No Humping in Louisville? No Problem. We'll Just Use Flat-Track Switching

[@douglasskaalrud6865]

Never heard it called flat-track switching; we call it flat-yard switching. The flat-yard switching I watched when I was a kid was at Soo Line’s Humboldt and Shoreham yards in north Minneapolis back in the later days of EMD round-roof switchers. Shoreham was a nice place-as long as you behaved yourself you were welcome, and you might even score the occasional cab ride to find out what real switching was. Humboldt was perfect as long as you accepted that you’d never get pictures with sunlight because all the old trees along the yard blocked most of the light. What made Humboldt really great was the sound. The bridge was like a megaphone and the switching lead was right under it so there were 567’s revving up and spooling back down all the time. You could watch the cars and see how accurate the engineer was in kicking. Great times.

[@kens.3729]

This Method is Definitely a much more Dangerous Method of Switching in the Yard. And like you mentioned, Everyone has to be On Their Game or Death Awaits.

[@hawktb9]

Wow! That is one very impressive operation to witness! A lot of coordination and I'm just blown away at how the cars are uncoupled while in motion and continue on to connect with the "new" consists just using motion from the locomotive. Impressive view of physics at work here. 😃

[@nkyrailfan]

It really is fascinating to watch! The skill of these workers is incredible.

[@beeble2003]

They're not uncoupled on the move, are they? At 5:03, the train is stationary (or it's just started moving) and nobody is close enough to it to uncouple the two bulkhead flats that detach from the train at 5:29. The train passes by a guy at about 5:15, but you can see his head until at least the first tank car has passed him, so he wasn't close enough to uncouple. So those two bulkhead flats must have been uncoupled before the train pushed back.

[@osrr6422]

@@beeble2003 The guy a 5:03 road the shove into the track before dropping and pulling the pin. They may have a specific rule on dropping loads (gotta have'm started in the track first).

[@beeble2003]

@@osrr6422 Ohh, good point. He gets off the car at about 5:19.

[@johncloar1692]

Tanks for the video, it's really fascinating to watch them switching, and building a train.

[@Nethanel773]

Amazing!! I have never seen such views of Osborn or Youngtown! Craft and patience at work. Thank you NKY Railfain, as always, for your railfan videos.

[@nkyrailfan]

Thank you as always. I appreciate it. I enjoyed both yards as well. I never really got to see Osborn, so that was pretty exciting. And seeing Youngtown in action was fun too.

[@penelope8557]

Osborn, Ohio?

[@terryjennings2791]

These high speed yard videos are great to watch. Another really good video Christian. I could get used to a weekly dose of this.

[@nkyrailfan]

Thanks Terry. I really do enjoy watching the crews work the yards. I'm hoping to average about one a week.

[@exelasantiago2440]

Your train set looks so very realistic

[@captainkeyboard1007]

Railroading at its finest! You recorded a great overview of the operations of cutting and adding cars in that yard.

[@nkyrailfan]

Glad to hear you enjoyed the video.

[@captainkeyboard1007]

@@nkyrailfan I never knew that freight cars, including fully-loaded ones such as auto racks, well cars with two containers atop, and flat cars with metal articles. Thank you for tapping or typing to me. Happy Railroading!

[@nkyrailfan]

Happy railroading to you as well.

[@captainkeyboard1007]

@@nkyrailfan Thank you. At this time, I am not railroading because I have not been on the New York City Subway since 26 years ago. I spend lots of time waiting to revive my typewriting business to keyboard documents and files that can be printed on to paper and laminating label tapes. I am too lazy to travel and go some place, except to shop, get medical care, or even some cash that I need. Again, thank you for tapping or typing to me.

[@marioxerxescastelancastro8019]

2:43 This method of switching is called “kicking”. Switching is fun watched at high speed. When watched at normal speed, it is easy to get distracted and lose track of what was being done.

[@ArtStoneUS]

Hump yards are quickly vanishing. The reasons are several - railroad consolidation, better scheduling, and the movement of most rail traffic to containers that are sorted as they are loaded. This video demonstrates that remote control locomotives are an adequate replacement for a hump hill. A lot of what is left that cannot be shipped in containers is unit trains (oil, ethanol, grain, coal, etc) that don't need sortation. Most of what is left is chemical tankers and vehicle carriers. One side of the dual hump yard in North Platte Nebraska has recently been idled.

