The Capitol, North O Street and South Washington Railway (later, the Belt Railway) was a

street railway A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

company in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, from 1875 to 1898. The sixth and final company to start during the

horsecar A horsecar, horse-drawn tram, horse-drawn streetcar (U.S.), or horse-drawn railway (historical), is a tram or streetcar pulled by a horse. Summary The horse-drawn tram (horsecar) was an early form of public transport, public rail transport, ...

era, it operated on a loop, or "belt," around downtown and the National Mall. The company was purchased and absorbed by the Anacostia and Potomac River Railroad after a failed attempt to convert to a system that used compressed air for motive power.

Origins

The Capitol, North O Street and South Washington Railway Company was the last streetcar company to begin operations during Washington's horsecar era. It was incorporated on March 3, 1875, and began operation later that year. Known colloquially as the Belt Railway, its circular route went from the Capitol along 1st Street SW; south of the Mall on Maryland and

Virginia Avenue Virginia Avenue is a street in the Northwest, Southwest, and Southeast quadrants of Washington, D.C. Like other state-named streets in Washington, it diagonally crosses the grid pattern formed by lettered (east-west) and numbered (north-sout ...

s SW; north on 12th Street SW/NW, the old Ohio Avenue NW (now obliterated by

Federal Triangle Federal Triangle is a Triangle, triangular area in Washington, D.C., formed by 15th Street NW, Constitution Avenue, Constitution Avenue NW, Pennsylvania Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue NW, and E Street NW. Federal Triangle is occupied by 10 large c ...

) and 14th Street NW to O Street NW; east on O Street NW for ten blocks; and then south on 4th Street NW, G Street NW and 1st Street NW.

Expansion and name change

The Capitol, North O Street and South Washington went through several changes after its initial startup. A P Street NW track was added in 1876 for westboun
cars
leaving O Street NW for eastbound traffic. In 1881, the 11th street line was extended north to

Boundary Street Boundary Street ( Chinese: 界限街) is a three-lane one-way street in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It runs in an easterly direction from its start at the intersection with Tung Chau Street in the west, and ends at its intersection with Princ ...

, which was then the city's northern boundary, and south to the water's edge: Water Street SW and along that street to the Arsenal. At the same time, tracks were rerouted across the Mall. The last change came on February 18, 1893, when it changed its name to the Belt Railway Company.

Switch to electricity

In 1896, Congress directed the Belt Railway to try out compressed-air motors, just as it had the

Eckington and Soldiers' Home Railway Streetcars in Washington, D.C. transported people across the city and region from 1862 until 1962. The first streetcars in Washington, D.C., were horse-drawn and carried people short distances on flat terrain. After brief experiments with c ...

. The compressed-air motors were a failure that sent the company went into

receivership In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver – a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights" – especia ...

. On June 24, 1898, the Anacostia and Potomac River Railroad purchased and absorbed the Belt Railway. In 1899, the company's cars were equipped with the city's standard underground power system.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Capitol North O Street South Washington Railway Streetcars in Washington, D.C. Defunct Washington, D.C., railroads 1875 establishments in Washington, D.C. 1898 disestablishments in Washington, D.C. American companies established in 1875