Coal via Potomac Yard

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

The North Alexandria PEPCO plant is built on the site of the old clay pits.
The Clay Tile Block used in Building of the George Washington Masonic
National Memorial came from this clay pit.

The Plant built in the late 1940's and had a large addition built in the 
early 1950's.
The south propriety line is the B&O Bridge tracks and the WO&D tracks.
Most will not remember, but the B&O built a steel draw bridge across the
Potomac River around 1906 to get to POT YD from the South so they
would have to pay the PRR to use Long Bridge to enter POT YD from the North.
The B&O must have made some kind of a deal with the PRR in the mid to late
1940's,because the bridge came down around 1950. before that the B&O would run
from 1 train a shift across the bridge to POT YD. The B&O and the SOU Union
Street Job would interchange on the same tracks.

Note 1: Clay Tile Block was used before the use of Cinder Blocks. These same
Clay Tile Blocks were also used in the New SOU Round House in Alexandria.
The outside walls were brick but all inner walls used this block.

Note 2: The Alexandria and Orange had in the 1850's a Railroad Barge Wharf at
the east end of the Alexandria Tunnel  to connect with the B&O, before 1906.
The A&O became the B&O in the 1870's then became ???? And Great Southern,
then the Great Richmond Terminal Company and then the Southern Railway.
(???? And Great Southern, I am going to have to look that one up some day)

                                         HB Lyon

>I'm unsure when the PEPCO power station was built but
>assume it was in the 1930s.  It has four units and
>even today consumes about 2,500 tons daily depending
>upon the load and how many units are running which is
>information I don't have.
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