I’m putting together a map for our local historical society of the Erie yards in my city circa 1940-70 and want to know how railroaders refer to a yards area. One map I’m using has “switch yards” over the 35-track yard, but I don’t think that’s a common term; maybe redundant.
To what extent is “switch yards” correct (or not)?
Have any of you ever examined Sanborn Insurance maps of the railroad facilities in your town? I find them really interesting.
I’ve seen coach yards, transfer yards, sorting yards, hump yards staging yards, repair yards…all kinds of yards of just about any description you can think of. I wonder if it was left up to the mapmakers to determine the nomenclature?
“Switchyard” (one word) or “switching yard” are familiar terms from my youth (1960s, largely informed by Trains Magazine).
I believe ‘switchyard’ was also in use for electric power utility equipment, both near generating facilities and in distribution locations.
I grew up in the 1950s, and I think that was a pretty common term back then.
There are as many ‘yards’ as there are descriptors for their puropse or their relation to history.
At B&O’s Locust Point yard when I was ATM in the 1970’s - You had - New Yard, Old Yard, Hopper Yard, Brunsiwck Yard, Riverside Yard, the Fruit Pier - additionally there were Interchange Tracks with the Western Maryland Railway’s yard known as Port Covinvton. I was never responsible for Port Covington, with that being said in their hey day WM had a Coal Pier, Grain Pier and traditional docks for traditional ocean shipping in the days before containers; I feel certain that WM employees had a number of names for the various areas within the overall yard.