Is my thinking correct?


Trussrod

Trussrod

Well-Known Member
In the Ad Choices above I noticed this: Union Pacific Bailey Yard See more than 15000 rail cars a day at the worlds largest railyard www.VisitNorthPlatte.com

Now I haven't really ever followed what Prototypical operation actually does and only somewhat became aware when my Engineer friend gave me a ride in an SP Switcher he was operating in the old SP yard in Fresno, Calif many years back.

So when I read the above I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing?

Is my think/figuring correct that if the above figure is broken down into 120 car trains that it would require 5.2 trains, of that size, to depart from that yard every hour round the clock!? That's almost hard to believe that could be done when you consider the amount of shuffling that possibly has to be done to make various consists going to various locations. I realize there must be a tremendous number of employees but if my figuring is correct that would mean that every 11.5 minutes another train would be leaving or coming in?

That's what you call non stop action. And that's not accounting for equipment failure of one type or another.

I never realized rail operations were that extensive!
 
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I know that yard is incredible, so it isnt a stretch in my opinion anyway to believe your numbers. It also states in that website "70% of train traffic through Bailey Yard is composed of unit trains (coal, auto, refrigerated, grain, etc.). These trains pass directly through the yard without being sorted. " Im not sure if they count these as being "handled", but if so I could definately see where they handle that many a day. Thanks to you I really want to plan a trip over there LOL
 
Bailey yard is something else...you have to remember it's in a place with many, many unit coal trains and surrounded by triple track mainline. I was amazed by the number of trains when I went there, though I didn't count!
 
Thats on my list of spots to visit. Always wanted to get out there to railfan.
 
TRAINFAN9510 said:
I know that yard is incredible, so it isnt a stretch in my opinion anyway to believe your numbers. It also states in that website "70% of train traffic through Bailey Yard is composed of unit trains (coal, auto, refrigerated, grain, etc.). These trains pass directly through the yard without being sorted. " Im not sure if they count these as being "handled", but if so I could definately see where they handle that many a day. Thanks to you I really want to plan a trip over there LOL
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Say TrainFan, your reply is appreciated,
Yes, I guess there are possibly a number of trains that just pass through the yard and those are possibly being counted too?

Here's some info I just came across on this web site about the Bailey Yard:

http://www.visitnorthplatte.com/GoldenSpikeTower.html

Just how big is Bailey Yard?

The massive yard covers 2,850 acres, and includes one of UP's largest repair facilities, with space enough to house 3 football fields.

* Bailey Yard handles 150 trains daily bound for cities as distant as the East, West, and Gulf Coasts.
* Every 24 hours, Bailey Yard handles 15,000 railroad cars.
* 70% of train traffic through Bailey Yard is composed of unit trains (coal, auto, refrigerated, grain, etc.). These trains pass directly through the yard without being sorted.
* Classification bowls for eastbound and westbound traffic contain 114 tracks and thousands of cars.
* Over 14 million gallons of diesel fuel is used monthly.
* The car repair facility repairs 50 cars daily, and replaces 10,000 pairs of wheels yearly.

Union Pacific has recently constructed a facility on the east end of the yard (adjacent to Buffalo Bill Avenue) which x-rays the wheels of coal trains on-the-fly to detect cracks.


So, per what they state then 6.25 trains an hour pass through the yard round the clock.

Look at the repair figures, especially the the number of pairs of wheels replaced each year!!

Back to the figures, I really prefer Francine's, one of Bill T's at the Flo's Diner & Coffee shop here on the forum though.

Anyway if 70% are unit trains that just pass through that still means that the yard is making up 45 trains a day to be routed one way or another, quite some operation alright with 114 classification tracks! OMG, no wonder the place is so big,m 2,850 acres, undoubtly mostly in length but without checking I'll bet it's at least a mile wide.

Well TF, your a lot closer than I am, LoL, to get over there but web images are probably just as good!

I was just guesstimating the width needed for 114 classification tracks along with allowing room for a vehicle to drive between them if needed and figured about 19' so it would take approximnatly 2166 ft of width not counting run-around tracks etc.

I think I'll stick with my single track main line and a few passing sidings here and there!
 
TrainboyH16-44 said:
Bailey yard is something else...you have to remember it's in a place with many, many unit coal trains and surrounded by triple track mainline. I was amazed by the number of trains when I went there, though I didn't count!
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Say Trainboy
I can almost imagine the enormity of it all. While I haven't been back there I'm sure those tripple mains still have to diverge into a single main line at one point or another and the job of trying to merge trains must be a tremendous task!
 
Photogdad said:
Thats on my list of spots to visit. Always wanted to get out there to railfan.
Click to expand...


Say Charles,
Being that we are both here in Calif. I think maybe the Bakersfield Yard, albiet smaller I'm sure, would be a lot more doable for either of us. Actually I have the old SP Yard, now BNSF at the mid point going through Fresno which is about 40 miles away as well as the old SF yard a little further South so maybe as money is tight I'll stick to those or even up towards Madera with a passing track I think. That and web images for me. Besides, use the time and money you'd spend on your own layout. That's what I doing to get mine progressing more.

I need to learn SCARM to draw a more precise plan so I can better visualize the possibilities open to me as well as to get a better 3D of how I like the scenery to look.

Stay in touch.
 
LoudMusic said:
A significantly large train leaving every 10 minutes? I could believe that.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/69648269@N00/297409584/
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That is quite some wide angle shot alright, almost unbelievable the amount of rail traffic there!

The staging that the yardmasters crew must have to go through is quite some touchy task to coordinate the different trains I would think, it must really be something.

I know, or at least have talked with a foxy lady who is an engineer for the BNSF and will have to ask her if she has ever been through that yard? Although I don't think any of the rail lines from here in Calif. go through there? Well the Salad Bowl Express maybe?
 
LoudMusic said:
A significantly large train leaving every 10 minutes? I could believe that.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/69648269@N00/297409584/
Click to expand...


That is quite some wide angle shot alright, almost unbelievable the amount of rail traffic there!

The staging that the yardmasters crew must have to go through is quite some touchy task to coordinate the different trains I would think, it must really be something.

I know, or at least have talked with a foxy lady who is an engineer for the BNSF and will have to ask her if she has ever been through that yard? Although I don't think any of the rail lines from here in Calif. go through there? Well the Salad Bowl Express maybe?

Anyway that quite some 0peration!
 
iirc, NP is somewhere in the neighborhood of 8 miles long... probably from yard lead/control point to the same on the other end.
 
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