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North America's hump yards
Published: July 8, 2006  Norfolk Southern's Linwood, N.C., classification yard
Photo by Matt Van Hattem More than half of the hump yards in North America have closed in the past 25 years. From 152 operating classification yards in 1975, the number dropped to 122 in 1985, and 72 by 1993. In 2002, there were 59 active hump yards.
The reasons for this decline are many, and touch on some of the major themes of railroading in the past quarter-century: new technology, mergers and consolidations, and the shift in traffic from boxcars to containers, to name a few. In a special 2-part feature (June and July 2002), TRAINS Magazine looked at the operation and evolution of the North American classification yard, and showed how today's hump yards, while fewer in number, are the railroad industry's most efficient tool for keeping an enormous volume of cars moving across the country every day.
A list of operating hump yards in 2002 appears below, arranged by railroad.
Alton & Southern Gateway Yard, East St. Louis, Ill.
Belt Railway of Chicago Clearing Yard, Chicago, Ill.
BNSF Railway Argentine Yard, Kansas City, Kan. Balmer Yard, Seattle, Wash. Barstow, Calif. Cherokee Yard, Tulsa, Okla. Galesburg, Ill. Northtown Yard, Minneapolis, Minn. Pasco, Wash. Tennessee Yard, Memphis, Tenn.
Canadian National MacMillan Yard, Toronto, Ont. Symington Yard, Winnipeg, Man. Walker Yard, Edmonton, Alberta
Canadian Pacific Alyth Yard, Calgary, Alberta Bensenville, Ill. St. Paul Yard, St. Paul, Minn. Toronto Yard, Ont. Weston Yard, Winnipeg, Man.
Conrail Oak Island Yard, Newark, N.J. Pavonia Yard, Camden, N.J.
CSX Transportation Avon, Ind. Boyles Yard, Birmingham, Ala. Cumberland, Md. Frontier Yard, Buffalo, N.Y. Hamlet, N.C. Osborn Yard, Louisville, Ky. Queensgate Yard, Cincinnati, Ohio Radnor Yard, Nashville, Tenn. Selkirk, N.Y. Stanley Yard, Toledo, Ohio Tilford Yard, Atlanta, Ga. Waycross, Ga. Willard, Ohio
Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Kirk Yard, Gary, Ind.
Indiana Harbor Belt Blue Island, Ill.
Norfolk Southern Allentown, Pa. Bellevue, Ohio Brosnan Yard, Macon, Ga. Buckeye Yard, Columbus, Ohio Conway, Pa. DeButts Yard, Chattanooga, Tenn. Elkhart, Ind. Enola, Pa. Norfolk, Va. Norris Yard, Birmingham, Ala. Shaffers Crossing Yard, Roanoke, Va. Sheffield, Ala. Spencer Yard, Linwood, N.C.
Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis Madison Yard, Ill.
Union Pacific Bailey Yard, North Platte, Neb. Centennial Yard, Fort Worth, Texas Englewood Yard, Houston, Texas Hinkle, Ore. Livonia, La. Neff Yard, Kansas City, Mo. North Little Rock, Ark. Pine Bluff, Ark. Proviso Yard, Ill. Davis Yard, Roseville, Calif. West Colton, Calif. |
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