N&W operations into DC ??

[NW Mailing List]

Charley:

I thought of that possibility but there were a few interesting factors
to consider.

1) The R&D gobbled the Round Hill Branch to keep the N&W, SV line
(while in receivership) at bay. That was the closest approach.
2) To make the Lynchburg connection, remember we are not post 1911
with the "new line" but the old original line crossing the James River
above I think Daniels Island. Not an insurmountable task but still an
issue, not to mention the reverse direction of the cars coming from
the west (Bristol, Roanoke, etc.).

I agree that what you suggest sound logical, especially IF we consider
that it might only be an interchange of cars and not motive power.


Harry:

Regarding Pot Yard, yes, PY didn't open until until August 1906 but
its genesis was around 1900-1903 and all the changes which took place
in the first years of the decade all were geared to improving service
and that is what I was referring.

The stuff which occurred was in concert with each other and I'll list
them not in order of occurrence but as happening;

Pot Yard
New Alexandria station and elimination of passenger street running
thru Alexandria
New alignment of track from Long bridge thru Alexandria.
New Southern Rwy. trackage - double-tracked, removed kinks, etc.
New interlocking which became AF, formerly Virginia Midland Jct.
New Long Bridge
New Highway bridge
Washington Union Station and thru tracks for all RR's
elimination of separate stations; B&O and PRR
Raising of Bluemont Branch above PY tracks onto viaduct.
Rosslyn Connecting RR (1896)

and much, much more ........

Bob Cohen



>

> Bob:

> Being a Lynchburg resident, I've an inclination to say it was through here. Ease of train transfer from RR line to RR line sort of persuades me toward this thinking. Perhaps this was the beginning of the Tennessean, Birmingham Special, etc. and was eventually trimmed to Monroe for feasibility.



> My two cents.

> Charlie Long

>

I seen occasional references in the 1890-1900 era of N&W train

>>operations in the Washington, DC scene. If this correct via which

>>railroad and which gateway did such things occur ?? The references are

>>a little bit here and there and I can't cite where I have seen them

>>but I have read about such things and by the wording I saw at the time

>>it appeared to be a regular operation, not the occasional special move

>>for some sort of excursion.

>>

>>The basic choices for gateways are: RF&P from Richmond, Southern via

>>either Lynchburg or Riverton to Manassas, and B&O via Shenandoah

>>Junction, which is where I would like to think it came through, if it

>>did. I have eliminated Hagerstown as it would have entailed the

>>Washington County Branch to Weverton and I believe the bridges were

>>pretty light-loading. I also know the line from Riverton to Manassas

>>had a similar problem. All of this is why I am leaning towards

>>Shenandoah Jct., for what if anything occurred. Any other routing

>>would have really been circuitous and wouldn't have happened, like

>>coming through Waynesboro via C&O and somehow using their trackage

>>agreement from Orange to DC.

>>

>>Were they considering being a part of the Pot Yard consortium and

>>either pulled out or were eliminated for some reason? Lots of

>>questions but no real clues here.

>>

>>Bob Cohen

>

> N&W  proposed to build their own line to Washington sometime around the

> period to  which you refer. It would have come off the Shenandoah Valley line

> and run  basically due east to Washington. This never came about, but could

> it account  for the references you have seen?       Jim  Nichols



>  Were they considering being a part of the Pot Yard consortium  and

> either pulled out or were eliminated for some reason? Lots  of

> questions but no real clues here.

>

> Bob  Cohen

>

>  Expanding on Jim Nichols' reply -- the system map of  1891 (a fold-out in Mason Cooper's SV  book), shows the proposed route to Washington diverging  from the

> Shenandoah Valley line at Front Royal. Can't vouch for the accuracy --  maybe it was just a process of placing tape from Front Royal to D C., but the map shows N&W  crossing Southern Rwy. near Manassas Gap, the W&OD, the Potomac River, and entering D.C. on the west side, dodging Alexandria.

>

>  Potomac Yard ? It didn't become a reality until 1906. Harry Bundy