Nostalgia & History > a stop at North Platte - UP's Bailey yard 30 years ago

On a family cross country trip I was on with my parents 30 years ago, we made a stop at the Union Pacific's Bailey Yard in North Platte, Nebraska to see the yard and facilities from the UP's observation platform that use to be located there at the southwest end of the yard. This was the first time I had seen this place and I was impressed!


1 & 2). a pair of UP SD40X's push a cut of cars and cabooses over the hump.

3). the cut of cabooses rolls down the hump.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/12/12 12:43 by railwayman69.

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UP's Bailey yard was always know for getting pool and run through power from other railroads, and during my brief visit on the 4th of July 1982, I was able to catch a few non-UP locomotives there.

4). UP 3480 leads two MoPac SD40-2's towards the engine facility.

5 & 6). UP GP40X 9002 leads a BN SD40-2 and two NW units, a C30-7 and a SD45.

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These two photos are looking east from the old viewing platform towards the west end diesel shop and locomotive facility. The hump was to my left and more or less behind me from this view.

7 & 8). diesel shop and engine facility and yard.

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Was it standard practice to hump intermodal back then? Most intermodal equipment now says "do not hump."

Standard practice at N Platte to hump intermodal, until the advent of multi-platform cars that didn't work so well in retarders.

It says "Do Not Hump" but that is one of those things they often over look. Just like the loaded pipe cars, hiwide spools of cable and loads of tractors I couple up in the bowl. I wish the guys up at the crest would play the game and throw the 100% rules compliance down at them.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/12/12 18:43 by jkchubbes.

Western_Star Wrote:
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> Was it standard practice to hump intermodal back
> then? Most intermodal equipment now says "do not
> hump."


How about cabooses? That not only was the largest cut of cabooses I've ever seen all apparently on the same train but for some reason I never thought they would hump the caboose too. I don't know why it couldn't be done but I just assumed they didn't route them into the bowl and sorted them out after the hump power rolled back down off the hump lead.

Boy do I wish I could have visited Bailey in the 70's. Thanks for sharing the photos.

Do you have any closer pics. of the UP cabooses with the slogans? upkpfan