[@beeble2003]

I don't think it's correct that _most_ rail traffic is now in containers. AAR figures say that 27% of revenue comes from intermodal traffic (including TOFC), which they say is the largest single category. But I would expect that 27% of revenue corresponds to approximately 27% of traffic -- even if it's 37%, that's still a lot less than "most".

[@25mfd]

the only REAL reason hump yards are vanishing is because of PSR... PSR allows the railroads to "cut and slash their way to profitability."... not a good long term plan for ANY company

[@ArtStoneUS]

@@25mfd the consolidation of the rail traffic by the two Canadian railroads and some track changes in Indiana have greatly reduced interchange traffic. Switching of much of the non-hazardous cargo to containers also is an important factor. The container trains are organized by destination at the point of origin rather than having to switch the individual cars in intermediate hump yards. I understand the hatred of PSR, but it is blinding you to the reality of how the business has been changing.

[@25mfd]

@@ArtStoneUS changing train schedules and changing how goods are transported by rail is nothing new... it's been morphing and changing and altering for YEARS, LONG before PSR was ever a thing... not new at all... but what IS new is an increased focus on the *OPERATING RATIO* and the efforts to decrease it more and more... it's interesting how you mentioned the so called improvements in rail ops but those things are NOT what made the companies more successful... what made them more successful was when they started to *SLASH THEIR WORKFORCE* (their LARGEST operating expense)... i've never seen where a railroad was able to increase their profitability so much by just altering train schedules or changing the mode of shipping a commodity... their increases have always come when they cut the workforce... but PSR is different... the altering of how trains are moved afforded the railroads the opportunity to cut their workforce and cut it *DEEP*... if they had put PSR into play but not cut their workforce, there would not have been the huge increase in profits

[@bermie282]

They didn't cut the hump cause it's faster they cut it to save money. The hump used to move 1000 cars a shift now they are flat switching 400-600 a day

[@EntertainmentWorldz]

great train video bro

[@NorthCountryTrains]

Another fantastic yard video. Thanks for sharing!

[@nkyrailfan]

Glad to hear you enjoyed it!

[@rickknight8950]

the cars slam into each other, metal does break.

[@nkyrailfan]

Keep in mind this is sped up 2X but some of the impacts do seem quite hard.

[@CalvinJobbs-ib5ef]

Occasionally

[@mzyvettecrenshaw9670]

I'm born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. If you noticed there are a lot of car haulers. Reason being there are two Ford Motor Co plants close by. You have a car plant, and a truck plant. Also Louisville is home of UPS World Port. The largest UPS hub in the world.

[@nkyrailfan]

I knew about the Ford plants but did not know it was the largest UPS hub. It seemed there was a plane landing about every two minutes while I was there.

[@animenut69]

Used to be some auto plants here in st.louis but unfortunately they got closed and demo'd

[@snagletoothscott3729]

At the CSX yard the hump is still in place and looks in very good condition. The consist working that side was even a typical hump set. It's just really strange though, they were classifying on the trains on the build tracks, but but building on the classification track (hump). I'd have to say off hand, you either caught them on an odd day, or they are experimenting with removing the hump before they actually remove it to see if it's viable. At the NS yard it looks like they have a free hump (iirc, it's actually called a gravity hump, as compared to a pneumatic or automated hump, like the CSX yard). It's kind of an old school, pre pneumatic system in older yards where they put a very small hump at a choke point. it's kind of a mix of humping and kicking, but without having to stop nearly and pull forward as much. You could those kind semi humps well into early nineties on older inner city yards that were already extremely cramped to begin with. Humps are extremely extensive to operate. it's cheaper to run a flat or semi flat yard. The retarders take a constant heavy beating and need to be constantly re-calibrated to ensure proper car handling, then you got the computer systems the pneumatic for retarders themselves, the large number of powered switches. It's only becomes economical when you have a large volume of traffic. and pretty steady train block system. Flat yards are actually cheaper. They are also far more flexible.. As far as danger well, all railroad activity is dangerous. Period. Humps don't take any danger out of the equation becuase you still have 2 or 3 pull jobs flat switching on the build end, or flat switching a B yard for smaller jobs. In more cramp yards, you also have trains incoming and outgoing *in the yard*, not on inbound/outbound tracks (cause it's too old cramped to have any). i also noticed, in both yards, they are heavy in auto and chemical. These cars, when loaded, don't generally like to be kicked or humped, and depending on the situation, often are restricted from being kicked or humped (hence several views of them backing all way into the yard track, before uncoupling). If thats the bulk of the traffic they have left coming though those yards, it makes the hump even less attractive. There's a point where hump yards become inefficient and not cost effective. You really need a lot volume of traffic to keep that thing going to make it worth the expense, and the lack of flexibly as humps kinda lock the yard operations into a very specific flow and schedule.

