Today I stopped at the
Union Pacific Bailey Yards in North Platte Nebraska. This is an amazing place. The worlds largest yards covers 2,850 acres and stretches eight miles. Every 24 hours the yard handles 15,000 railroad cars and of those 3,000 are sorted in the eastward and westward yards.
This is the
Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center. It is eight stories high with an enclosed viewing platform on the eight floor and an open air deck on the seventh floor.
An overview of the Bailey yards.
The service facility. Each month this facility dispenses 14 million gallons of diesel fuel. The shop replaces 10,000 pars of wheels yearly. The facility can repair 18 to 20 cars an hour and they also repair 750 locomotives a year.
The east bowl. To the left of the picture is the sand tower. At the center, under the bridge, is the control center for the east 'hump'. The right part of the picture is the classification yard. The cars are pushed over the 'hump' and gravity takes them through a series of
switches and speed retarders to one of 114 bowl tracks when they make up a new train.
Another view of the bowl. This 'hump' can handle 4 cars per minute and the sorting is all done by computer.
Cars waiting to be sorted.
An overview of part of the yard.
This is the Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center. It is eight stories high with an enclosed viewing platform on the eight floor and an open air deck on the seventh floor.
An overview of the Bailey yards.
The service facility. Each month this facility dispenses 14 million gallons of diesel fuel. The shop replaces 10,000 pars of wheels yearly. The facility can repair 18 to 20 cars an hour and they also repair 750 locomotives a year.
The east bowl. To the left of the picture is the sand tower. At the center, under the bridge, is the control center for the east 'hump'. The right part of the picture is the classification yard. The cars are pushed over the 'hump' and gravity takes them through a series of switches and speed retarders to one of 114 bowl tracks when they make up a new train.
Another view of the bowl. This 'hump' can handle 4 cars per minute and the sorting is all done by computer.
Cars waiting to be sorted.
An overview of part of the yard.