Largest Railyards in North America

[samfp1943]

REading back through this Thread, some of the yards mentioned seem to be pretty good sized both rail and Intermodal. I found no mention of the BNSF (nee: Frisco) Facility in Memphis area ( @ Capleville,TN).  It was  opened in May of 1957 as a single hump yard ( at the time it was 'State of the Art') in 20092010 the BNSF spent $200 million on the 185 acre Intermodal lift facilty; stated capacity was 1 million 'lifts' per year.  It is adjacent to, and runs along side the Tennessee Yard facility. 

linked here is a video of the intermodal facility @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2MwzBHmcXYhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2MwzBHmcXY

I am wondering how this facility 'stacks up' along with some of the yards/facilities mentioned here?

Thanks,

[Kielbasa]

CMStPnP

 

OK, thats fine then.   Understood about restricted speed I just didn't ever think it would be that slow.    I just would not have that kind of patience to sit in a locomotive moving at that speed.   It would drive me nuts, even with the AC on full and Metallica cranked up so the windows were vibrating.

 

You learn to live with it when your job is literally on the line every time you knock down a restricting signal. Also, no stereos. 

[mudchicken]

..and he also pulled Krebs accross the table by the shirt collar in a business car

[CMStPnP]

Paul_D_North_Jr

MC: Don't go and get homesick on us for all things AT&SF . . . 

In KC Union Station they have a huge Santa Fe F Unit in Warbonnet colors painting with it comming at the viewer.     Also, more than one plaque on Mike Haverty of KCS (former Santa Fe).    One of the plaques say he was responsible for the Santa Fe Fleet of Intermodal trains landing large clients like JB Hunt and Schnieder National.    I guess he played a instrumental role in the Pedestrian Bridge across the tracks behind Union Station as well as preservation of KC Union Station itself.   There is a restored KCS F unit in passenger colors behind KC Union Station as well as a number of private cars in a fenced in area.

[CMStPnP]

zugmann

If it's restricted speed, then it is restricted speed.  There's a lot of places that visibility only allows walking speed.  Doesn't matter if you rebuild the tracks to class 9 status (or whatever), if you are required to operate restricted, you are at a crawl.

OK, thats fine then.   Understood about restricted speed I just didn't ever think it would be that slow.    I just would not have that kind of patience to sit in a locomotive moving at that speed.   It would drive me nuts, even with the AC on full and Metallica cranked up so the windows were vibrating.

[mudchicken]

I usually got the scarier places and the other roadmasters got the $$$ for the more visible places. (Hobart usually took care of itself* - Malabar, 1st Street, Watson (Swamp & one certain alligator....ugh!), Pico Rivera (and a certain rigid switch in a sea of variable switches that got run thru) and La Mirada had a disproportionate amount of my deprived sleep and attention.)

(*) except for some notable brain fart incidents. The old heads worked really hard to keep that squirrel factory fluid. (my heroes!)

[rdamon]

Nice find!!!

 

 

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

rdamon

 Is this the area that you are talking about?

Growing up in KC I loved going down to the BN (CB&Q) Murray Yard when they had the hump tower. Everytime I am back in KC I make sure I make a loop through there. Then on I-670 to see Armourdale and then to I-635 to cross Argentine. 

That guardrail isn't doing much more than making somebody feel good about it being there.  Almost any piece of railroad equipment (larger than MOW) striking it at any kind of angle will bend it like a pretzel or just break it. 

Speaking of MOW: If you move ahead on that Google Map image to go down the center off-ramp for "Richards Rd. / Downtown Airport", across the intersection, and then back up the on-ramp* to US 169 N; then, just about where that guardrail ends, look to the right - you'll see a locomotive crane with reporting marks ATSF 199465 and a support flat car.  Pretty amazing to still see that in 2017 (date that the imagery is copyrighted for, per Google).  I'll try and post some coords for it here in a few minutes to make it easier. 

