Big Bellevue! Humping, Switching and More at Norfolk Southern's Largest Yard

[@kens.3729]

This is most likely the Best Hump Yard Action I have ever seen on KZbin. You mentioned Moorman was Largest and it certainly did Not Disappoint. Thanks! 👍

[@nkyrailfan]

Thanks, Ken. I'm very glad to hear you enjoyed it.

[@pomik111]

See also russian humps. They are really fast sorting and sound so cool

[@pomik111]

See also russian humps. They are really fast sorting and sound so cool

[@bhlom4135]

Yes!!!! LB48 going balls deep for a 12hr shift! Nice!

[@U_ever]

It's like watching ballet being performed flawlessly by elephants and rhino's. AWESOME ! ! !

[@jazzmandan50]

This is awesome!!! I really loved the sped-up action on the hump yard. Keep up the great work. Thanks for sharing.

[@nkyrailfan]

Thank you very much, Daniel. I really do appreciate it.

[@terryjennings2791]

That is a BIG yard. Very nice work again. Really interesting to see all the activity in both fast speed and real time. Chalk up another great video for NKY Railfan

[@nkyrailfan]

Thank you. I was really pleased with this video. I'm very glad to hear you liked it.

[@EntertainmentWorldz]

Great video, 🤩🤩🥰🥰

[@schinbone0]

Spent most of my career working to Belletucky. Conductor, engineer, dispatcher. My first promoted day as an engineer was spent working the hump there. I had to run the hump set by hand for 12 hours because lightning hit RT4 and blew up the computers that ran the engines automatically. Good vid.

[@nkyrailfan]

Glad to hear you enjoyed the video. It sounds like you know how just about everything runs and works. That must've been one heckuva day on the hump.

[@schinbone0]

@@nkyrailfan OMG, longest day.....Rt 4 yardmaster and trainmaster thought I was doing great, so they used the other crew to pull trains in, or some say dog catching.

[@nkyrailfan]

That's what you get for being good at your job and doing hard work! No good deed goes unpunished.

[@schinbone0]

@@nkyrailfan LOL, that is how it felt.

[@thetriplem2661]

Oh man, this is amazing footage. Thanks ! Radio chatter is almost like watching Below Deck on Bravo TV, but otherwise I'm into it. Great work on one of the best railyard videos I've seen.

[@nkyrailfan]

Thank you so much. I'm very happy to hear you enjoyed the video.

[@supercuda1950]

That place is huge. Great aerials...the best way to view this place.

[@nkyrailfan]

Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Rupert. This was a fun video to shoot and to edit. I hope you're doing well.

[@mostlyinterested1016]

I could literally watch these hump yards all day; especially when they're sped-up.

[@drewbrown9178]

Amazing video as always, thanks for sharing! Communication is key in the yard !

[@nkyrailfan]

Glad you liked it, Drew. It does seem incredible these crews are able to seamlessly sort these cars with no apparent issues or injuries. Good communication goes a long way.

[@davezobeljr9025]

Amazing video. ITs amazing how the person that lines all the switches to get it to the right track does it. Not to mention the guy that pulls the couplers and know what ones to pull and whic ones to leave connected.

[@nkyrailfan]

The crews make an extremely challenging operation look easy. You really do have to hand it to them for pulling it off without any problems.

[@danb715]

Great video, I like Bellevue Yard. I put my application in with Bellevue, Elkhart and Cleveland area. Keep up the great videos.

[@nkyrailfan]

Thank you, Dan. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Good luck getting on with any of the yards. They all seem like great places to work. I'm hoping to get to Cleveland at some point this summer.

[@jordialfonsoaragones4978]

Brutal, nice video, thanks

[@ambahh5219]

I love how long this video is and how much radio traffic there is

[@b3j8]

Been to Bellevue sev times over the yrs. Most of them when it was just another hump yard. Now so many have been closed it's become THE biggest on the system.

[@vicnis625]

Great camera views with this video. Good job

[@nkyrailfan]

Thanks, Vic. I was pretty happy with it too.

[@eezyclsmooth9035]

Very Very Cool. There are tons of "Railfan" videos around but, NOT many rail hump yard videos! FYI, after the cars leave the hump. They have No Power, No Brakes- Just Gravity! Note how they Slam into the various consists?

[@nkyrailfan]

I'm very glad to hear that you enjoyed the video.

[@kamala2111]

Thanks for these vids they are so cool. Hope to see Chicago hump yard someday.

