Hump yard vs flat switching. Both utilize flat-track switching instead of a hump.
Hump yard vs flat switching. Flat-switching yards are the most commonly used today. In general, a hump yard is more productive than a flat switching yards. Flat yards consist of a set of parallel tracks interconnected by switches, and rely on switch engines to move cars in blocks or individually. Thanks in advance for any assistance. It contrasts flat yards with hump yards, discusses key terminology, and highlights the challenges of ensuring correct order and track length during the switching process. Jul 26, 2022 · Flat switching requires the use of a locomotive to move cars. Hump yards are yards designed to maximize the ability to gravity switch cars for their classification. Why the change? Hump yards are supposedly more efficient than flat switching I thought. In this video we look at the differences in sorting rail cars in a hump yard versus a flat-track switching yard. These were once state-of-the-art, but many hump yards have been decommissioned in recent decades due to high operating costs and changing freight patterns. Oct 11, 2012 · In the post about E Hunter Harrison and the changes at CP it states that several hump yards are being converted to flat switching. In recent years many hump yards have been closed as railways are trying to avoid switching cars where possible. Jun 5, 2020 · Key Takeaways: Converting more hump yards to flat switching has reduced the time a railcar is at a rail yard, Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) said in its 2019 sustainability report released May 28. Mar 22, 2025 · Does that mean “The Bowl” (descriptor) is classification yard tracks AFTER a hump. Railroad yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock stored off the mainline so that they do not obstruct the flow of traffic. How much longer do… Having worked at several major hump yards, I can say that a power outage that forces flat switching is a disaster. CSX struggled to adapt its Nashville operations to Harrison’s flat-switching model. Block swap and flat switch what you need/can and send the rest to a hump. An outage of this magnitude would require some careful planning to avoid major constipation. Conversely if flat switching is done the yard track arrangement is called a “Saucer”? endmrw0322251325 richhotrain March 22, 2025, 8:21pm 2 MP104: Jun 13, 2020 · Converting more hump yards to flat switching has reduced the time a railcar is at a rail yard, Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) said in its 2019 sustainability report released May 28. . I would suspect flat switching is more labor intensive but maybe the maintenence costs of a hump yard exceed that. First, a group of cars is taken to a track, sometimes Hump yards can sort cars much faster than flat switching yards, but they require more people and are only worthwhile if there is a lot of switching being done at a yard. The yards being closed, for the most part, have relatively low throughput and utilization. Aug 15, 2003 · Morning everyone, With the power outage ongoing I understand CN (and others as well) have reduced or had to stop hump yard operations and go to flat switching to sort cuts in the major affected yards. Jack Fuller Reply jgfuller Member since December 2001 From: Nor Cal 152 posts Posted by jgfuller on Friday, August 15, 2003 4: Question to the railroaders out there: Would lading be damaged in transit at a hump yard or flat switching yard? I have an instance of loads shifting in boxcars, and wondering which type of yard could be the culprit. Due to the complexity of terminal operations, computer simulation offers a flexible and credible technique to identify opportunities for yard performance improvements. So when a hump yard isn't processing 1800-2000 cars a day it doesn't make financial sense to keep it open. Jul 1, 2018 · Eight of CSX’s 12 hump yards were converted to flat-switching facilities before his death in December. That's why most humps have backup power and backup computers. Hump yards are incredibly expensive to operate as opposed to flat switching. Both utilize flat-track switching instead of a hump. There is an example of a small terminal hump still in operation - Pavonia Yard in Camden. Hump yards have a deep bowl and often have retarders at the other end to keep cars in and prevent rollouts without the use of handbrakes. Aug 3, 2017 · I have no idea on the costs associated with a hump yard vs flat switching. Godorf Station, Cologne, Germany A classification yard (American English, as well as the Canadian National Railway), marshalling yard (British, Hong Kong, Indian, and Australian English, and the former Canadian Pacific Railway) or shunting yard (Central Europe) is a railway yard used to accumulate railway cars on one of several tracks. Flat switching is all manual. Aug 16, 2003 · Without getting into details he told me that yes, hump switching is cheaper but more time consuming and causes more damage to the cargo and the railcar. While flat switching is more expensive, you can get a yard cleaned out quicker. Also, some hump yards have significant monthly loss & damage Freight yards For freight cars, the overall yard layout is typically designed around a principal switching (US term) or shunting (UK) technique: A flat yard has no hump, and relies on locomotives for all car movements. We follow along as a few strings Hump Yards use gravity to help automate, and speed up the process of switching and sorting railcars. Nov 27, 2019 · ANY SWITCHING of cars will lose a day - Hump or Flat. Jack Fuller Reply jgfuller Member since December 2001 From: Nor Cal 152 posts Posted by jgfuller on Friday, August 15, 2003 4: This is a video focusing on the CSX and NS yards in Louisville, Kentucky. Jan 1, 1977 · Railroad Classification Yard Technology; A Survey and Assessment; Yard Design; Operational Procedures; Hump Yards; Flat Yards; Train-Terminal interaction A hump yard needs a high throughput to justify its capital and operating costs. Closing a Hump yard may excise the costs of operating and supporting the Hump - it will not speed up traffic by converting the required switching to flat switching. Additionally, since even the biggest hump yards do not sort out cars for every single local at the destination terminals, more flat switching is required to break up large blocks of cars into the various locals going in different directions. Ideally, the hump should be engaged a big percentage of the day. In 2018 the Radnor Yard hump was re-opened as flat-switching could not effectively handle the volume of traffic through the yard. Oct 1, 2003 · Morning everyone, With the power outage ongoing I understand CN (and others as well) have reduced or had to stop hump yard operations and go to flat switching to sort cuts in the major affected yards. Union Pacific (UP) uses hump yards to sort railcars in such a way that blocks of cars are consolidated based on common destinations, the report said. Hump yards use retarders to control car speeds. They work similarly to gravity yards, but the falling gradient is limited to a small part of the yard, namely the hump. With flat switching you can move cars in blocks, in hump switching it is one feeder track one car at a time. Hump yards are the largest and most effective classification yards, with the largest shunting capacity, often several thousand cars a day. The theory is that they are below the point where hump efficiencies offset flat switching costs. Hump yards, in contrast, are characterized by a track raised above the rest of the yard; the switch engine pushes the car over the hump and gravity accelerates it into its predetermined track. Having worked at several major hump yards, I can say that a power outage that forces flat switching is a disaster. A rail yard is a complex series of railroad tracks for storing, sorting, or loading/unloading, railroad cars and/or locomotives. In this video, we'll get an in depth view as to how they work, function, and are an asset to The region where I live, the PSR railroad has closed the regional hump yard and scattered the switching to various, smaller, and often already congested flat yards. How much longer do… Jun 23, 2025 · A key feature in hump yards are retarders, or track-mounted brakes that grip the wheels and control each car’s speed. When it comes to yards, there are similarly two categories of yards, hump yards and flat yards. Question to the railroaders out there: Would lading be damaged in transit at a hump yard or flat switching yard? I have an instance of loads shifting in boxcars, and wondering which type of yard could be the culprit. Anyhoo, if the strategy of keeping the cars moving using manual vs automated methods works then I can see where closing the hump yards improved the bottom line. Most flat switched yards have little in the way of mechanized or automatic equipment (ie switches are hand/manually operated, no retarders, much heavier use of hand brakes on cars in the yard, etc), so they have a cheaper fixed cost. wbdmpowlhisahtmsak0wyoctofub5v4l4wtppjiime0zjmdn