Clearing Yard is an obviously large and important rail yard in Chicago. The purpose of this thread and questioning is to determine the signficance and importance of the yard.
Obviously, it see considerable use. My question is how does it fit in with the operations of the class 1's and other railroads in Chicago?
With the number of class 1's greatly reduced from 30 years ago, does Clearing still hold as critical of a roll in Chicago classification?
UP has Proviso, BNSF has Galesburg, CN has Kirk and Markham, CP has Bensenville, NS has Elkhart, and CSX has Barr. These are all significant yards either in Chicago or nearby.
CSX currently has 5 inbound trains (from Selkirk, Williard, Cumberland, Nashville, and Birmingham) and 4 outbound (Selkirk, Williard, Nashville, and Birmingham).
NS cards 5 outbounds (2- Conway, 1 Chattanooga,1 Macon, and 1 Elkhart) with 3 inbounds (Conway, Macon, and Elkhart).
CN only has 1 each way (Sault Ste. Marie and Fond du Lac)
CP meanwhile has 4 each way - inbound from Toronto, Nahant, Edmonton, and Moose Jaw with outbounds to Toronto, Nahant, Calgary, and Brandon.
I have no info on UP, BNSF and the local railroads.
So, is the yard capacity so diminished in Chicago - possible conversion to intermodal, that there is no capacity for classification of these cars? Or, since BRC is owned by the class 1's, is it economically feasible to run cars thru the yard?
Just trying to get a handle on why this yard keeps being significant.
thanks,
Ed
The BNSF runs several trains in and out of Clearing. Some examples are trains such as M-BRCGAL, M-BRCKCK and H-GFDBRC. UP runs several actual trains and a transfer. IHB runs into Clearing as well.
Could it be the Chicagoland area yards just do not have the capacity to handle either the extra cars or the destination blocks?
With CSX, NS, CP, and CN there are 27 trains originating/destined to/from Clearing. Add the BNSF and UP trains (possibly another 10 total, plus the Chicago locals and transfers and one would probably have at least 40 per day. That has to be 1500+ cars per day that is humped, perhaps more.
Right now CSX has 12 trains to and from Barr plus locals and 11 to and from Clearing. My guess is that Barr couldnt handle that many manifest trains daily, but that is just a guess.
If you hear of a manifest train on the UP whose last two identification letters are "CH", it means "Chicago", but stands for Clearng Yard.
There are stlll a few railroads, such as IAIS, CSS, CRL, CFW&E, WSOR, and others that UP doesn't interchange with (in Chicago) directly, just because there isn't enough business. Some of this stuff goes to IHB, and some to the Belt for classification at Clearing. Perhaps if UP, BNSF, CN, and CP all bring stuff in for CRL, the BRC might be able to send a daily transfer run back and forth to them.
Another possibility (I'm speaking purely hypothetically here--don't know if this is being done any more) is that one of the big railroad's lines doesn't get much traffic, or has a yard that can't handle it efficiently. Suppose, for example, that UP wanted to send a freight along the old GM&O toward St. Louis. They have no facilities this side of Joliet on that line, and not much at all except Bloomington and possibly Springfield. So a UP manifest might be operated toward St. Louis from Clearing, with the switching done by them. Clearing may have enough classification tracks available to make a few blocks for UP, so UP contracts with the BRC for that job. UP actually closed Yard Center as a classification yard at one point, with the BRC doing that work, but that didn't work out so well.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
Carl:That makes sense. It seems like the entire Chicago interchange is so complex that to keep things fluid there needs to be definate plans on building trains. The number of smaller lines can add up to quite a few cars daily, but not so many from one railroad.
It sure would be interesting to see the data on one day (or week, or month) interchange between all carriers with routings.
First, I've taken two tours of Clearing Yard with the Northwestern Hagestad Sandhouse Gang. The place was literally dead a couple decades ago. But a guy named Jim Martin (former ICG president) brought it back to usefulness and the place is impressive. (This includes the car shop which is named after Mr. Martin.)
It's all about the aggregation of units of sale into units of production. Individual shipments grouped into blocks and trains. What is the most efficient way to do that?
The most efficient train loads at one point, travels directly without work to the destination, then unloads. Unit coal/grain/ethanol trains are examples. The RailEx perishable trains to Selkirk are another example.
But most freight doesn't move in trainload lots. So the railroads have to aggregate shipments into blocks and trains. Doing this in the most efficient manner for carload traffic is where Clearing comes in.
If the volume is available, and it's in UP's best economic interest, the UP will aggregate a train for Selkirk at North Platte. If they can't do that they'll evaluate grouping the Selkirk business at Proviso with traffic from other origins to make a Selkirk block/train. If they can't justify doing that, and a lot of destinations won't go through Selkirk, they can aggregate a Clearing train at North Platte.
At Clearing the BRC can combine the UP inbound traffic with traiffic received from other western railroads to aggregate into blocks/trains for eastern railroads. (and the reverse) That's where Clearing comes in to play.
For a railroad significant costs are in the terminals and in the aggregation process. (Unless it's a unit train.) Clearing is the most cost efficient method of handling traiffic to lower volume destinations that can't support a block/train from a more distant origin. That's why its used.
