Do Railroads still hump cars in the yards

[CShaveRR]

Jay, we still have 66 tracks in our classification bowl, versus 69 when I hired out--we lost three to the Global II facility, and often wish we had them back. When Proviso opened, by the way, it had 59 tracks (that was in 1929--they've survived for 42 years without me and 34 years in spite of me!).

[jeaton]

Let see, that's 34 years times 48-50 weeks times 5 shifts a week for how many cars a shift? Where's my calculater?

Do you realize that you may have had just about every "loose" car made run past your window?

Jay

[Anonymous]

For the sake of those without experience, the "Bowl" that has been mentioned here is exactly what it sounds like, track laid out in a bowl shaped depression so the cars rolling down the hump don't roll out the other end.

[CShaveRR]

As a historian and devotee of freight equipment, I know for a fact that, despite having dealt with literally millions of freight cars on the job, I've seen nowhere near everything that is or was out there.

If things start getting monotonous on my railroad (yes, it happens, though rarely), all I need to go is hang around the BNSF for a little while, and I'll see some cars that I'd never catch on this line. The same holds true for CP, WC, or any of the eastern railroads. The day I spent in Philadelphia with Sarah Warner, I was amazed at the cars I saw, many of which I didn't even realize existed!

[CSXrules4eva]

Carl I've got to say that I was so amazed given the fact that Philadelphia had some cars that you haven't seen in the 20 times more freight traffic state of Illinois. lol