Q:Ivy City Yard, Washington DC

Ivy City was and is a engine servicing facility for passenger operations in Washington Terminal (Union Station) No freight was handled other the freight shipment to the facility

Eckington yard was a separate operation that was own and operated by the B&O railroad. It was a flat switching yard yard for local operations. It had a team tracks as well as as ramps for circus loading of TOFC cars

As a slight addition, Eckington was used for special occaisions (inaugurations, conventions) as a staging area for passenger operations including use of cars as "hotel" space for special movements. Harwood's Impossible Challenge II has a picture of the Eckington yard completely filled with passenger cars for a Shriner's convention in the 20s

Are you referring to the B&O freight facility or the Washington terminal passanger car servicing and storage facility that was on the site that is now occupied by the WMATA metrorail Brentwood Yard service facility?

The two facilities shared a common property line.

thanks to both of you

boki wrote: Did Ivy City yard in DC handled freight (as freight yard) or was it just engine maintenence yard (in any period of time, but I'm interested in transition era). Also what about nearby Eckington yard? And if they did handle freight what kind of it?

---------------------------------------------------- The Baltimore and Ohio Network has links to numerous sites that might provide some information:

I worked on Eckington Place in 1952 and would often watch the freight cars being unloaded on the team tracks. The teams of horses were gone by then, of course. I believe some of the freight was LCL and I seem to remember an icing stage with workers hefting ice into refrigerator cars. When RBB&B Circus was at Uline Arena (Washington Coliseum), the cars were put there. In later years, they were put on Ivy City tracks adjacent to New York Avenue.

Before the demise of Benning Yard, when the circus was at the National Guard Armory the circus cars were placed there and the circus performers, animals, and equipment crossed the East Capital Street Bridge to get to the Armory. I don't know where the cars are kept these days. The circus still plays the Armory, though.

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