The BRC also still has some industies that it switches.
It's impressive. There are two hump tracks on the same hill with cars moving in two different directions. Clearing Yard and the Belt Railway of Chicago have their job to do, and they do their job very well.
Hello,
For reference... http://www.beltrailway.com/index.html. A good website with links to the Belt's industries, tariffs, car tracing, etc.
CC
I may be wrong on this, but I think that somewhere I heard that clearing is operating a little under 50% capacity right now, so if that's accurate it could handle a lot lot more traffic.
Since I live about a mile south of the hump, I see Clearing Yard regularly and I agree that usage appears well below capacity, although part of this may be due to the economic downturn.
Now I no longer live anywhere near Clearing Yard, I remember it in the late 80's in particular. A volatile time.
It is correct, that the BRC has a different role today, providing a place for the smaller carriers in the area to get interchange from the Class One's. I used to see the blocks on UP trains going there, and was kind of surprised at some of them. For example, although UP built a CN block at NP split from train at Proviso, yet there were still more CN cars on the BRC direct manifest from NP, some had the same destinations.
Proviso still has a large function however, since anything billed east of North Platte, ends up there for classification. And I am sure they either build a BRC block to be picked up by the NPCH (if it still exists), or sent on a transfer. We send a lot of traffic that is handled this way. And their cost of course is much higher than sending a dedicated train to BRC with less handling as the North Platte train avoids.
And I guess cost is a big consideration of using the BRC or not. If as a carrier, I can hand off a train to NS or CSX, without further handling in Chicago, why not? If I can originate X cars per day of interchange to a particular carrier, and have the capacity, why bother with the BRC? And the second consideration is capacity. Not just yard capacity, but out on the main as well. Every time I yard a train, it takes a lot more time than if it went past the yard on it's way somewhere else. Decisions decisions!
That's all fine for inbound traffic, but what about outbound? It is just as difficult to balance as inbound traffic. A train originated at BRC will almost have to work at Proviso for example, before it leaves town. There is no economic sense to send two different trains daily to the same end terminal, say for example Des Moines (which also feeds Cedar Rapids). Both the cost of such a plan, and capacity dictate.
Last, given current traffic levels, there is no single terminal carrier that has the capacity to do all interchange in Chicago. Now if A.B. Stickney had his original plan for Clearing implemented, I could see that happening.
It would be useful to receive a current list of classifications made by Clearing, just to see what's being done on a regular basis.
Paul, when last I looked, Proviso had a Selkirk classification that probably got about 30 cars a day. And I'm pretty sure that UP's Selkirk train, QNPSKP, runs daily. I know that there is an MNPCH or QNPCH that goes to Clearing on a regular (?) basis. And, of course, our trains to the coal dock run through there.
CShaveRR Paul, when last I looked, Proviso had a Selkirk classification that probably got about 30 cars a day. And I'm pretty sure that UP's Selkirk train, QNPSKP, runs daily.
Paul, when last I looked, Proviso had a Selkirk classification that probably got about 30 cars a day. And I'm pretty sure that UP's Selkirk train, QNPSKP, runs daily.
Yes, the QNPSKP runs daily. Does all Selkirk traffic run on it? No. The 'Q' was set up to handle expidited traffic to Selkirk. If you paid for the service, your cars got on that train. There were a lot of cars leaving NP going to Selkirk, or in that block, that were never included on the 'Q'.
Yes, some yardmasters might have snuck a few 'other' cars on to clear up the yard, but that was not the original intent. Network planners did not want the 'Q' messing with Chicago at all, outside of the perishable block for Rochelle. 'Other' cars followed the usual interchange with CSX to Barr.
Let me qualify this, I base it on what I saw a few years ago, it may or may not be practice today since I no longer have the time.
I like to call Clearing yard "the melting pot". every ragional railroad, class 1 railroad, and chicago/indiana belt railways go into this single yard. you can also see a variety of power in the yard two. WSOR SD40-2s, UP AC4400s, CP AC4400CWs, and much more.
Ken, Carl, Paul, et al:
Thanks for the info. It is all starting to make sense, although a bit hazy. It is easy to consider the North Platte - Selkirk train. Classify all of the west of NP stuff into one train and head east. The points east of NP obviously do not warrant a dedicated train to Selkirk (or Williard, Cumberland, etc). So, what you are saying is that lets say a Des Moines, or St. Paul train is built for both Proviso and Clearing, with a kick off at Proviso for local sorting and then forwarding on to Clearing for interchange with CSX, NS, and the local carriers (SS, Chicago Rail Link, etc).
This all makes sense, and with my former LTL trucking days, this is how it was handled. Build solid trailers of LTL shipments for break bulk terminals (similar to yards) and let them sort for destinations.
I know BNSF/CSX has a Selkirk train (CSX Q380), but am not aware of a UP train (could be Q382) which is a Barr/Selkirk train.
So, if the super yards, such as Galesburg or North Platte can build a solid train for Selkirk, based on historic traffic levels, it is coordinated between the two carriers. Otherwise let all the other cars flow either to Barr or Clearing for classification and further movements.