[@nkyrailfan]

Thank you very much for giving such a detailed response. I really do appreciate it.

[@reallovechannel1309]

Building that yard without a hump created a huge fuel and labor overhead !

[@sharkheadism]

Humps have their own maintenance costs. There are cars that can't be humped and have to be flat switched, loaded autoracks and intermodal equipment for example.

[@lnrailroad3215]

Wonderful!! You are the BEST on KZbin sir!!

[@nkyrailfan]

Glad to hear you enjoyed it!

[@lnrailroad3215]

@@nkyrailfan Always enjoy your content! Your focus on yard operations are outstanding!

[@charleswoods9938]

I like this video a hole a lot I was wondering can you make another video of this yard in the near future if possible I Think this is the best yard on the CSX system network

[@nkyrailfan]

I hope to make it back to Louisville this spring or summer.

[@aarontownsend3999]

Amazing videos! I've been watching these for days and some even more than once because it's great background sound to put on the tv while I'm doing other things. Keep up the good work.

[@nkyrailfan]

Thank you very much, Aaron. I really do appreciate it and I'm very happy to hear you enjoy the videos.

[@RailFanRob]

Great footage man thanks for sharing this yard action!!!

[@YourLocalHistorian]

It’s really cool to see the heartbeat of a CSX in Louisville, Kentucky

[@randymcneely4983]

Another stellar, captivating presentation. You fly like a boss and script your narration with facts delivered with nuance. There is a short line run from Newport Ky to I guess the steel mills at Ghent Ky. I caught it by accident a few years ago as I was flying above Verona graveyard. I could research the schedule for you if you would like. That was a quaint little 20 car mix of gondolas with stainless and carbon steel and raw materials in tanks cars and a box car or two. God Bless you and keep you safe as you bring this content to us.

[@nkyrailfan]

Thank you, Randy. I appreciate it. If you could find any information on a schedule for the steel mill, that certainly sounds like something fun to drone over.

[@capnkwick4286]

Looks like it would be more expensive in terms of fuel used and manpower costs.

[@BlackMan614]

Hunter Harrison merely changed *back* to what railroads used before hump yards. Back in the early 1900's. But, of course, the dope shareholders/investors think he invented something "new and innovative".

[@kens.3729]

Three (3) Step is what keeps the Crews that are on the Ground, Safe and Alive. 👍🙏

[@tylerrose5232]

Not really

[@1elkhills]

Thank you for posting.

[@shawnr761]

I'm a crew hauler in Denver, Co.. When I'm called, I sit for awhile and watch the flat track switching in UP's North Yard before I get to work

[@supercuda1950]

I like the flat track switching. Neat to see a roundhouse. Cincinnati used to have one close to Spring Grove and the Western Hills Viaduct. It was purchased by Powell Valves and used to valve assembly (my father in law worked there). I assume they tore it down. They also had a plant close to it that used to creosote ties. I don't know if it is still there. Thanks for the video.

[@nkyrailfan]

Thanks for the history, Rupert. I do appreciate it. I wish I had been able to capture that history before it was torn down.

[@aaronb7631]

Wondering if you're able to get a good glimpse at the LG&E power plant on 31W, south of Louisville?

[@worldcooking]

Amazing rail infrastructure!

[@Milepost1965]

A lot of those humping impacts are awfully hard, I can imagine they deal with a lot of broken knuckles.