EDIT: This is where you want to be:

N 39.11784 W 94.59038 

- on the ramp from Richards Rd. up to U.S. 169 NB, opposite the signal bridge - the crane is right underneath it.

*Don't stay on the main route of US 169 NB - all you'll see is a plain old train going by, nowhere near as interesting as that crane ! 

- PDN. 

MC: Don't go and get homesick on us for all things AT&SF . . . 

[zugmann]

CMStPnP

Thats true but it seems you can walk faster than the train is moving across that bridge. Behind Union Station and across the river they have a pedestrian bridge over 3-4 through tracks which BNSF and UP share. Heavy traffic through there as well.

If it's restricted speed, then it is restricted speed.  There's a lot of places that visibility only allows walking speed.  Doesn't matter if you rebuild the tracks to class 9 status (or whatever), if you are required to operate restricted, you are at a crawl.

[CMStPnP]

zugmann

If it's an approach into a yard, then it's most likely restricted speed anyhow.

Thats true but it seems you can walk faster than the train is moving across that bridge.    Behind Union Station and across the river they have a pedestrian bridge over 3-4 through tracks which BNSF and UP share.      Heavy traffic through there as well.

[CMStPnP]

rdamon

Is this the area that you are talking about?

Yes that looks like the approach to the river bridge with the photographers back to the river bridge.   You can see the I Beam guardrail on the right.

[David1005]

Wrong topic. 

[LensCapOn]

How many yards on CSX do we have to scratch off this list post Hunter??

[mudchicken]

UPENG95

 

mudchicken

 If you're talking car velocity, then Barstow (w/hump) or Hobart (no hump, still growing) in its Transcon enema role leave Argentine behind. 

 

 

 

 

The BNSF Hobart Yard located in the City of Commerce is the largest intermodal rail yard in the United States. A staggering 1.5 million containers pass through its gates annually. 

Hobart was converted to a intermodal yard several years ago.  Google Satellite link:

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0056118,-118.1872623,1092m/data=!3m1!1e3

(BTW that's UP's Commerce yard one street to the north.  Converted to intermodal several years ago also.)

 

Wouldn't know anything about that place.

[BaltACD]

zugmann

CMStPnP

Happy I am not railroad operating crew that approach would drive me bongo if I had to crawl across that river repeatedly.

If it's an approach into a yard, then it's most likely restricted speed anyhow.

Railroads and their terminals were basically laid out in the 19th Century when 25 - 30 MPH was really high speed operation.  With the railroads in place, the towns build up around the railroads and hemmed them in.  To build a more effective and high speed routing today would be a costly real estate venture over and above whatever construction costs would be high - would the increase in speed be worth the cost in money.  In metropolitan areas railroads are victims of their own success.  Besides the NIMBY's would scream blood murder at trains operating at higher speeds.

[zugmann]

CMStPnP

Happy I am not railroad operating crew that approach would drive me bongo if I had to crawl across that river repeatedly.

If it's an approach into a yard, then it's most likely restricted speed anyhow. 

[rdamon]

Is this the area that you are talking about?

 

 

Growing up in KC I loved going down to the BN (CB&Q) Murray Yard when they had the hump tower. Everytime I am back in KC I make sure I make a loop through there. Then on I-670 to see Armourdale and then to I-635 to cross Argentine. 

[UPENG95]

mudchicken

 If you're talking car velocity, then Barstow (w/hump) or Hobart (no hump, still growing) in its Transcon enema role leave Argentine behind. 

 

The BNSF Hobart Yard located in the City of Commerce is the largest intermodal rail yard in the United States. A staggering 1.5 million containers pass through its gates annually. 

Hobart was converted to a intermodal yard several years ago.  Google Satellite link:

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0056118,-118.1872623,1092m/data=!3m1!1e3

(BTW that's UP's Commerce yard one street to the north.  Converted to intermodal several years ago also.)

