Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-17
UP-TO-DATE YARD
Example of Modern Railroad
Construction Nearby.
SURPRISES MANY OTHERS
New Potomac Yards" Is Worth Look
ing Over.
GREAT TRAFFIC HANDLED
Site Was Once Part of Old Estate to
Which Analostan Island
Belonged.
HANDLED

On the Virginia side of the Potomac. and
extending along the river from the south
ern approach to the railroad bridge INFO
Washington, almost to Alexandria. is now
located one OF the most extensive freight
yards IN the country. and one which COM
pares favoraby with all others. surprising
them in some respects 1t is probably tho
newest of It's kind and therefore embodics
modern improvements In railroad construc-
ton to the fullest extent.
| 1t is known as the Potomac yards and
with Its establishment there passed almost
the last of the old Alexander farm. once
| one of the most extensive plantations in
| Virginia, reaching. as II did, from point
| opposite My Lords Island. now Analostan.
to Indian Cabin creek (Huntlng crcck), be-
| yond Alexandria. John Alexander pur-
| chased this estate of $500 acres Of land
from Capt Robert IIowsen in 1877 for 5000
pounds of tobacco and some money. Capt
| Howsen having received 1t by grant from
Gov. Berkeley in 1900. At that time #
was In Prince William county later Far-
fax, and this plantation became a part OF
the District OF Columbia by the cession o.
two and one-half square miles to the gov
| eminent by Virginia for the National capt.
| tai. or this vast estate scarce twenty-five
acres remain: little peninsula cut off from
the mainland by bands of stee
| The Potomac yards proper. where the
| gravity system and the working plant is
| located, is three miles in length by about
fifteen hundred two thousand feet in
| width and Is approached at each end by
| double tracks extending two miles making
| the entire yard miles in length: and
| within that distance there sixty miles
| of trackage.
| handling freight cars and trains is OF re-
cent date. this yard which was opened for
operation in April. 1906. having been one OF
| the first established.
Gravity System.
By this system train composed of freight
cars for entirely separate destinations Is
backed into the yard to a high elevation On
the main line track and at about the center
of the yard a Tor possibly several caiO
is shunted down incline, the grade Of
which is at first 3 per cent.
This g-ade is changed the car pass .
over the weighing scales to H. per cent,
and again Increased to per cont whore
the sidetrackS radate from the main line
track like the veins an oak leaf from
the main artery down its center but this
grade gradually decreases until a. perfect
level is reached at the far end of the yard.
All the cas- in full train destined fgr
one place are thus sent to one siding.
those for another place to another siding;
segregated in this way until finally there
is full train of cars, all OF which have the
same destination, and then it is taken out
as a through train for that point.
The yard is, in fact. composed OF two
gravity systems, in of which trains
are made up for the north and in the other
for the south; and there have passed over
these yards In three months tMay. June
and july of this year a total of 1882
freight cars alone. Forty trains pull out
of the yard in each direction every day.
and during each day OF the past two
weeks $50 carloads of parishable freight
have passed through the yard going north
ward. watermelons, tomatoes potatoes and
cantaloupes being forwarded in absolutely
countless numbers.
Tropical and semi-tropical fruits rep
resented, and there are seasons Of the year
when the great freight transfer sheds,
which extend along the main line tracks
for coo feet are piled high with baled raw
cotton billed to Lowell, Mass. reminding
one Of a cotton-laden steamer the
lower Mississippi river, and today many
their way to Lowell from southern mills,
each bale containing 800 yards.
| In addition to the eighty locomotives that
pass over the tracks each day there are
seven shifting engines permanently con-
nected with the yard, and these are in
almost constant use
There from six to eight hundred en-
ployes Of all classes. the pay roll amount
ing to 10000 a month. There is employed
in the superintendents office clerical
force of 125 clerks, about fifty of whom
are engaged in making out way bills and
|
of the supply department ice plant, electric
plant and hotel the latter being presided
over by an accommodating colored man
and two call boys, one of whom is on duty
during the day and the other at night, each
receiving a salary of $50 a month.
| These departments and plants. with the
exception Of the ice plant which is at the
far south end are in separate brick build
ings In the center of the yard, ard are over
| looked by the superntendent's office, which
is located on ground elevated above the
yard proper.
For Trainmen's Comfort.
Entering the yard from the north the
first building reached is devoted to the
comfort of the great army of trainmen who
are coming and going at all hours of the
day and night and whose lives are spent,
and too often lost upon the road. Here
a hallway leads directly into the washroom,
supplied with rows upon rows Of separated
wash basins equal to those in the State,
War and Navy building in Washington city,
and kept in much better condition. We
pass from the washroom along the hall to
a combined kitchen and dining room, where
are found neither COOK waiter, cooking
utensils or table furnishings. An odd kitch-
en- and dining room. to be sure. but clean
bright and airy The furniture? Two large
oil stoves, one long table with long bench
! on each side, three banks of lockers made of
iron. 1t is a large room, and the rest of the
space is taken up by air-pure air and
. clean.
The system in this hotel is most simple
and perfect. and the bill of fare may be
just cheap expensive the transient
cares TO make 1t; indeed, ne must bring
his own provender and do his own cooking.
There is no such thing as kicking the cook.
and tips are not expected. Each man,
he comes in from his long run, is only too
CAD of n chance TO take a wash down.
and then going to his locker he brings out
his cooking utensils, his plate. cup, knife
and fork napkin and maybe his finger
bowl. Now he prepares his meal whether
It be breakfast dinner. supper or midnight
lunch The upper floor of the building is
devoted to sleeping quarters, where thirty
six cots are provided in several large, we'll
lighted and aired rooms. six cots in a room
each cot being covered with a sheet
white snow cat first at leasU, and all
the room without even Il chair picture to
collect the dust, just simply clean. The
call boy will wake the guest at the proper