[@texastrainfan56]

This video is Sped up so they seem to hit harder then they actually do

[@Milepost1965]

@@texastrainfan56 Honestly I never thought about that, thank you.

[@marioxerxescastelancastro8019]

@@Milepost1965 Regardless, they are very hard. Many wagons would be damaged by it, which are the ones marked “do not hump”.

[@daledickerson8835]

On the down slope of the hump there are retarders which squeeze against the wheels and slow down the car to an appropriate speed so when it couples with a car it is slow enough to not cause any damage. The car is weighed at the top of the hump so the retarders know how much to slow down the car.

[@25mfd]

for the speed they're switching at in this vid they're fine... most of the railcars today have cushion draft gear to absorb the impact... and when speaking of broken knuckles, that usually refers to when a train is pulling... like when the slack is stretched... the REAL damage of hard impacts is to the freight... 4 mph or less is optimal... but even 7 mph is enough to shift those giant steel coils (PLEASE don't ask me how i know this🙄🙄)

[@MrWhizardsLizard]

I don't think there are really too many hump yards anymore. Although the yd themselves actually exist the humping of cars has pretty much quit 4 flat track switching as you call it. This is actually been around a long time this method. And it was actually referred to I believe as kicking cars.

[@MattS2323]

The yards around here (BNSF & UP) are all still using humps. Maybe this is more of an eastern roads thing?

[@nkyrailfan]

I don't think BNSF has implemented PSR and its hump-destroying policies. In general I don't believe there is as much need for switching west of the Mississippi because of the lower population inland and fewer yards in general. So, the existing humps are likely still being used.

[@MattS2323]

@@nkyrailfan The UP yard in North Platte NE (largest in the world) still humps everything.

[@nkyrailfan]

I hope to visit it one day. It looks incredible.

[@jordialfonsoaragones4978]

Nice video. Thanks

[@nkyrailfan]

Glad to hear you enjoyed it.

[@Sc1Z]

Staring down all those UMAX boxes we have to get out of lousiville :'D

[@davidbloxham6114]

Wow!😀New Zealand rail fan

[@nkyrailfan]

Greetings from the United States. Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@davidbrown4823]

One incredible video.

[@eezyclsmooth9035]

To a NON Railfan this video probably seems boring, dull and pointless. To a true Railfan this Is as Good as it Gets!

[@kens.3729]

Hello! How much have you Sped this video Up to ? That would help us understand and appreciate exactly what these Yard Crews are actually doing. Thanks! 👍🙏

[@nkyrailfan]

Hey Ken, I sped the video up 4X. I forgot to put that in the description or mention it.

[@jasonervoes1326]

Do they still have cabooses? I like to see the caboose at the end of freight trains for long hauls..

[@nkyrailfan]

They do, but they're not used the way they once were and are no longer on the end of freight trains. Local trains working customers will often use them as a 'shoving platform' in which they're able to control the locomotive with a remote control pack and operate the train in both directions.

[@nkyrailfan]

Question: at 21:25 I couldn't get a good view of the locomotive. Does anyone know anything about it? It looks like it's CBFX number 1582. It comes back as an EMD SW1500 owned by the CIT Group/Equipment Financing.

[@beeble2003]

I think it's actually 1582 -- I guess you just made a typo. If it is CBFX 1582, then it's one of a batch of three ex-SP, ex-UP, ex-PRLX SW1500s that are now owned by CIT. RR Picture Archives doesn't have a recent photo of CBFX 1582, but sister 1581 is painted in a scheme that looks very much like what we see here.

[@nkyrailfan]

Thank you for spotting the mistake and the info. It doesn't happen often, but I do love catching these old switchers in action.

[@nkyrailfan]

Question: At 16:25 it appears the NS train is on the same track as the one at the top of the screen. I wasn't able to stick around and see if this train was doubling out or what, but how common is it for two trains to be on the same track like this?

[@joeysykes8075]

This is called following out. Usually the second train is doubling out or has yard work to do behind the train leaving so they follow it out in order to start their work. All movement is done at restricted speed. I used to work for NS there in Louisville.

[@nkyrailfan]

@@joeysykes8075 thanks for the great info. I do appreciate it.

[@nkyrailfan]

At 18:45 it looks like one of the crew members spots the drone in the air.

