diff --git a/actionmailer/Rakefile b/actionmailer/Rakefile
index a6bca5e6b0..746e15f808 100755
--- a/actionmailer/Rakefile
+++ b/actionmailer/Rakefile
@@ -5,10 +5,11 @@ require 'rake/rdoctask'
 require 'rake/packagetask'
 require 'rake/gempackagetask'
 require 'rake/contrib/rubyforgepublisher'
+require File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), 'lib', 'version')
 
 PKG_BUILD     = ENV['PKG_BUILD'] ? '.' + ENV['PKG_BUILD'] : ''
 PKG_NAME      = 'actionmailer'
-PKG_VERSION   = '1.0.1' + PKG_BUILD
+PKG_VERSION   = ActionMailer::Version::STRING + PKG_BUILD
 PKG_FILE_NAME = "#{PKG_NAME}-#{PKG_VERSION}"
 
 RELEASE_NAME  = "REL #{PKG_VERSION}"
@@ -194,4 +195,4 @@ task :release => [:package] do
       first_file = false
     end
   end
-end
\ No newline at end of file
+end
diff --git a/actionmailer/lib/version.rb b/actionmailer/lib/version.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..557b05f14e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/actionmailer/lib/version.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+module ActionMailer
+  module Version
+    MAJOR = 1
+    MINOR = 0
+    TINY  = 1
+
+    STRING = [MAJOR, MINOR, TINY].join('.')
+  end
+end
diff --git a/actionpack/Rakefile b/actionpack/Rakefile
index b7059cd04f..cf412ffde6 100755
--- a/actionpack/Rakefile
+++ b/actionpack/Rakefile
@@ -5,10 +5,11 @@ require 'rake/rdoctask'
 require 'rake/packagetask'
 require 'rake/gempackagetask'
 require 'rake/contrib/rubyforgepublisher'
+require File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), 'lib', 'version')
 
 PKG_BUILD     = ENV['PKG_BUILD'] ? '.' + ENV['PKG_BUILD'] : ''
 PKG_NAME      = 'actionpack'
-PKG_VERSION   = '1.9.1' + PKG_BUILD
+PKG_VERSION   = ActionPack::Version::STRING + PKG_BUILD
 PKG_FILE_NAME = "#{PKG_NAME}-#{PKG_VERSION}"
 
 RELEASE_NAME  = "REL #{PKG_VERSION}"
@@ -239,4 +240,4 @@ task :release => [:package] do
       first_file = false
     end
   end
-end
\ No newline at end of file
+end
diff --git a/actionpack/lib/version.rb b/actionpack/lib/version.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..76949610f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/actionpack/lib/version.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+module ActionPack
+  module Version
+    MAJOR = 1
+    MINOR = 9
+    TINY  = 1
+    
+    STRING = [MAJOR, MINOR, TINY].join('.')
+  end
+end
diff --git a/actionwebservice/Rakefile b/actionwebservice/Rakefile
index 24d1a0ea6f..1e52d15674 100644
--- a/actionwebservice/Rakefile
+++ b/actionwebservice/Rakefile
@@ -6,10 +6,11 @@ require 'rake/packagetask'
 require 'rake/gempackagetask'
 require 'rake/contrib/rubyforgepublisher'
 require 'fileutils'
+require File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), 'lib', 'version')
 
 PKG_BUILD     = ENV['PKG_BUILD'] ? '.' + ENV['PKG_BUILD'] : ''
 PKG_NAME      = 'actionwebservice'
-PKG_VERSION   = '0.8.1' + PKG_BUILD
+PKG_VERSION   = ActionWebService::Version::STRING + PKG_BUILD
 PKG_FILE_NAME   = "#{PKG_NAME}-#{PKG_VERSION}"
 PKG_DESTINATION = ENV["RAILS_PKG_DESTINATION"] || "../#{PKG_NAME}"
 
diff --git a/actionwebservice/lib/version.rb b/actionwebservice/lib/version.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..27a0c267ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/actionwebservice/lib/version.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+module ActionWebService
+  module Version
+    MAJOR = 0
+    MINOR = 8
+    TINY  = 1
+
+    STRING = [MAJOR, MINOR, TINY].join('.')
+  end
+end
diff --git a/activerecord/Rakefile b/activerecord/Rakefile
index cbeaedb231..4a5fc0220f 100755
--- a/activerecord/Rakefile
+++ b/activerecord/Rakefile
@@ -5,10 +5,11 @@ require 'rake/rdoctask'
 require 'rake/packagetask'
 require 'rake/gempackagetask'
 require 'rake/contrib/rubyforgepublisher'
+require File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), 'lib', 'version')
 