[CMStPnP]

I see BNSF Argentine yard everytime I fly into KC because the road to the airport drives right up alongside it.   Can't figure out why the track layout on the river bridge approaches are so catty-wumpus though........trains have to crawl across the bridge and they have this huge Steel I beam guardrail so that if freight cars derail they do not spill onto the highway..........at least that is what it looks like it is for.    They need to fix that damn river bridge and speed things up a little, IMO.

Happy I am not railroad operating crew that approach would drive me bongo if I had to crawl across that river repeatedly.

[rdamon]

I guess that depends on what state the yard is in 

[mudchicken]

Imperial/International or US Survey Feet?

[rdamon]

Paul_D_North_Jr

 

 

mudchicken

. . . Parameters to measure against have got to be stated somewhere. . . . 

 

 

Yeah - what measurement(s) are we using to define "largest" ? 

 

- PDN. 

 

Last I checked a yard was 3 feet 

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

mudchicken

. . . Parameters to measure against have got to be stated somewhere. . . . 

Yeah - what measurement(s) are we using to define "largest" ? 

- PDN. 

[mudchicken]

snagletooth

What/where is the largest BNSF...?

 

If I remeber correctly the BNSF Largest yard in Argentine Yard.  Or so some of the BNSF guy in KC say.  They say it  is the BNSF flagship yard.

HHMM, Argentine trumphs Galesburg?, Northtown? WOW! I beleive ya', just WOW

 

If you're talking car velocity, then Barstow (w/hump) or Hobart (no hump, still growing) in its Transcon enema role leave Argentine behind. Parameters to measure against have got to be stated somewhere. Corwith in Chicago was always a madhouse, but always has been way too small.

[CandOforprogress2]

Was it not somewhere in Germany that had the largest yard?

[CandOforprogress2]

Selkirk New York 5 miles from front to back and about a mile wide or so-

[Tommy-Jimmy]

The largest on the West Coast is the UP Roseville yard/Facility. In addition theres an Amtrak station right next to it, and I've seen many cabooses. 98% of all rail traffic in Northern California goes through this place. To keep things simple it has a capacity of 6500 cars, has an engine repair facility, 2 mainlines, 50 miles of local track for bulk and intermodal trains, 915 acres, and has 55 bowl tracks. 1800-2300 cars classification per day ability. And finally 8 receiving and departure tracks.

[Tommy-Jimmy]

The largest railyard/railfacility on the west coast is the Roseville yard in California near Sacramento, the capitol. This facility has:

• Encompasses 915 acres
• 55 bowl tracks
• 50 miles of track constructed around local area for bulk and intermodal trains
• More than 86 miles of new track
• 247 switches
• 2 main lines
• 6,500 rail car capacity
• 1,800-2,300 cars per day classification ability
• 8 receiving and departure tracks
• New repair facility
• Processes trains twice as fast
• Pre-blocking for longer hauls, reduces additional switching
• Maximizes the long-hauls to and from locations to the south, east and northwest
• Improved transit times
  • Cuts one to five days off transit times
  • Expedited manifest service from Northern California to Chicago and further east on CSXT and NS
  • Improved run-through service from and to the major shortlines in the Pacific Northwest
• Improved local service
• Reduced terminal dwell time
• Improved car utilization and car availability
• Increased capacity
•    State-of-the-art computer tracking system - improved tracking of cars
• and theres an Amtrak Station next to it so theres even more traffic for ya.

[TH&B]

MacMillan Yard (CNR) has two humps, one has a double hump leading to some 77 tracks in the bowl. The other hump is a single hump about 50 tracks for local traffic. Mac yard is stub ended so it does not handle throught trains like double stacks and unit trains very much, almost all trains that arrive get humped. 

I wonder how many cars it humps a day and how it rates to other yards. All I know is that it is BIG.

Most European cars are smaller then North American cars so that should be taken into account hump capactity. Although some steel carrying cars are very heavy compared to US cars.