[@thomaswordeman9004]

Sounds like someone saw at 17:11

[@nkyrailfan]

@@thomaswordeman9004 I would say you're right. While I was at the yard, there was some sort of incident at a school or after school program nearby. There were several police cars going through the area and a helicopter circling, presumably to find a suspect. I bet the crew thinks the drone was part of that search.

[@csxtrainfan319]

At 1:46 those auto racks are ones that I saw, stored in Piedmont SC. There no longer stored but it was back in 2020 and 2021.

[@stephenallen4473]

I like this, especially with the radio traffic. Subsc.

[@nkyrailfan]

Thank you, Stephen. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it.

[@nkyrailfan]

Question: It seems as though it's a two-man crew working the main train we see switching at the CSX yard. One man works the layout for one car, while the second sets the path for the next car. The other two being sorted only feature one crew member. Do crews work together like this often? And are the locomotives all under remote control?

[@beeble2003]

The locomotives appear to be under remote control. It's hard to see the beacons flashing in the sped-up footage, but you can see the right-hand beacon of the SD40 (on the viewer's left) flickering at 5:00.

[@nkyrailfan]

Thank you for the info.

[@osrr6422]

It varies from yard to yard. I can tell you, out of my terminal, flat switching without a UB man (utility brakeman), would be a HUGE chore. His job is getting switches (that aren't within reasonable distance of the foreman), sometimes setting up tracks, spotting tracks, etc. Many times the roles will get flopped while you're switching, just depends on where everyone is at. Flat switching is a very situational job. A utility is an invaluable asset to a good switch crew.

[@nkyrailfan]

Thanks for the detailed response. I appreciate it

[@snagletoothscott3729]

OS RR is pretty correct as to how they do it today and more and more are moving towards. older yards and "back in my day" it was usually a 3 man job. Engineer, of course. Either a switch man or brakeman who would set up the switches. And the conductor. He would the be the one on the end of the train pulling the pins. He would be the one calling the shots. he would communicate with the switch man what track to line up next, and to engineer to push/ pull (or back/ahead, depending on that specific railroads lingo). How much he had to communicate with the switch man/brakemen depended on a lot of things. They both had the car list and would usual work out a plan before hand, and an experience brakie wouldn't much, if any instructions unless the conductor spotted a car that wasn't listed in the proper order. I know some yards still experimenting with single crew locotrol switching like OS RR mentions technically just have the engineer, but there's often 1 or 2 switch man that aren't necessarily part of any crew, that just kinda help out all the crews (including any through trains stopping for pickups/dropoffs). So the switch crew might be one guy, but there's a couple yardies about to help out, and generally just be an extra set of eyes, too. Smaller yards (like 3-5 tracks) you could sometimes get away with two men...ei no switch man, brakemen...but that also depended on the whatever the situation was with that railroads unions.

[@bb-ov3pi]

I read that the reason CSX does flat track switching is that the CEO of CSX does not like humping yards and for some of the smaller yards he had the hump removed and all the switches on the hump end of the yard removed.

[@nkyrailfan]

Hunter Harrison and his precision scheduled railroading are a main driver for the hump removals, but watching flat-track switching in action, I don't see how there could be any cost savings.

[@bb-ov3pi]

@@nkyrailfan to me, it looks much more dangerous to the workers because of the amount of walking between the cars they have to do.

[@dennisfox8673]

@@nkyrailfan I am trying to remember where I read it, but I think maintenance on a hump is $10-15 million a year, coupled with a drive to do less switching in generation is where the cost savings are. I have no inside knowledge of the true break even costs. I do live a few miles from CP’s sole remaining hump yard, so at some point the added productivity was too much for even Hunter to discount. Similarly, I don’t know enough to comment on the merits of PSR, but it does seem pretty unpopular with the people on the ground who turn the plan into reality day after day.

[@nkyrailfan]

That seems like a very high figure but I'm sure it's accurate. I could see how railroads would opt for kicking cars instead of spending money on hump operations. It's all about that bottom line. 💰💰💰

[@dennisfox8673]

@@nkyrailfan It could well be rather overstated, but the people who really know probably won’t talk much about it. I did do a little more googling around and found a piece that summed it up as closing hump yards isn’t the focus of PSR, it’s just a byproduct of the focus on avoiding switching as much as possible. The same article mentioned that several hump yards have recently reopened, so hump yards still have a lot of utility and railroads have probably gone a bit too far in shutting them down.

