I guess that depends on what state the yard is in
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.
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.
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.)
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.
CMStPnPHappy 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.
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
zugmann CMStPnP If it's an approach into a yard, then it's most likely restricted speed anyhow.
CMStPnP
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.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
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.)
How many yards on CSX do we have to scratch off this list post Hunter??
Wrong topic.
rdamonIs 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.
zugmannIf 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.
CMStPnPThats 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.
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.
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 . . .
Nice find!!!
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!)
zugmannIf 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.
Paul_D_North_JrMC: 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.
..and he also pulled Krebs accross the table by the shirt collar in a business car
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.
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,
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