Telegraph Callsign: BX

Cobham was most likely named for the estate Cobham Park, which lies across the tracks and Mechunk Creek from the station location. The estate was named for the village of Cobham in Surrey County, England (Hanson, 1969). Cobham was one of the earliest stations on the line; the Louisa Railroad reached Cobham on August 14, 1848 and had a station and agent here in 1850. In the late 1850’s and early 1860’s, the Piedmont Female Academy operated near Cobham and promised to have transportation waiting at the station to meet incoming students the first week in September.

The earliest known standard drawing for a C&O structure was a little passenger station. It was dated 1881. An example of this type of building once stood in Cobham. In 1905 it was replaced by a new station. The original was dismantled and moved to Brackett’s farm by Matthew Maury Crebbs. There it was converted into a residence. The 1905 station was itself remodeled in 1909 (McChord, 1979). Cobham was the site of a test of an automatic train stop system in 1920. The system proved expensive, so the C&O discontinued it. The telegraph office at Cobham was discontinued in 1931. The 1937 Side Track Record showed that Cobham had a 1366' passing siding (track number 894) and a 1067' house track (track number 895). The passing siding was retired in 1943. Cobham had a depot and an agent listed in 1948. As of 1963, Cobham still had its passenger depot and house track and, across from the depot, a water tank and pump house. The depot was retired by the C&O in November of 1967*. The house track was retired in 1978.

* - My copy of the valuation maps lists this retirement in March of 1968.

This is the 1881 depot at its current location. The photo is a bit fuzzy because I took it with a telephoto lens and no tripod. For better pictures see the Library of Congress page. (November, 2002 photo by Larry Z. Daily)

This photo is the C&O depot at Cobham circa 1930. It is from a C&O negative. (From a C&O Railway negative in the collection of Thomas W. Dixon, Jr. Used with permission.)

This photo of the Cobham depot is from a postcard and is, I believe, from considerably later than 1930. The depot itself doesn’t look as well-maintained and the right-of-way is looking a bit scraggly. (From a postcard in the collection of Larry Z. Daily)

These are the footings of the old steam-era water tank. (November, 2002 photo by Larry Z. Daily)

In this view I’m looking north (east by timetable) at Cobham. The depot once stood to the left in the photo. On the right, next to the tracks, is the base for the water column that once stood here. In the distance is the Rt. 22 bridge (#H-1673). The bridge was built circa 1935 and eliminated the Rt. 22 grade crossing, which was just to the east of the station. (1999 photo by Larry Z. Daily)

This is the C&O’s bridge (bridge number 1675) over Turkeysag Creek. It once carried a siding as well as the mainline, but the second track had been removed when I took this photo. The bridge is approximately 40' long and was built in 1897. (November, 2002 photo by Larry Z. Daily)

Another shot of bridge 1675. (August 26, 1999 photo by Larry Z. Daily)

This store, called A. J. Bell’s, served Cobham for many years. (November, 2002 photo by Larry Z. Daily)

This map was prepared from U.S.G.S. topological maps, C&O track charts dated 1963, C&O Side Track Records dated 1937, a copy of the Side Track Records updated through the 1990’s, and C&O Valuation maps, also updated through the 1990’s.

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