Several European humpyards sort more cars than Bailey Yard at North Platte, but if you count the unit coal train cars that are inspected at Bailey Yard, then it is the busiest, also it covers the largest amount of land area. The busiest humpyard in Germany is Maschen Yard, SE of Hamburg, it regularly sorts over 5,000 cars per day, and is rated for 6,000 cars/day. It was completely rebuilt a few years ago with all the refinements in humpyard equipment. All cars pass through 3 sets of retarders to allow the highest possible humping speeds, and all tracks are equipped with cable mules for track trimming, and gathering. Other busy European humpyards are, Kifhoek Yard near Rotterdam, Kledering Yard near Vienna, and Noord Yard at Antwerp. Many small European yards feature a mini-hump, without retarders, so that there is no need to “kick” cars in an otherwise flat-switched yard.
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.
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
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.
Selkirk New York 5 miles from front to back and about a mile wide or so-
Was it not somewhere in Germany that had the largest yard?
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.
Yeah - what measurement(s) are we using to define “largest” ?
- PDN.
Last I checked a yard was 3 feet [:-^]
Imperial/International or US Survey Feet?[:-,]
I guess that depends on what state the yard is in [:P]
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.
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.
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.
Wouldn’t know anything about that place.[:-^][:-^][:-^]
How many yards on CSX do we have to scratch off this list post Hunter??[:)]
Wrong topic.
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.