Welcome to the May 2024 Jeffrey's Trackside Diner! The theme this month is YARDS. Not always the most scenic part of a railroad, but an absolutely necessary one. So whether it's Bailey Yard in North Platte or Argentine Yard in Kansas City, or somewhere smaller in scope, let's see all the fascinating things found in yards. Enjoy!
Wayne Stevenson addition by JaBearz, on Flickr
Welcome
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
Thanks for getting us all set up Jim.
The fans are in their seats to watch the Canucks take care of some Predators.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Thanks Jim!
I'm feeling even worse tonight. I sound like a gurgling stream. I should record myself so I can have sound on my water feature!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Hi Everyone,
Brunhilda, a Western Cider, please.
Thanks for the encouragement Brent. It looks like you have three very attentive dedicated Canucks fans.
I have to look and see if I even have any yard pics. I know I took a few slides of the yard trackage in south Glendale, but they were never converted to digital. I don't think I have any pics of Colton. In fact I have one slide from Glendale that has a UP gp30 numbered 831. That's where I got my user name from.
i hope people have some interesting pics and commentary this month.
Brunhilda, a round of everyone's favorite beverage all around.
lets see if we can spark some interest.
Looking to find out what types of rail yards there if any, I consulted that world renowned authority Google, and came up with these:
Types of rail Yards
Passenger. Goods. Marshalling. Locomotive
Passenger and locomotive are self explanatory, goods and marshaling required a little clarification. Goods yards are yards that deal with handling of freight such as loading and unloading freight cars. The modern equivalent of a goods yard would be container yards. Marshaling yards are also known as classification yards, which are classed as flat, gravity, and hump yards.
Bailey yard in North Platte, NE has 10-14000 cars per day going through it. It has Eastbound and Westbound separate hump yards.
Passenger yards are run through organizations such as Amtrak, Long Island RR, Metra, etc who store and maintain their fleets of passenger cars. Locomotive yards are for storting, servicing, repairing, and staging locomotives.
Sorry, no pictures of my own that show these types of yards, but I'm sure you all get the picture.
Good afternoon, everyone. It's almost 4:00 p.m. in my time zone, so that means it's officially happy hour here. I'll have an ice cold beer, please.
I had the tree man out today. We had wind damage to a large red oak tree in the back yard. While he said there wasn't any imminent danger to the house, it was eventually going to be necessary to take the tree out. We'll go ahead and do it now rather than wait for the next windstorm.
Speaking of weather, one of my granddaughter's classmates lost their house in the recent tornadoes. The F3 was about five miles from my daughter's house.
Dave, I hope your cold (or whatever it is) goes away quickly.
Ed, are you feeling any better after the treatments?
Other diners with health issues -- I hope things clear up for you.
My town sits on a BNSF double mainline that meets other BNSF lines in Lincoln, about 50 miles east of me. It's not easy to get close to the Hobson Yard, but there is a highway that crosses it. If you're not driving, you can get a good view. If you are driving, it's not suggested that you look at the yard too long. The state capitol building is in the distance:
Have a great May 1, everyone.
York1 John
I asked my doctor if I gave up delicious food and all alcohol, would I live longer? He said, "No, but it will seem longer."
Hello May!
York1Ed, are your feeling any better after the treatments?
The best way I can describe the feeling would be 'not quite hitting on all eight cylinders'. I believe my immune resistance is low as I came down with nasty flu-like symptoms after two separate visits from the grand kids. I'll have to isolate for a while. My regular doctor mentioned there may be future side effects down the road as well. I'm stating active and eating carefully to help regain my former stamina. Won't know about radiation success until a July 1 visit to the urologist.
Thanks for asking!
The Pittsburgh Produce terminal (a goods yard?)
Reefer_Madness by Edmund, on Flickr
Chicago & North Western's Proviso Yard (marshalling?)
C&NW Proviso yard 1942 by Edmund, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
Well ............
I just read that Kalmbach has sold Model Railroader and Trains magazines.
I'll try to find more information.
https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/kalmbach-rail-magazines-trains-com-sold-to-firecrown-media/
Edit, now that I page through the forum titles, I see that I have reported old news. Sorry about that.
York1Edit, now that I page through the forum titles, I see that I have reported old news. Sorry about that.
Well, going by the title of that thread — Wow! — I would say you get a pass. Not exactly the most informative thread title I've seen in these parts.
Team Track turned Coach Yard. A June 1923 Shriners Convention necessitated the additional sleeping arrangements offered by Pullman.
B&O Eckington Yard Shriners Convention by Edmund, on Flickr
Regards, Ed
Here are a few pictures of some real yards. This one is in Houston, Texas:
Chicago:
BNSF yard in Galesburg, Il.
