Interesting article on big trains in June issue of Trains.
Looking over the list of hump yards and the accompanying map...which hump yards, if any would be candidates for closure? Or, are the existing yards required for the continued loose carload network? From all indications, it appears the rail industry is seeing reduced carloadings, not only in coal, but also in general commodity freight which is typically processed thru hump yards.
UP has humps at both North Little Rock and Pine Bluff, dating from the old MoPac and Cotton Belt systems. Is UP still running these routes as paired tracks with south and north bound trains primarily running on a former MoPac / Cotton Belt line? If so, would one of these yards be subject to closure in the future?
NS has yards at Knoxville and Chattanooga and also Sheffield in Alabama.
What about Cherokee Yard in Tulsa, which is fairly close to Kansas City for the BNSF.
The Canadians seem lean and mean with CP having but one (St. Paul) while CN has only five...one on each leg of the "Y" - Toronto, Gary, Memphis, and Winnepeg.
What would be interesting to know is what are the daily volumes thru the 52 hump yards.
Ed
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.