[@davenelson-xk6oc]

I live in downtown Louisville KY. Use To ride my bike down by the yard. You need to also do a video of NS yard in Louisville.

[@fakecumberland]

I’m still not clear on how this is more efficient than using the hump, when there is one.

[@nkyrailfan]

I agree 💯, Curtis. It just doesn't make sense from a time or fuel perspective.

[@louisletourneau3429]

Yes and it looks like a very dangerous operation too . I know it's faster than the real speed but it must be difficult to get the right speed not to damage many couplers in one day !!!

[@25mfd]

@@louisletourneau3429 the couplers are fine for this type of operation... the couplers experience much greater stress and damage when they are out on the mainline, being subjected to high buff and draft forces... now that's when knuckles get broken and draft gear gets ripped right out of the car

[@27273100]

It takes total focus and concentration to do that task.

[@bermie282]

For everyone wondering why they flat switch instead of hump. A bean counter in Jacksonville said it would be cheaper than maintaining the actual hump. That is all.

[@Chris-ji4iu]

I would have thought they'd use more switchers (but what do I know?). Great video, thank you!

[@nkyrailfan]

Glad to hear you enjoyed it. I think the railroads did away with single-purpose engines like switchers to save money. It's crazy to sometimes see the big 6 axle locomotives switching.

[@sharkheadism]

There's nothing a switcher can do that a GP can't do better.

[@lutherleeboggs2260]

I'm always really interested in the way yards are operated. In this case there's so many tracks here with autoracks on them. Are they all going to different destinations or is there another reason there are so many of them spread across the yard this way?

[@nkyrailfan]

There are two Ford Motor Company facilities in Louisville according to the website. One is an assembly plant for the Ford Escape/Lincoln Corsair and one is a truck plant.

[@lutherleeboggs2260]

@@nkyrailfan Thank you!

[@whiteknightcat]

@@nkyrailfan My Explorer came out of Louisville 20 years ago this month!

[@wrrn411]

Just one question how does everyone keep track of all the cars? Enjoying the video 😊 Mary -Floyd Virginia

[@nkyrailfan]

I believe every car has a unique ID on it which allows crews to identify them. Detailed plans are made to let the workers know which track each car should go to. It seems like a very arduous process.

[@marioxerxescastelancastro8019]

Each wagon carries a RFID tag. There is an RFID reader on entry to the yard. A computer stores that data and records the make-up of the train. Look up “automated equipment identification”.

[@25mfd]

that's a VERY good question mary we should ask the union pacific how they keep track of their cars because when i worked there they did LOSE quite a few of them. so many in fact that they had a lost car list that they showed on their cctv in the yard office. it was mostly those grey pellet hoppers. if we found a car on that list we got a box of omaha steaks.

[@clineshaunt]

Is there any benefit to flat switching as opposed to the hump yard? Seems the hump would be more efficient.

[@nkyrailfan]

Flat-track switching is cheaper, but more time consuming. A few railroaders said hump maintenance costs can exceed $1 million a year for all the equipment. So, if a yard has the traffic, it's worth it to maintain a hump, but for yards that do less interchanging, flat-track switching makes more sense

[@clineshaunt]

@@nkyrailfan I didn't think of the maintenance cost, especially the retarders that slow the cars. Thanks for the info, I really enjoy your videos!

[@nkyrailfan]

I thought the same thing as you. It seems like hump yards would be the best option, but railroaders have talked about all the specialized systems that go into them including the retarders applying the correct brake pressure to loaded vs unloaded cars so they don't smash into cars or get stranded and block the tracks, the automatic switches which gets the cars to the correct track and more.

[@johncoombs9718]

Maybe it’s a Canadian thing but we call it kicking cars when there is no hump

[@penelope8557]

Thank you.

[@randymcneely4983]

Does the current generation of DJI software unlock in these restricted, but allowable by altitude, reliably and promptly? I had some issues with the app a few years ago and went with Autel Evo1. Autel drones fly like crap though. (My opinion).