Roseville Rail Yard. Largest rail yard on the West Coast:
Corwith Rail Yard, also in Chicago:
Eckington Rail Yard in Washington, D.C.
Pennsylvania Railroad Harsimus yard in Jersy City:
Argentine Rail Yard in Kansas City:
Canadian National yard in Toronto. The roundhouse has been fully restored and now holds a railway museum with several working engines, a brewery and a furniture store:
Bailey Rail Yard - North Platte, Nebraska. The world's largest classification yard:
Ft. Worth, Texas:
Cheers!!
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Howdy diners. Zoe, coffee and a slice of coffee cake please.
Bear, that picture makes me chuckle. Not so much about the laundry as I'm sure they knew full well what was going to happen and it appears they were used to it, but the camelback locomotives! Did the Lackawanna love them, or what?!
Had to go to a meeting yesterday facilitated by the state. About two hours of that meeting was hosted by a group that had nowhere to put us but outside in the beautiful sunshine at mid-day. While I generally wouldn't mind that, I was unprepared and consequently got sunburned on my head and face. I doubt the boss is going to believe I was anywhere other than the beach yesterday.
Sad to read that the Kalmbach name will be disappearing, but hopeful that new ownership will mean good things for both the magazines involved and the staff. Where I work was sold by our original owner to another and all in all it was a good thing for our site. Sure there are serious annoyances about our employer that bother those of us that remember how our previous employer handled things, but in the grand scheme of things, it's fine. Fingers crossed for our friends in the now former Kalmbach media.
Mike
Good morning, diners. In fact, it's a great morning. We got another half-inch of rain last night. The issue right now is getting the corn planted. The fields will need to dry a little before the machinery can get to work. Always dissatisfied!
Chloe, I'll have bacon, eggs, and black coffee.
Those of us who like this forum are now entering unknown territory. While Kalmbach didn't spend any money improving the forum, at least they let it run. New ownership could let things go as they are, they could improve the forum, or ... they could let it die. We can hope things get better.
The tree man came yesterday and affirmed what I feared -- a large red oak tree needs to come down. This guy is a certified arborist and usually tries to work to save a tree. This oak had wind storm damage several years ago. When I checked it this spring, I saw the same problems this tree guy saw. He said it's not in danger of falling for several years, but still needs to come down.
At one time, Omaha was one of the major train passenger points in the U.S. Both Union Pacific and Burlington crossed the Missouri River on a single bridge at Omaha.
This photo, looking east at the bridge, has Union Station on the left and Burlington station on the right, sharing the same yard. An elevated enclosed platform allowed passenger access to all of the tracks, plus between the stations.
Both buildings are still there, with Union Station now a museum and Burlington station now a local television studio.
A new Amtrak station has been built between the Burlington station and the river. It is nothing more than a small building that serves only one Amtrak train per day.
Have a great day, everyone.
Good morning diners, still cold,damp here in Metro West Boston.
Flo, two eggs over easy with bacon and home fries with sourdough toast please. Coffee, did u have to ask?
Ed,Dave, hope you (and all) are feeling better today. Brent, sorry to hear about your Canucks. Guess to girls can store the jerseys until next October.
I'm hoping the new owners of Kalbach are receptive to continuing the forum. Maybe even make some improvements. Doesn't have to be anything radical, just try to keep it from crashing would do it for me.
I'm off to the yard (again). Some weeding before the mulch is dumped in the driveway.
Regards, Chris
Good Afternoon,
Another wet day here in the GWN. We spent yesterday afternoon cleaning up a front garden bed. I now have 21 paper leaf bags in the garage as they don't do well in the wet. The car is getting wet instead.
My fence guy is coming tomorrow, weather permitting to replace the lattice fence beside the driveway. He couldn't do it last fall as he couldn't find any cedar lattice. It should only take a day or so to do.
I am watching a grey squirrel hanging from a small bird feeder as I type this. Quite the acrobat. Some white throated sparrows are still coming through. We went through 25 lbs. of shelled sunflower seeds in 3 days. Hope they go soon as each bag of seed is $60. The birds are what keeps my wife going so a necessary cost. Wonder if I could claim it as a medical expense?
CP has a very large yard here that is now in the middle of the city. Politicians are always talking about rellocating it. To where they don't say and the cost will be in the billions. Wonder what the soil is like after 70 years of a major steam facility.
Time to do something. Coffee sounds good.
CN Charlie
In many ways I think it sad that Kalmbach would sell off and turn their backs on MR and Trains. If I remember correctly, wasn't it MR that started the whole enterprise in the first place back in 1934? Business is business, but it doesn't say much for loyalties. One can only hope the new owners will be a benefit instead of the usual liability.
A faithful reader since 1961 and Model Trains mag before that.
