Coal via Potomac Yard

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I can't speak to N&W coal that might have been detoured off the Valley line, but I know that C&O coal moved up the Washington Sub to PY in the 1960s and '70s was destined for the Potomac Electric generating station in Alexandria, not for shipment north of the Potomac. The plant also burned N&W coal, but I don't know its routing. 

Bill McClure


> 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 
> 117 East Main Street 
> Boyce  VA  22620-9639
>  
> Visit at http://www.railwaymailservicelibrary.org
> 
> 
> 
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