Bellevue humpyard

[penn central]

According to the trains news wire NS is going to double the capacity of Bellevue yard by 2015 making it the largest yard on the NS system even bigger then Elkhart There going from humping 1.800 cars a day to 3.600 a day.
http://trn.trains.com/en/Railroad%20New ... 0Yard.aspx

[Notch 8]

Impressive, and a great location on the system map.. I'm leaving for a meeting in Elkhart now, Hope to catch some pictures of Yard in Elkhart !

[MDH]

In Today's Blade:

http://www.toledoblade.com/business/201 ... -area.html

[Bellevue_Guy]

here's an NS write up about it that was posted by someone on TO:

http://www.nscorp.com/nscorphtml/bizns/ ... df#page=11

It mentions that when N&W first built the yard they set aside enough property to double it's size if need be. I'm looking at google maps trying to figure out how they might do this, and it looks to me like the 2nd hump would go directly next to the current one with the new bowl being in that open area south of the car shops.

[redside20]

What are they going to do about the chokepoint they call Bragg Road by Ranger Tower. This is has been a thorn in Bellevues and NS side for the past 40 or so years.

[Y@]

For those who haven't been to Bellevue recently, the mini-plant was completely redone, including removal and replacement of all signals. The Mad River connection is now double tracked and the track was improved for (what appears to be) 30 mph speeds. A few other changes were made as well.

[Bellevue_Guy]

I also heard from an NS employee (on the 21T/20R pool) that NS is 99% sure they are going to put a connection in at CP 242 on the SW corner to get traffic off the bottle-necked Bellevue-Oak Harbor line. Hope so.

Interesting, heard anything more about that? That wouldn't work to get trains into the yard (unless another connection was built on the north side of Bellevue), but it could work as an alternative route for trains that currently use the Toledo district to get from the Chicago line to the Sandusky district

The Mad River connection is now double tracked

The Mad River connection is the single track in the SW quadrant. You're talking about the NW quadrant, which they fully double tracked by extending the track that come out of Klines all the way around the curve so that it ties into the mini plant area

[esprrfan]

I also heard from an NS employee (on the 21T/20R pool) that NS is 99% sure they are going to put a connection in at CP 242 on the SW corner to get traffic off the bottle-necked Bellevue-Oak Harbor line. Hope so.

Interesting, heard anything more about that? That wouldn't work to get trains into the yard (unless another connection was built on the north side of Bellevue), but it could work as an alternative route for trains that currently use the Toledo district to get from the Chicago line to the Sandusky district

It wouldn't be for trains yarding in Bellevue, It would be for the run through trains such as 23N/26N 17M ect, ect so they wouldn't get caught in the Toledo District tie ups. It would also allow them to traverse the city faster.

[bdconrail29]

Exactly. I heard it would allow the vans to get off the NKP and run Chicago Line to Sandusky and turn south, as well as what esprrfan said, trains that have nothing to do with Bellevue.

[Bellevue_Guy]

Another train that could benefit from that would be the BNSF coal trains that go down the Wheeling, they would be able to pass through Bellevue in a fluid movement instead of having to turn around.

Though as redside asked earlier in the thread, I wonder what they would do with Huron St. It would either have to be regraded to make a new crossing at an odd angle, or just be closed. There's also some sort of business with a bunch of trucks, trailers, backhoes and whatnot that's likely in the way, unless they make it a rather tight curve.

[esprrfan]

There's also some sort of business with a bunch of trucks, trailers, backhoes and whatnot that's likely in the way, unless they make it a rather tight curve.

Nothing the right combination of a dollar sign and numbers can't fix

I'd also say thats a good bet on the Coal trains by passing the Toledo District if the WLE would be there to take them right away. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Toledo District be a yarding (in/out) train line only. And as a "relief" line for the Sandusky connection.. This all however is just my .02 not official company press release.

[Bellevue_Guy]

I'd also say thats a good bet on the Coal trains by passing the Toledo District if the WLE would be there to take them right away.

Do you know when WLE takes them in the current configuration? Who does the turn around move at the New Haven wye?

