Movin' In Macon: Norfolk Southern's Brosnan Hump Yard in Action

[@kens.3729]

Eco Paint Job looks Great. 👍🙏

[@Steamer235]

I lived in Macon, Ga for nine years...have been all over that yard and the industries requiring rail services nearby. There are also many smaller yards in surrounding areas. lots to see there if you're a railfan...but visit it safely, there are railroad police. You can park in areas out of the way. One of my favorite spots is the Mead Rd bridge on the south end. Thanks for this video. It has given me yet another angle of Brosnan Yard.

[@nkyrailfan]

Thanks for the great info. That had to be pretty exciting to see in person while working.

[@kens.3729]

You have to wonder how many Miles the employee pulling the Pin puts on his Legs in a Shift ?

[@cdavid8139]

to answer one of your questions as to why you may cut individual cars or let groups go by...the main factor is weight. If I have three mty cars going to the same track I may cut all three together. But if they are 110 ton loads we may send them one at a time. A lot depends on the individual hump with minor considerations to weather. Also if a car is hazmat we will treat it differently

[@nkyrailfan]

Thanks for the great information. I really do appreciate it.

[@kens.3729]

Will never Understand the Class I Railroads that Close a Hump Yard. A Hump Yard looks like it can get Expensive to Maintain but High Efficiency comes with a Cost. 👍

[@keithmoore5306]

oh they claim it's just as cost effective to use slugs on level track at more places!!

[@cdavid8139]

it is not inexpensive to maintain these humps. ANd with more and more traffic moving in multi-car shipments there is less of a need to maintain this type of class yard

[@tomt9543]

Three letters: PSR. The sole mission of it was to dump assets, facilities and employees to artificially and temporarily improve the Operating Ratio which made stock values skyrocket for a short time. The hedge fund gurus made massive amounts of money in a short period of time, then sold out and moved on! The left the smoldering wreckage of the US rail systems to put it all back together. On the subject of Linwood yard, they came in in 2020 and stripped the hump operating and control systems as well as the shops including C&S and Mechanical. In 2022 NS somewhat reactivated the yard to some extent with flat switching, and was considering reopening the hump, but estimated $30 million to resurrect it due to the slash and burn tactics of 2020 PSR! By comparison, it cost $50 million to build the entire facility in 1976 - 1979! I started my 41 year career on 6/11/1979, opening day for Linwood, and was there when they closed it, (I was part of a skeleton mechanical crew they kept, but I left after a few months, disgusted by what I was seeing!) and it still pisses me off what happened to not only Linwood, but the whole company!

[@cdavid8139]

@@tomt9543 $50 million in 1976 would be almost $300 million in 2024. Not sure what you mean by 'smoldering wreckage". Rail ton miles for 2023 is estimated to continue to be high and trending upward. Outside of covid rail ton miles has been stable or improved since PSR. As far as stock values rising in a short period of time...they have actually been rising for a long period of time. NS stock prices remain high.

[@tomt9543]

@@cdavid8139 For an outsider looking in, it all looks rosy. From the inside looking out, a far different scenario presents itself! I respect your opinion though!

[@Messicrafter]

Calls himself the NKY Railfan posts yet another video from Georgia. /s (I'm joking, keep up the good work) lol

[@nkyrailfan]

Lol, I've been thinking of changing my handle to The Midwest & South Transportation Fan

[@billstringfellow2149]

My understanding has been what you call a 'main'' line runs for about 8 miles before it ends. Besides any customers that may be on this line it is used in training. Trainees get to operate and work on a long enough section of track to get experience of the feel of a moving train. They can practice and simulate things at any time day or night, good weather or bad without affecting train schedules. If something bad should happen then trains on the real mainline located to the east of I-75 are not affected.

[@nkyrailfan]

Thanks for the great info. I do appreciate it.

[@keithmoore5306]

Belleview may have had the hump shut down but the yard is still at full tilt!! frankly anything other than the skunk roads normal white on black is a MAJOR improvement!!! same goes for cheapskate express's yellow on blue! both schemes are tired and old as Wilson's mule! those retarders do have weight limits so they'd probably send fully loaded ones through one at a time! that service pad if it's like cheapskate's it's one stop water fuel sand check the oil empty the septic tank clean the windshields and add ice to the coolers in the nose if it ain't been upgraded to a fridge yet!! i wouldn't read much into which door that guy went into most engines today only have a door behind the engineers seat on the long hood end there;s some kind of duct work sticking out on the conductors side!

[@joeysykes8075]

not sure why they would choose to hump that cut of rock cars considering they all ended up in the same track, seems inefficient. I used to work for NS in Louisville KY, if you find yourself there again, they switch in this same manor except its a bowl yard. Market street is the job that performs most of the switching.

[@cdavid8139]

not uncommon to grab a train of 100 cars with a large number of cars blocked to the same location. When you do this you then make a decision as to whether to make multiple cuts or just shove the block down the hill to a coupling. not uncommon

[@nkyrailfan]

I hope to make it back to Louisville again.

[@dispatch444]

That guy’s job has gotta get monotonous at times. Doing the same task repeatedly in the same specific way just as a factory assembly line day in day out.