Somewhere, I would imagine the interlining carriers have discussed where they want certain destinations interchanged. For instance, my info shows Barr Yard does not have a dedicated train to Williard, but Clearing does. So, CSX instructs all western carriers to send Williard freight (and yards sorted by Williard) to Clearing. Obviously, Barr will have some Williard freight, from the locals, but would that be built into a Barr train destined to beyond Williard, such as a Q368 (Cumberland)? The Q368 is always a short train, often 40 cars or less, so it might handle pickups at Garrett, Fostoria, Williard, etc. for other points.
Fascinating stuff, has the reduction in class 1's from the 1970's to today's current 7 carriers improved single carload transit times? The productivity levels should be much higher.
This also leads to the next obvious question.
Cost structure.
We will probably never know what BRC charges for classifying a car, that is buried deep into contracts with the carriers. Nor will we know what the UP or other carriers consider to be their "cost" (fixed and variable) to hump a car.
Correct me if I am wrong, but isnt BRC owned by the Class 1", or at some of them?
My 1998 Moody's transportation manual shows shareholders as ATSF (2600 shares), BN (2600), Conrail (5200), CSX (7800), GTW (2600), IC (2600), MoPac (2600), NW (2600), and Soo (2600). These are not my typos, but how the carriers are listed as of Dec 31, 1995.
No financials were given. Dividends havent been paid since 1966, so obviously the fees generated are used for operating expense and capex with possible reduction or increase of fees at given time (yearly or quarterly).
IHB has a similar situation.
One thing, several years ago Chicago, FtWayne and Eastern had an additional $300 per car fee for cars handled by IHB, so one might conclude that was the "per car" charge for humping and building the CFwE trains.
So, does $300 sound fair for humping and classifying a car? Sounds fair to me.
It is correct that the BRC is owned by the 6 Class I's (although in differing proportions, don't remember the exact numbers). So it's possible then since the BRC is used mostly for interchange when being used by a class 1 they are not trying to shake every last penny of profit out of the carrier and it may be pretty economical for the carrier....
I just had the MCHNP about a week or so back. I don't think it or it's counterpart, QNPCH do any intermediate work between Clearing and North Platte. At least on a normal, regular basis. The trains are run daily. (The originating crew left their copies of the BRC and IHB Daily Operating Bulletins on the engine. I properly disposed of them.)
Among the disposed of papers, was a BRC track list for the train. The train was 99 cars, on two tracks that had to be doubled together. The BRC list showed which railroad the cars came from. Six cars came from the BNSF, One car each came from the South Shore, Wisconsin & Southern, Chicago Rail Link, and the CN. The rest of the train was about evenly divided between the NS and CSX. All but one car had the comment "reroute" in the space provided. The one that didn't was an mty hazmat that had "dangerous" in that comment space.
QNPSKP has had it's symbol changed. Without looking, I think it's now the QNPCXP. I've seen it scheduled to work one of the stations (Rochelle?) between Clinton and Proviso. I don't know if that's something regularly done. The QNPSKP didn't usually do intermediate work and I wonder if that's the reason for the symbol change.
Jeff
Jeff:What did the term "reroute" refer to in this case?
Also, I hear the term "Daily Operating Bulletins" often on the scanner (often called "papers"). I have envisioned these to be a list of special instructions such as speed restrictions, sidings out of service, work limits, etc. Obviously the wheel is included, but is that considered to be part of the bulletins? Also, does it list work that needs to be done in transit, such as set off at Rochelle?
Is that accurate?Ed
I don't know what reroute is referring to in this case either. That's kind of why I mentioned it, hoping someone would pick up on it. I'd guess that that mty hazmat car would also have had "reroute" if the space wasn't needed for the "dangerous" comment.
You're right about the Daily Operating Bulletin, for both roads. It's kind of a cross between our track bulletins (temporary speed restrictions, tracks out of service, Form B protection, etc) and our general orders (changes in rules, time table info, permanent restrictions, etc).
It really wasn't a BRC train list (aka wheel report) and it wasn't part of the DOB. It really only had the basic plus a little extra info. Other than showing there was a hazmat car on the track, it didn't have any of the needed hazmat contact/response info required for line haul. Any scheduled work events off the BRC wouldn't show up on their (BRC) paperwork. It would be on the UP crew's paperwork.
Jeff:Thanks for the update.
I did a little snooping on their website, particularly their tariff. Being an old traffic guy that wrote and interprated tariffs, I felt right at home!
It appears BRC charges between $424 and $507 per carload for delivery/pickup based on three zones. The charge also includes the spotting or pickup of the empty.
They have what is called "Intermediate Service". This is defined as "Traffic originating beyond adn destined beyond the Chicago Switching District...will be paid by the connecting line deliverying to the BRC. The cost is $152 per car.
So, does this mean that to deliver a train of 100 cars to the BRC for sorting to various outbound trains that the cost will be 100 x $152 or $15200? Seems reasonable. Would that also apply to the trackage rights into BRC? As I read it, then the outbound train would have no charges.
So, what about an 81 car ethanol train passing thru? Same charge (per car?).
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