Anyway, my
up831 In many ways I think it sad that Kalmbach would sell off and turn their backs on MR and Trains. If I remember correctly, wasn't it MR that started the whole enterprise in the first place back in 1934? Business is business, but it doesn't say much for loyalties. One can only hope the new owners will be a benefit instead of the usual liability. A faithful reader since 1961 and Model Trains mag before that. Anyway, my
At least Kalmbach didn't let the business die like Henry Carstens did.
This may not be the case of more profits; it may have been a choice between selling or shutting down.
TophiasBrent, sorry to hear about your Canucks. Guess to girls can store the jerseys until next October.
They are not out of it yet. They have two more games in the series and only have to win one to advance.
On the edge of her seat in overtime.
Brent, my bad. I thought I read last night's game was a clincher. I'm watching the Bruins get pushed around by the Leafs again. Bruins have some talent but they're soft once the playoffs begin.
Happy Friday everyone. Chloe, coffee and a Bavarian cream long john.
Brent & Chris, wishing both of your teams good luck. Mine didn't make the cut, although they were as close as you can be (Red Wings). Still don't think it would have made much difference. Washington (who got that last spot) didn't last long.
We've had a ton of rain here lately, which I don't mind except for the need to start getting things done outside. Last night I finally got a chance to get out to the store to get more raised bed soil for my wife and those bags were HEAVY! A few of them you could actually squeeze the water out of. Apparently enough little holes in the bags that they soaked up some of the rain water too. Good thing they don't charge by the pound for them!
Good morning, diners. Bacon, eggs, and coffee, please.
It's another nice, cool morning on the plains, with more rain predicted for tonight.
We haven't heard from the UK's David since the forum problems. I hope he and Dawn are OK. Same for TF.
This is another view of the old passenger train yards in Omaha. The Burlington station is on the left and the UP station is on the right:
Omaha railroad depots - 1940s by Lights in my hometown, on Flickr
Have a great Friday, everyone.
More delivery grief for us. Delaware is one of like 3 states in the country that does not allow wine to be shipped directly from a vineyard to a consumer residence, so we have to go to UPS store in Maryland to pick it up. I went yesterday, and the store was permanently closed with no warning. We were told it had been shipped there, but there was nothing but a single third-party email address that was useless. I came home. The GF spent a couple of hours on the phone and traced the packages to a different store even further away. She went there today and got the wine. They were going to return it to the vineyard.
When you've got the government and a big shipping company both working against you, you get pretty sick of the path this country is going down.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
MisterBeasley More delivery grief for us. Delaware is one of like 3 states in the country that does not allow wine to be shipped directly from a vineyard to a consumer residence, so we have to go to UPS store in Maryland to pick it up. I went yesterday, and the store was permanently closed with no warning. We were told it had been shipped there, but there was nothing but a single third-party email address that was useless. I came home. The GF spent a couple of hours on the phone and traced the packages to a different store even further away. She went there today and got the wine. They were going to return it to the vineyard. When you've got the government and a big shipping company both working against you, you get pretty sick of the path this country is going down.
Rich
Alton Junction
Good afternoon from the sunny West Coast where it is 24c.
We are an hour away from game six between the Canucks and Predators. I hope they wrap it up tonight as game seven will be on at the exact same time as my son's wedding and I really don't want to miss his wedding.
We had thirty-plus for dinner last night and everyone stayed quite late. It was the post-rehearsal dinner, it was a good time sitting out in the yard as it was nice and warm. Sunday will be crazy as the hair and make-up ladies show up at 0730hrs and the entire bridal entourage will be here all day so the wife has the menu for the day all figured out. I booked a monster limo that holds 14 for them. Then Monday the day after the wedding she prepares a brunch for 30 or so before a couple of dozen of them start making their way to the airport to head home.
My wife and I got married on a beach in the Southern Latitudes of the Pacific and it was perfect. It is the complete opposite for these kids.
A few people haven't checked in for a while, hope all is well with them. Can't wait for this wedding to be done it has been exhausting. Getting married and having kids late in life means we are old for all this wedding stuff and wear out faster.
I have my Father of the Groom speech memorized and ready to go, I am taking it easy on him as his friends will be torching him.
All the best to all.
TF
What else does one do on the weekend?
Trust me, She got in there!
Post Hog!
Haven't been myself lately
Hi Brent,
I hope everyone has a fantastic time at your son's wedding! Perhaps you could convince the DJ to give updates on the game during the party!
Dianne and I were married in the Peterborough City Hall in August of 1981, and we had a small celebration in my inlaw's back yard the next evening. I think the whole affair cost us about $800.00. I won't say what my son spent on his wedding in 2018!
Going to Zumbrota tomorrow to check on an old bridge
Not that one though
Would things be better with no more TF?