[@nkyrailfan]

I'm glad to hear you like them. I plan to get back up to Chicago hopefully this summer. Although I'm not sure what yards I'll be able to get the drone up from. I believe the NS yard is too close to the airport to film with the drone. I'll have to check the locations of the other yards.

[@kamala2111]

Yes it not to far from airport unfortunately

[@kalpeshwani8520]

Smartly designed .......

[@StormySkyRailProductions]

Cool video and view of all the action! (Dave)

[@nkyrailfan]

I'm very glad to hear you enjoyed it, Dave. I hope you have a great day!

[@StormySkyRailProductions]

@@nkyrailfan You also! (Dave).

[@ericthered1140]

Union Pacific Proviso IL hump yard is closed...love that place. Thanks for the memories......BTW they have a track detector in a hump yard???

[@ecast1500]

I don't know what is going on but it is going, how does the switching work, did not know track switches can work that fast, how do they know where the cars should go, just amazing

[@nkyrailfan]

It's all controlled by computers. The computer knows where each car needs to go and will assign a path for it to get on the destination track it needs to be on once it goes over the hump. The computer flips the switches and applies the brakes (retarders in a few spots to slow the cars) so the cars have just enough speed to make it where they need to be.

[@maingear7452]

Lawdy, that control building looks like a cell block. Put some barb wire around it and call it good.

[@nkyrailfan]

😂😂😂

[@davezobeljr9025]

I've seen this action in person once and was really curious . This was a yard right by O hare airport, I saw cars rolling without engines and was shocked. I thought it was a run away

[@Scorges1]

Sometimes the humps can work its own set of cars.

[@buckstarchaser2376]

13:33 What is that thing between the two locomotives, marked 857? Is it an unpiloted extra oomph adder, or possibly a long-trip fuel tank? It looks like it has a small fuel tank under it, so I would think it has an engine in it for something. It's a satisfyingly symmetrical arrangement, anyway.

[@nkyrailfan]

It's what is known as a slug unit. You're exactly right, it provides added oomph to get the cars over the hump. Here's more information on it. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slug_(railroad)

[@buckstarchaser2376]

@@nkyrailfan Thanks!

[@samuelsmith2317]

They shut the Hump down under PSR and just recently started humping cars again. Supposedly, Union Pacific added a few tracks when Bellevue expanding to ensure Bailey Yard remained the largest in America.

[@Scorges1]

Nothing will top Bailey Yard

[@samuelsmith2317]

@@Scorges1 Bailey Yard is INCREDIBLE!!

[@Scorges1]

@@samuelsmith2317 An average of 5+ trains an hour need to leave cause of that endless parade.

[@Simo-nk1oq]

Awesome video.

[@nkyrailfan]

Thank you very much, I really do appreciate it.

[@KTHKUHNKK]

I am actually headed there tomorrow to get some drone footage. I only live about an hour from there.😮

[@nkyrailfan]

I hope you enjoy it and get some good video.

[@larryfuchs3454]

Is that a big rat or a ground hog? Thanks for the video. I especially like the sped up portion.

[@nkyrailfan]

I'd have to get a closer look because I'd say it's a 50/50 chance of either a rat or a groundhog.

[@N_MI_Railfan]

Question what scanner frequency do you use for this yard I plan on visiting the yard later this year

[@nkyrailfan]

I actually haven't found one that consistently catches the radio traffic. I use the scan function on my scanner. I believe several channels are used throughout the yard, so if you used just one, you'd likely miss out on a lot of other radio calls.

[@Cassie4486]

Question? In the beginning of the video, are those freight cars just let loose to meet up with the main train? Or is there people on them?

[@nkyrailfan]

They are let loose but a crew member will connect each one and make sure they're safe before the cars leave the yard.

[@nkyrailfan]

It all depends on the cars' final destination and their weight. If they're not too heavy, the cars can be cut in lengths up to 4 cars to be sorted. It all depends on the weight though.

[@NKP_Railfanning_Productions]

24.00 when was this filmed? There's an SD70M-2 in the background

[@nkyrailfan]

I believe it was April 14th.

[@mconley600]

We switch out the cars coming from and Going to Bellevue yard and switch the cars going to Buffalo or coming down from Buffalo here in Conneaut, Ohio and we also have a iron ore train going to Mingo Junction, Ohio and coming north from Mingo Junction to here in Conneaut, Ohio with coal that is being shipped out on the Great Lakes and Some goes to Ashtabula, Ohio same deal being shipped out on ships on the Great Lakes

[@pleiku887]

When you watch people that know what they're doing it makes you wonder why so many hump yards have been closed. Is there any way more efficient than this?

