Intermodal Yards

[animal71bj]

Building a yard and had a few questions, tried google, couldn't find what i was looking, figured i would ask here. just looking for some rough data to compare.

any one got data such as overall length and track length on any good sized yards?

right now i can fit roughly 105 well cars per lane, 3 lanes for wells, i might had a shorter line or 2 for flat cars, and spine cars. still playing with ideas. its roughly 14,000 feet overall, fence to fence, which is just under 2.75 miles. really, it seems to big, until you look at the route overall then looks small,


thanks for any help or comments.

 

[JAMEZ001]

this isn't going to be of much help to you, but intermodal yards are all different sizes and shapes, if it looks good and feels good to work then it's probably good. if it looks horrible and works like an overused condom then it's probably prototypical.

 

[nicky9499]

I don't live in the United States so I don't know much, but I've got a small question. Assuming a train is 105-cars long, wouldn't the yard have to be 200 car lengths so that the entire train can load in the middle? Also, if a train has to be cut, does it shunt from the mainline or is there an auxiliary track?

Cheerio,
Nicholas.

 

[animal71bj]

jamez001- ya, bet thats pretty close to right, really just looking for some rough data to get an idea.

nicky9499- the yard is separate from the main line, and self contained. the sidings can hold about 105 cars, plus locos, and still has a bit of room, not much, but some. there shouldn't be any need to cut the cars on the route, not sure i will go too much over 105 well cars per train.

 

[nicky9499]

Thank you. Good to know. I'm currently reading some Wikipedia articles on Intermodal.

Cheerio,
Nicholas.

 

[animal71bj]

here is an over view of the yard and surrounding area.

inside the pink lines is the yard, the main line runs along the slanted topside of the yard.

 

[R707]

I don't live in the United States so I don't know much, but I've got a small question. Assuming a train is 105-cars long, wouldn't the yard have to be 200 car lengths so that the entire train can load in the middle? Also, if a train has to be cut, does it shunt from the mainline or is there an auxiliary track?

Cheerio,
Nicholas.

Hi Nicholas,

Speaking from professional experience, most shunting yards never suit the train lengths. This makes it necessary to break up the train into more manageable lengths.

Most new yards are more suited to modern trains. It's all a matter of cost. If the time it takes to break up and remarshall trains eats into the running profit, then it can be more cost efficient to build new yards.

Don't forget all the human input there is with older yards. And the switching locomotive/s and crew.

From a Trainz point of view, it can be more fun if the yards are never big enough. This leads to some interesting, and mind numbing switching moves to utilize space.

I have also seen brand new yards that are just not suited to the long trains that use them. Then, the difficulty can also be real estate. If the company wants their yard in a specific location, then they have to lump the extra time taken marshalling. This is also most times a cost issue.

If money is no object, and facilities for moving large amounts of inbound and outbound freight are nearby, then the company will resource a large slab of land, and build a huge marshalling yard.

I suppose there are many variables, that's what makes it so endearing to replicate real situations in Trainz.

Pete

 

[jkinzel]

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=47.2705521&lon=-122.4126077&z=16&l=0&m=a&v=2

Not sure if this will work. This is one of the intermodal yards in Tacoma, WA. It is about 2 miles from the main line and is switched via Tacoma Municiple Rail, or MUNI for short. The pier at the top of the yard is where K-Line ties up, so mostly K-Line double stacks are loaded here. If you follow the top water way to the right of the picture you will come to Wahington United, double stacks are loaded here also. And if you go farther right you will come to Evergreens terminals and thier intermodal yard. Lots of options

 

[nicky9499]

Yes Pete, shunting is fun. I just came across a page on Bailey Yard...

Now, how about terminal yards (like this link shows)? Where the line ends and all the yard tracks just stop dead at the end? Does a freight train drive in just like that? I'm guessing thereafter shunters start breaking up the train from the back, but then it would mean the locomotives (and crew) are going to be sitting there for a very long time.

Cheerio,
Nicholas.

 

[JAMEZ001]

This is a great example of an intermodal yard. It has no through run, which is sometimes necessary for stupid AI working, but fun for the user. I have a layout that I use where AI will come into the yard. Drop off the train, then go sit in a siding while I load/unload it with my shunter, then when I'm done, I run over a trigger which gets the loco's back onto the train and takes them back the way they came. Sometimes the randomness of the portal settings will have me working 2 or 3 trains at once which makes it all exciting and demanding on problem solving skills - it keeps the brain alive.

Through running is only entertaining for a short while.

Does a freight train drive in just like that?

Generally from what I've witnessed here, no - they tend to leave the train in a loop or siding further down the yard where they still have the ability to move on to another job or park and wait (a few days). A 'local' shunter will push the train into the sidings required.

 

[R707]

Yes Pete, shunting is fun. I just came across a page on Bailey Yard...

Now, how about terminal yards (like this link shows)? Where the line ends and all the yard tracks just stop dead at the end? Does a freight train drive in just like that? I'm guessing thereafter shunters start breaking up the train from the back, but then it would mean the locomotives (and crew) are going to be sitting there for a very long time.

Cheerio,
Nicholas.

Hi Nicholas,

Usually, the main line crew would have been relieved. As JAMEZ001 said, this is the work for the shunting locomotive/s. The main line locos are sent off for servicing, ready for a return trip.

And, it looks like the yard was constrained by the location. Yet another reason for the company not to have the yard they would like.

This is what makes Trainz so interesting, we too have to adapt to many different variables.

Pete

 

[nicky9499]

Okay. I get it now. Thanks guys.

Cheerio,
Nicholas.

 

[animal71bj]

thanks for the map link and data, looks like it will be a help setting the yard up, thanks.

 

[brickbuilder711]

Hey there, seems you are a fellow FEC fan. I have a similar answer for the FEC's Hialeah and Fort Lauderdale yards.

Hialeah Yard

-four tracks
-my guess: about 120 carloads (6000' approx., seems fitting in Miami coordinates)
-Shunted on a loop

Fort Lauderdale Yard

-two tracks
-my guess: about 50 carloads (2500' approx, fits because it is a small yard)
-Shunted through the streets north

Now, there are yards like the proposed BNSF International Gateway, watched a video on it too. Massive yard!

 

[JCitron]

Up my way in Salem, MA is a terminal yard. The mainline freight locals pull all the way in, but escape down a side track once they've uncoupled.

The trains are pretty short so this is no problem now, but years ago I am sure that they stayed on a running track while the cars were shunted around with a switcher. The yard was once a lot bigger, and is now sadly reduced to a few usable tracks.

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v...0&scene=2607023&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1


John