[@nkyrailfan]

The DJI drones are better than they used to be in terms of unlocking. It's a fairly quick process now. However, I am noticing it takes longer for the drones to connect to the satellites.

[@randymcneely4983]

@@nkyrailfan Waiting for the Air3s.

[@nkyrailfan]

That seems like it'll be the perfect drone. Small, but still very capable.

[@whiteknightcat]

I was under the impression the whole reason for flat switching was to shuffle blocks of cars, not individual ones. I'm seeing a whole lot of inefficiency here, but then if it's cheaper, that's what the Class I monopolies are all about now - dropping that OR until there's nothing left, until they're making infinite profits for their investors with no railroad at all.

[@nkyrailfan]

I was too. For swapping blocks of cars, I could see it making sense and being more efficient but to basically do the same thing as humping, without the benefits of the hump doesn't make sense.

[@25mfd]

*I was under the impression the whole reason for flat switching was to shuffle blocks of cars, not individual ones.* well think about it this... those blocks you mentioned are made up from individual railcars. looks like in the vid they are doing just that... assembling blocks of cars from individual cars

[@littlegp18]

I like how the speed of this video was increased to make it look like the trains are flying through the yard 😂. Foamers

[@NorthKYtrainssirensandgaming03]

Where were you filming from that high up? I know its in Louisville but where specifically?

[@nkyrailfan]

This was all shot with my drone. It's south of the airport and yard off Grade Lane. There's a little area on the west side of the road, just north of the intersection with Outer Loop. Because it's so close to the airport I had to get permission from the FAA to fly and I was only able to go 200 feet in the air. Hope this helps.

[@NorthKYtrainssirensandgaming03]

@@nkyrailfan thanks for the info.

[@cassandraflores5896]

Soy Miguel Navarrete cruz hacen un buen trabajo en las vías de tren 🚄

[@utubewatcher806]

bump and release fishing with catfish, too!

[@hoosiersub47167]

If you have a hump and don't use it and to think flat tracking switching is faster seems crazy to me.

[@nkyrailfan]

I agree 💯 I don't understand how flat-track switching is as efficient as using the hump.

[@maxrshelltrack7443]

you're not saving fuel costs that's for sure even if it is going slow.

[@nkyrailfan]

Plus all the start and stopping would make for even worse fuel economy. I could see this working, more efficient, with a battery powered switcher.

[@aaronb7631]

@@maxrshelltrack7443 Also, more wear-and-tear on the breaking system!

[@garygivan7196]

What scanner do you use?

[@nkyrailfan]

I use a Uniden BC75XLT with Diamond RH77CA antenna. I'm not happy with it though as it doesn't seem to pick up that great. It's not bad if you're close to what you're trying to listen to and know what channel they're on. But it does not seem to have a very long range.

[@jefferykeeper9034]

Why are they not using the hump ?

[@nkyrailfan]

My thoughts exactly. I'm not sure why yards would not switch back to the hump.

[@bermie282]

​@@nkyrailfan cost

[@bradholt9036]

Is this by any chance strawberry yard?

[@nkyrailfan]

I can't find exactly what happened to Strawberry Yard. Some say it's incorporated into Osborn Yard but I haven't found anything definitive. One comment says when Osborn was created by enlarging Strawberry and consolidating surrounding yards, Strawberry Yard ceased to exist. So, I guess the short answer is this probably is at least part of Strawberry Yard.

[@8721player]

When did u do this video? I work at this yard

[@nkyrailfan]

I actually stopped down yesterday. I got off work early and figured I wouldn't get to get out this wkd because of the rain, so I made the drive down. I was there from around 11-1 I'd say.

[@8721player]

Darn. U just missed me being there. I was there at 6am doubling a train to go to Cincinnati

[@nkyrailfan]

Lol, I must've passed you on your way up.

[@ef66kenken]

👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@jasonoliver5388]

This is what Hunter did to alot of railroads closed there humps and made them go to flat switching

[@blowemall]

I wondered about that. I see you have remote controlled locos doing this work, but higher fuel costs have to offset for lower manpower when using this type of switching. So how is it beneficial, not to ise the hump?