As I've documented in the WLE thread, there have been a few of these eastbound BNSF trains that after turning and using the Lakeshore connection (and one that used the Brewster) have then sat for many hours at a time near Prairie and Bauer roads, just before the ownership changes from NS to WLE. One of them was there 2 days. Which railraod's crew would it have been to tie them down there?

[bdconrail29]

One problem with hauling coal and interchanging it between ANY two railroads, is that the customer isn't always ready for it or want it yet. Then the coal train just sits until they want it. Obviously where they are sitting right now east edge of Bellevue is less than ideal, but once NS brings it into Bellevue, they fulfilled their contractual duties and now it's up to the W&LE to do something with it.

I'm not sure how the track configuration in Bellevue will change. Right now obviously you cannot come south down from Sandusky and enter the yard. And as I understand from your reports, cannot go Toledo District to the Wheeling? Can you go NKP to Wheeling? Maybe that's what NS will do; run the powder river stuff NKP and all other hot stuff Chicago Line? Who knows.

[Bellevue_Guy]

I'm not sure how the track configuration in Bellevue will change. Right now obviously you cannot come south down from Sandusky and enter the yard. And as I understand from your reports, cannot go Toledo District to the Wheeling? Can you go NKP to Wheeling? Maybe that's what NS will do; run the powder river stuff NKP and all other hot stuff Chicago Line? Who knows.

With the recent reconfiguration of the interlocking every possibility is now fluid except for northern Sandusky/Cleveland and Toledo/Wheeling. Toledo/Wheeling traffic goes out to the new haven wye (NKP/PRR junction) to turn around.

Now that you mentioned it, I wonder why NS isn't running the powder river stuff on the NKP now. Then again, I don't know much about the configuration in Chicagoland, would it be possible to get those trains from BNSF onto the NKP in a fluid move?

[Bellevue_Guy]

Regarding the question about Huron Street in Sandusky....it looks like its crossing with the water level is already planned to be closed.

Here's a grade separation project that they are doing to get US 6 and SR 101 over the Sandusky district:

http://www.dot.state.oh.us/districts/D0 ... oject.aspx

If you look at the final schematic drawing and the phasing plans, you can see that this project calls for Huron Street to have dead end cul-de-sac's on either side of the crossing......even though that street has nothing to do with the overpass project.

[JoJames]

Dealing with the expansion at Bellvue it looks like some of the rail will come from Leipsic to Miller City as new rail is laying there to be installed.

[redside20]

Another rumor mill is floating around and this time it involves the West Virginia Secondary..The former NYC, Conrail..now NS line from Columbus to Dickinson Yard is supposedly on the chopping block. After the the new yard in Bellevue yard is completed, rumors are flying that NS will unload this line to GWI.

[bdconrail29]

Another rumor mill is floating around and this time it involves the West Virginia Secondary..The former NYC, Conrail..now NS line from Columbus to Dickinson Yard is supposedly on the chopping block. After the the new yard in Bellevue yard is completed, rumors are flying that NS will unload this line to GWI.

Is there any evidence of the yard expansion yet?

[AARR]

Another rumor mill is floating around and this time it involves the West Virginia Secondary..The former NYC, Conrail..now NS line from Columbus to Dickinson Yard is supposedly on the chopping block. After the the new yard in Bellevue yard is completed, rumors are flying that NS will unload this line to GWI.

Is there any evidence of the yard expansion yet?

There was a detailed article in Trains Magazine a few months ago about the progress and timeline of completion of the renovated yard.

[bdconrail29]

Another rumor mill is floating around and this time it involves the West Virginia Secondary..The former NYC, Conrail..now NS line from Columbus to Dickinson Yard is supposedly on the chopping block. After the the new yard in Bellevue yard is completed, rumors are flying that NS will unload this line to GWI.

Is there any evidence of the yard expansion yet?

There was a detailed article in Trains Magazine a few months ago about the progress and timeline of completion of the renovated yard.

Thank you. At the risk of sounding rude, I will apologize beforehand and assure you that I am NOT trying to be rude. But, I don't get Trains Magazine (don't let Brian see...).