NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern will idle the hump at Enola Yard outside Harrisburg, Pa., on Friday, the fifth such move the railroad has made in the past year under its shift to a Precision Scheduled Railroading operating plan. “As of Se...
https://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2020/09/23-norfolk-southern-to-idle-hump-at-enola-yard-this-week
Brian Schmidt, Editor, Classic Trains magazine
Does Jim Squires mean 'dramatically improved service to those customers we still retain after the service changes?'
Actually there are two humps at the Enola yard. When NS took over the Enola yard they changed the tracks from both the north and south entrances to allow trains to be sorted from either hump. The south end is along the Susquahanna river and the north end is under the Interstate 81 overpass.
caldreamerActually there are two humps at the Enola yard. When NS took over the Enola yard they changed the tracks from both the north and south entrances to allow trains to be sorted from either hump. The south end is along the Susquahanna river and the north end is under the Interstate 81 overpass.
Haven't been 2 humps in Enola in years. Decades, even. (Believe Conrail ripped it out in the 80s)
It's been fun. But it isn't much fun anymore. Signing off for now.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any
I'm still in the skeptic column that all this flat switching is resulting in any time savings. Of course, knowing how these things work, you claim the savings from decommissioning the hump and gloss over whatever additional costs are related to all the flat switching and setting off and adding on of blocks.
Curt
NS restored the secnond hump when they took over Enola, that is why the yreconfigured both the norht and south track configuration. Did they rip it out again??. If so when?
caldreamerNS restored the secnond hump when they took over Enola, that is why the yreconfigured both the norht and south track configuration. Did they rip it out again??. If so when?
No; NS restored the one hump.
Juniata ManI'm still in the skeptic column that all this flat switching is resulting in any time savings. Of course, knowing how these things work, you claim the savings from decommissioning the hump and gloss over whatever additional costs are related to all the flat switching and setting off and adding on of blocks. Curt
and if and when you put the hump back in service you claim equivalent or greater savings.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
When they "idle the hump" what percentage of the tracks will still be used? And for what?
Will block-swapping be the primary purpose of Enola? Will some trains run right through there (stopping only for crew, fuel, a brake test)?
Over the years I've looked down briefly while driving I-81. It seems to me, I dunno, maybe a dozen years ago we drove by and the place was virtually empty, but then later it got active again; is my memory accurate? Did Conrail ever shut down Enola for a while?
One of the issues with Enola is its orientation to the primary flow of traffic through the Harrisburg area. For much of the manifest traffic, Enola is essentially a stub end yard.
Years ago, Conrail severed the link south of Enola that reached the Cumberland Valley branch. Additionally; when Conrail opted to use the former Reading line for traffic moving east of Harrisburg, the old Atglen & Susquehanna or Enola Freight Branch was rendered surplus and abandoned. This means that trains headed down the Port Road toward Columbia and Baltimore are the only traffic easily passing through the yard and exiting to the south. Everything else has to backtrack a bit west to Rockville to head east toward Allentown or Philadelphia, north toward Binghamton or west to Pittsburgh. Traffic going south on the Lurgan sub has to run across the river and through Harrisburg to reach the old Reading bridge over the Susquehanna to head southwest toward Hagerstown.
The former Reading Rutherford Yard just east of Harrisburg would probably have been a more logical choice for keeping a hump yard in the Harrisburg area but, that and the former PRR Harrisburg yards were converted to intermodal.
Lithonia Operator When they "idle the hump" what percentage of the tracks will still be used? And for what? Will block-swapping be the primary purpose of Enola? Will some trains run right through there (stopping only for crew, fuel, a brake test)? Over the years I've looked down briefly while driving I-81. It seems to me, I dunno, maybe a dozen years ago we drove by and the place was virtually empty, but then later it got active again; is my memory accurate? Did Conrail ever shut down Enola for a while?
From what Zug said above, it sounds like Conrail shut down both humps, removing one. The NS restored the other to use.
charlie hebdoFrom what Zug said above, it sounds like Conrail shut down both humps, removing one. The NS restored the other to use.
From what I remember - Conrail removed both humps. NS restored the one (using the parts from the one Conway hump).
I stand corrected by someone who knows.
When CN shut down our hump (Walker Yard in Edmonton) they didn't reconfigure it properly. Even today a bunch of the old hump bowl tracks are short stubs that can only be accessed from one end.
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
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