[@nkyrailfan]

I've been told it comes down to maintenance. Several employees say it's in the million dollar range to keep a hump operational for a year. My guess is depending on how much activity a yard has, determines whether it's more efficient to use a hump or if it's cheaper to burn more fuel and time to kick cars around the yard. Hope that helps.

[@lynneurbanik8703]

I wonder if the crew Is paid well working there at the yard.

[@nkyrailfan]

I believe they are paid well, but don't have many other benefits under the current contracts.

[@falconauii]

still allowed to ride the front of a consist, was classed as to dangerous in my country

[@timdaugherty5921]

Come to Chattanooga

[@nkyrailfan]

I'm hoping to someday soon, Tim. Hopefully, within the next month or so.

[@jamielee9350]

" Heavyweight Ballet "

[@michaelfitzgerald9643]

You speed it up? I hate when ppl so this. I wonder how they know to switch what where

[@25mfd]

*I wonder how they know to switch what where* each car has a waybill (well at least they SHOULD have a waybill but some do not), the waybill tells where the car is going next.(the next station destination) after that, the yardmaster has a track designated for each destination. so each car that has a waybilled destination will be placed on a specific track that is going to that specific destination. IE: all cars destined for chicago are placed on track 2. cars for cleveland go on track 8 and so on. all this info is on a switchlist that the yard foreman is looking at while he's switching.

[@andreyswiesciak-maddox7242]

Perfect place to use battery-operated locos.

[@nkyrailfan]

My thoughts exactly. It makes you wonder why they're not already in use in these facilities.

[@garyolsen3409]

I thought it was illegal to drone over R R yards. I do like to see them though.

[@nkyrailfan]

Hey Gary, I'm glad to hear you enjoy the videos. As for flying over the yards, I have yet to find a state that has designated rail yards as no fly zones. Before I fly at a yard I do a few things. I check the FAA's map to see what airspace I'll be flying in and if there are any restrictions I need to know about. For instance a MLB baseball game means no flying within 3 miles of the stadium before, during and after the game for a set period of time. I will also call the Flight Services District Office to double check if I'm flying in a new state. Lastly, there is a pilot information line I call to triple check everything. Right now, rail yards are just like any other piece of private property, as long as you are flying above the 'usable space' (that's the general definition used by the Supreme Court to define trespassing), you're not considered trespassing. I do worry the railroads will push to get Congress to designate them no fly zones but I'm hopeful it doesn't happen for a few years.

[@garyolsen3409]

@@nkyrailfan I've loved trains all of my life. I grew up in Salt Lake in the 50's. We had a pretty good sized switching yard about 4 blocks east of our house and tracks all around us. Us kids spent a lot of time hanging around the tracks much to my moms chagrin. When I retired after 50 yrs in homebuilding, I ended up in a part of the state without any RR for 200 miles all around. So it's KZbin now. Thanks for the videos. They are very well done.

[@nkyrailfan]

That had to be a lot of fun growing up near the yard. I bet Mon was not too happy to know you all were down there so often. I'm glad you enjoy the videos. I think my upcoming Pennsylvania trip should yield some great stuff.

[@garyolsen3409]

@@nkyrailfan Most of the time mom didn't know. But I survived. Good luck to you.

[@edgaranaya9290]

I want to work on the railroad

[@Torontotootwo]

Amazing it is that American train building is crude, backwards and antiquated. Not much change for too many decades.

[@sharkheadism]

Another outsider looking in

[@charleswoods9938]

I want to Keep this Railroad Louisvilles Osborn Yard and You gland Yard I don't want to lose this video is to be Keeper in this Phone and if you can in the future can you add more to this video topic in the future ok

[@timdaugherty5921]

The hump closed??

[@nkyrailfan]

Looks like it happened about six years ago. www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/30-csx-to-close-down-hump-at-osborn-yard-in-kentucky/

[@frankoch1]

2023 Min. wage inKentucky $ 7.25 per hour

[@mariuszostrowski4844]

recznie przekladane zwrotnice

[@mikelellsaesser1320]

Wow, organize chaos.

[@cassandraflores5896]

Soy Miguel Navarrete cruz ustedes pueden resolver el problema de los vagones de las vías de ferrocarril 🚃 vamos ustedes pueden resolverlo todo yo los antiendo a poner todos los vagones en su lugar