The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-03-30
ThoslMagniflcent Freight
Yards Between AIexan-S
dria and Potomac.
EIGHT MILLIONS
IN 8lMPROVE NTS.
Richmond Soon to Have New
n Flyer to New York-Will @
Leave About Midnight
and Reach Jersey
3Sf S City at Eight
O'clock.

President William Josiah I4eakc, Of the
Richmond, fredericksburg and Potomac to- Glyr
and Wasningtoi-south Railroads, made
an official inspection trip over his roads IDS
yesterday, from Richmond 10 Washing
ton and return, leaving in his private car
at 1910 o'clock In tho afternoon and
reaching this city last evening at 7:1S
O'Clock.
& In the party were Assistant to the Prcsl-
dent w. y. Duke, General Traffic Man
agcr Warren r. Taylor. Mr.. Alexander
Hamilton, vice-president Of the, Atlantic
Coast Line, and Messrs. Hill Carter and
Frank g. Christian.
The run OF 116 miles to Washington was
made In three hours over the new double
track, except thirteen miles between
Quantico and Alexandria, where the work
has not yet been completed and the old
track is still being used. When IN May
or June the entire work has been COM
pleted. except one milo at Freestone, the
distance between Richmond and WASH :
ington will be cut down to ia miles and
the regular schedule will be two hours
and forty minutes. " u n. :,
AS the crow flies, the distance between
the two points is a. little more than one
hundred miles, but on account OF the
charter provision of the road. that the
location OF its tracks SHOULD not be
changed at any point more than two
miles, 1t was found that straighter
route than that adopted was impossible.
In the entire work of double tracking.
It is remarkable that he location Of but
one station was changed. Brooke being
moved two hundred yards
4. In Excellent Condition.
rhe new; double tracks are in excellent
condition. being heavily ballasted with
g,Hvetaand laid with the heaviest rails.
Broad fills have taken the Eplace OF old
bridges IIigh hills have been completely
moved iron and steel work has replaced
rcllously reduced. curves have been
made SO gentle that high speed can bo
maintained continuously. and a system
OF signals installed Of the most modern
plan.
El4 As the train speeds at more than a
mile minute along the beautiful con-
Sstructed tangents, sometimes below in the
miniature valleys. or high on the hills,
the dismnntlcd roadbed of the old route
is still seen. telling the story to- the
$uninitated Of the enormous forces that
have been expended tO1lOWer&tHe sTdueS
pnd reduce the curves Of the new line.
All along the route improvements are no.
Eticcd from the new yards at5Acca, Just
outside OF Richmond to the massive
double track steel bridge over the Po-
3tcmac River. New stations punctuate
the line, long side tracks appear at frc-
fquent intervals, overhead crossings are
the rule, and the roadbcd is protected
by we'll constructed drainage.
AT boswell, the express trains cross
the Chesapeake and Ohio tracks at full
Speed, protected by an !. interlockinG
system at the switch tower which guards
against any possible danger Of colli-3
sion; at Fredericksburg. a new steel
bridge has displaced the old one; at
Cameron Run the tracks cross high above
those OF the Southern, avoiding the dan
gcr that lurked for years at the point
where for years passed the two roads
met; and at A1eXnndrla, Il handsome brick
station on. the west OF the town, has
taken the place of the old wooden one
OF unhappy memory. d !.
Great Freight Yards. III.
IT is between Alexandria and Washing
ton that the great freight yards Of the
Washington-Sout are located. cxtend-
Ing over 400 acres, containing forty miles
kof tracknge and slXty-elght separate
tracks, with a capacity OF handling 2,65o