Goodnight Raleigh | a look at the art, architecture, history, and people of the city at night

Denizens of the Coal Yard

Not long ago I wrote about the Boylan wye, and described what remains of that former downtown train switchyard and industrial district. Today theÂ most prominent relic there can be easily seen from the Boylan Ave bridge — a rusted cement plant gravelÂ hopper towering over the site. But virtually invisible to most observers todayÂ is the weed-choked and debris-strewn sunken area that is the footprint of the former Smith Coal and Oil Co. coal yard.

This is a view of a portion of the Boylan wye from the bridge in 1970. The concrete plant is on the left and the coal yard is just right of center, below the two box cars. The present-day photo at the top shows the tracks the boxcars were parked on in 1970. The remnants of the coal yard are just to the right of these tracks.