Coal via Potomac Yard

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

From: "Jim Foley" <james.foley at att.net>
To: "Frank Scheer" <f_scheer at yahoo.com> 
Subject: NEW ALEXANDRIA 
Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2005 14:16:23 -0500

Frank-
 
...

Ask your N&W friend if he remembers anything about N&W
detour coal trains to Pot Yd off the Valley at Front
Royal Jct or to the Sou Ry at Montview for PY acct
heavy congestion on their single track RR between
Roanoke and Hagtn.
 
When I would pump the PY old-timers in 65-66 for old
time info I asked about the C&O coal trains and in the
discussion several said that the N&W also detoured
coal trains from time to time to the PRR via PY.


March 21, 2005

Hello, Jim:

Thanks for the note.  I'll ask about the N&W coal
movements via Potomac Yard among N&W Historical
Society members.

I'd also be interested in learning more about the C&O
coal that moved through Potomac Yard.  This was, I
understood, principally steam coal that was moving for
home heating and industrial use in the Washington, DC
area.  The coal movements were interesting; blocks
were set out at Strathmore.  A mallet was used to
shuttle loads from Strathmore to Lindsay via the
Virginia Air Line sub-divison, then returned with
empties from Lindsay to Strathmore.  There were two
set-out tracks at Lindsay for either light locomotives
from Charlottesville to pick up and handle to Potomac
Yard, or to fill out the rear of a manifest train from
Charlottesville to PY.  Empties on PY-Charlottesville
trains were set out at Lindsay.

The manifest was handled in later years via teletype
from Strathmore to Gordonsville and vice versa.  The
tapes were combined at Gordonsville with whatever came
out of Charlottesville; in the southbound/westbound
direction, the train's tape was separated with the
blocks going west transmitted to Charlottesville and
the block going south sent to Strathmore.  Two
teletype machines were in G Cabin, situated in the bay
window area that faced the track leading toward
Richmond.  A U-shaped CTC machine faced towards the
north, with the operator's back to the bay window and
away from it.  The teletypes were decommissioned at
Gordonsville and Strathmore in late 1970 or early
1971, just before I began working in June 1971.

Anyway, can you confirm that prior to the 1960s, most
PY-bound coal was for local delivery?  It seems to me
that Baltimore-used coal was sourced on the WM and
B&O, and that cities to the north relied upon eastern
Pennsylvania coal fields.  B&O coal was the main
competitor with the C&O coal, but B&O-originated coal
usually had a lower BTU rating.  I wasn't aware that
N&W coal was a significant competitor since the rate
to PY was higher because of an additional interline
carrier --either SOU or ACL-RF&P.  C&O had a rate
advantage by reaching PY on trackage rights. 
SOU-originated coal was too far to the west and lacked
a direct link between Bristol and Lynchburg without
N&W receiving a revenue split.  VGN sourced coal faced
the same economic hurdle because revenue had to be
shared with at least one and possibly two carriers to
reach PY.

Best wishes,

Frank

Dr. Frank R. Scheer, Curator
Railway Mail Service Library, Inc.
f_scheer at yahoo.com
(202) 268-2121 - weekday office
(540) 837-9090 - weekend afternoons 
in the former N&W station on VA rte 723 
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