[@nkyrailfan]

I had the same thoughts and question. A few people have commented that a hump operation is very expensive to maintain and that if the car volume is not high enough, it makes more sense to simply flat-track switch the cars instead.

[@AVoltigeur]

lol.. you can hear WLE dispatcher too.

[@antonlewenhaupt357]

Anton jag älskar Norfolk southern

[@dominiccurtale3287]

I have a train conductor interview this week. got any advice for me? wish me luck :)

[@nkyrailfan]

I wish I had some advice for you, but all I can give you is best of luck. Hopefully someone who works for the railroad will see this and can offer you some advice. Again. Best of luck!

[@williamflowersrailfannerpr3808]

Satisfied action

[@dejuawngaines9892]

I,M WILLING TO GROW WITH THE COMPANY OFFICE

[@Galactis1]

Bout 40 mins from me. It's a LAARGE yard.

[@clintonwashabaugh1387]

Was loving the video until you started it over at 26:10. The same train, and high railer, as the opening train.

[@nkyrailfan]

Glad you enjoyed the first part. I've had people say they don't like it sped up or they only like it sped up. So, I try to appease them both by putting the sped up and normal speed footage in the same video.

[@kalpeshwani8520]

Very close to my design...

[@LLAACountyJail]

YOU OWN A HELICOPTER OR SOMETHIN ?

[@Indy125]

I didn't think you where allowed to fly over rail yards with a drone?

[@nkyrailfan]

So far, rail yards have not been designated as critical infrastructure nationwide. However, a few states have prohibited flights over the yards. Currently, only places like nuclear power plants are no fly zones. In Kentucky for instance, the state legislature recently passed a bill saying no recreational drone flying over yards, but the bill has exemptions for commercially licensed pilots. So, while it's not illegal to fly over rail yards, depending on how low someone is flying their drone, it could be considered trespassing. I try to stay above the tallest structure in the yard. That way I'm not in the yard's "usable space." I have seen plenty of videos where people are flying at basically eye level. That would be trespassing and they could get in trouble for that. Hopefully, this helps.

[@Indy125]

@@nkyrailfan yes thanks!

[@Indy125]

@@nkyrailfan and wouldn't it be safe to think that the FAA already has restricted airspace around existing critical infrastructure?

[@nkyrailfan]

Certain critical infrastructure has been marked no fly zones. I was out in Norfolk recently for another video I'm working on. I had to get authorization to fly near the Naval base there. It was near a U.S. Coast Guard facility. Even with authorization to fly in the Naval Station's airspace, I was not allowed to fly over the USCG facility. The drone has maps built in that prevent you from flying over things like that. Plus, the FAA works with companies to provide maps showing what's off limits. I use an app called Air Control. It shows me everything I need to know about where I'm flying. Without it, it would be very hard to know for sure whether you're legal or not.

[@BABBrandonson-wn5rw]

Holy cow

[@AVoltigeur]

.. because PSR. And now PSR 2.0. I would not be surprised 1 bit if NS gets absorbed by CP by the time this round is all over.

[@nkyrailfan]

I hope it doesn't happen, but I could certainly see it being a reasonable possibility.

[@trainsofmichiganproduction5418]

I bet no one seen the conrail switcher between 8:50 and 9:10

[@oldshep2695]

Ahh it repeats..now i see why its so long..

[@nkyrailfan]

I had been only posting the sped up version but had more people than I expected say they wanted to see the videos in real time. So, put the sped up version first and then the normal speed after. I also try to put any locomotives or buildings or other interesting things at the end too. I hope you enjoyed the video.

[@lalbahaduryadav163]

Old tren change

[@DaneDa-wb6uz]

Blackie stallion I'm purchasing colt terminal railroad Corbin Conrail Northern Eastern Quality Subdivision railroad bridge locomotive nice blackie Bethlehem steel Sparrow coal stack war coal pull in the pit traffic over locomotive went beneath scrap colt land 450,000 acres railroad grant 1:35:27 Leslie horn governor ave been a long time to hear long click clack Delaware track running click run governor track Conrail track seen derails empty good chat blackie

[@leerhode1021]

Awesome video.

[@nkyrailfan]

Thank you, Lee. I do appreciate it.