 PKG_BUILD     = ENV['PKG_BUILD'] ? '.' + ENV['PKG_BUILD'] : ''
 PKG_NAME      = 'activerecord'
-PKG_VERSION   = '1.11.1' + PKG_BUILD
+PKG_VERSION   = ActiveRecord::Version::STRING + PKG_BUILD
 PKG_FILE_NAME = "#{PKG_NAME}-#{PKG_VERSION}"
 
 RELEASE_NAME  = "REL #{PKG_VERSION}"
diff --git a/activerecord/lib/version.rb b/activerecord/lib/version.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f28d506bd7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/activerecord/lib/version.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+module ActiveRecord
+  module Version
+    MAJOR = 1
+    MINOR = 11
+    TINY  = 1
+
+    STRING = [MAJOR, MINOR, TINY].join('.')
+  end
+end
diff --git a/activesupport/Rakefile b/activesupport/Rakefile
index 7ecfd9cadf..25a2124325 100644
--- a/activesupport/Rakefile
+++ b/activesupport/Rakefile
@@ -2,10 +2,11 @@ require 'rake/testtask'
 require 'rake/rdoctask'
 require 'rake/gempackagetask'
 require 'rake/contrib/rubyforgepublisher'
+require File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), 'lib', 'version')
 
 PKG_BUILD     = ENV['PKG_BUILD'] ? '.' + ENV['PKG_BUILD'] : ''
 PKG_NAME      = 'activesupport'
-PKG_VERSION   = '1.1.1' + PKG_BUILD
+PKG_VERSION   = ActiveSupport::Version::STRING + PKG_BUILD
 PKG_FILE_NAME = "#{PKG_NAME}-#{PKG_VERSION}"
 
 RELEASE_NAME  = "REL #{PKG_VERSION}"
@@ -180,4 +181,4 @@ task :release => [:package] do
       first_file = false
     end
   end
-end
\ No newline at end of file
+end
diff --git a/activesupport/lib/version.rb b/activesupport/lib/version.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..71bb7592a2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/activesupport/lib/version.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+module ActiveSupport
+  module Version
+    MAJOR = 1
+    MINOR = 1
+    TINY  = 1
+
+    STRING = [MAJOR, MINOR, TINY].join('.')
+  end
+end
diff --git a/railties/CHANGELOG b/railties/CHANGELOG
index 154e9afb38..64a1c27a2a 100644
--- a/railties/CHANGELOG
+++ b/railties/CHANGELOG
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 *SVN*
 
+* Add --version, -v option to the Rails command. Closes #1840. [stancell]
+
 * Update Prototype to V1.4.0_pre11, script.aculo.us to V1.5_rc3 [2504] and fix the rails generator to include the new .js files [Thomas Fuchs]
 
 * Make the generator skip a file if it already exists and is identical to the new file.
diff --git a/railties/Rakefile b/railties/Rakefile
index 7724c77c24..981f98893c 100644
--- a/railties/Rakefile
+++ b/railties/Rakefile
@@ -7,9 +7,11 @@ require 'rake/contrib/rubyforgepublisher'
 require 'date'
 require 'rbconfig'
 
+require File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), 'lib', 'version')
+
 PKG_BUILD       = ENV['PKG_BUILD'] ? '.' + ENV['PKG_BUILD'] : ''
 PKG_NAME        = 'rails'
-PKG_VERSION     = '0.13.1' + PKG_BUILD
+PKG_VERSION     = Rails::Version::STRING + PKG_BUILD
 PKG_FILE_NAME   = "#{PKG_NAME}-#{PKG_VERSION}"
 PKG_DESTINATION = ENV["RAILS_PKG_DESTINATION"] || "../#{PKG_NAME}"
 
diff --git a/railties/bin/rails b/railties/bin/rails
index f094e4aac7..89a06a37c8 100755
--- a/railties/bin/rails
+++ b/railties/bin/rails
@@ -11,7 +11,11 @@ end
 
 Signal.trap("INT") { puts; exit }
 
+require File.dirname(__FILE__) + '/../lib/version'
+abort "Rails #{Rails::Version::STRING}" if %w(--version -v).include? ARGV.first
+
 require File.dirname(__FILE__) + '/../lib/rails_generator'
+
 require 'rails_generator/scripts/generate'
 Rails::Generator::Base.use_application_sources!
 Rails::Generator::Scripts::Generate.new.run(ARGV, :generator => 'app')
diff --git a/railties/lib/version.rb b/railties/lib/version.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cbe47db34f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/railties/lib/version.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+module Rails
+  module Version #:nodoc:
+    MAJOR = 0
+    MINOR = 13
+    TINY  = 1
+
+    STRING = [MAJOR, MINOR, TINY].join('.')
+  end
+end