I'm 73 and finally learned what "yards"do for a railroad. Your explanation was well done and easy to understand. Thank you!

That Humpyard at 2:30 is called Kijfhoek and is located in Zwijndrecht in the Netherlands. I used to watch locomotives do switch work for days there. So much action with also a high speed rail connection at the time. It has its own dedicated line to Antwerp and Paris now.

Thanks for explaining this, I've never really understood it to be honest

Ron: Another great operation oriented video. I appears to me that your operation videos get the most amount of views, and most amount of likes. I believe viewers are really wanting this type of information.

Having performed the duties of a traffic manager, I found that Operations knows within a 1/2 mile where a specific car is. Getting out of the yard may take days, at least in South Florida.

Excellent explanation Ron! Thanks for sharing!

You did a pretty good explaining switching and blocking. There are still some variables. Many of them have to do with the operating plan, and the ability of the yard to classify cars efficiently. If a yard has limited capacity, they might have a couple of blocks to be set out on the way to the next terminal. Everything else might be “junked,” or sent unblocked to a yard where there is capacity to efficiently block the cars. In transfer trains, with cars sent to another railroad, there might or might not be agreements as to blocking the transfer. I work for the Delaware and Hudson. We had an agreement to preblock cars for Guilford. They sent trains to us that were blocked for points on our line. The yard that I work in is near Albany, NY. We have cars coming in from Guilford/Pan Am, Vermont Railway, NS, CSX, and locals jobs. Every night a train heads to Montreal, Quebec. As the various trains come in, they are switched. Usually the yardmaster assigns a track for each block. Usually he assigns the blocks to the tracks based on the number of cars in the block. For example, if the Chicago block has 10 cars, he would make up that block on a shorter track. If the Montreal block had 50 cars, of course he would use a longer track for that block. Once all the blocks are made up, then they are doubled in the designated order. In the Montreal train, the cars to be set out on the way there are usually on the head pin. Next might be the Montreal block. Sometimes, depending on capacity, this block is sub blocked. There is a regional railroad there, and they usually get a large amount of cars. Next is usually a Toronto block, followed by a Chicago block. Those yards will further classify the cars. Sometimes the blocks aren’t exactly in order. As I said, the train sets off on the way to Montreal. Usually there are only a few cars in this block. If the cars contain hazardous materials, the laws require them to be placed a certain number of cars away from locomotives, or even operating refrigerated cars. In this example, the local set outs may be buried in the Montreal block, so they are far enough away from the engines. Once set out, the Montreal block will be contiguous. This is an example of special handling that must be accounted for. There may be a over dimension car for Chicago. Even though the block is on the tail end, this car is on the head end. Sometimes a trainman must get off and watch to be sure the car clears adjacent structures, or other trains. Usually after this train leaves, the yard is fairly empty. It is a good time for the local to be made up. There is plenty of space. Now the local cars can be switched for the order of each industry. This can even be broken down for placing the cars in order for appropriate spots at each customer. Beside just getting the blocks right, car restrictions come into play. I’ve mentioned hazardous and over dimension cars. There are other factors to consider. Some are beyond the scope of a model railroad. Sometimes these factors are just as valid on a model railroad. One example is short/long car combinations. An auto carrier is 89’. on a curve, it might tend to derail a very short car, such as a 40’ cement hopper. This can be avoided by switching in a car of intermediate length. The NMRA recommends to ballast a car to a certain weight. In the prototype, empty cars on the head end pose a problem. On a heavy train, light cars tend to get pulled toward the center of a curve, and then they derail. This is called string lining. In my example, the train had the Montreal block ahead. If that block contained mostly empty cars, and the Toronto and Chicago blocks were loads, then they might change the order, and put the Montreal cars on the end. One last example of special handling is passenger cars. We have a plant that builds them. They don’t have the strength to withstand freight train forces. They need to run on the tail. They also can’t run next to cars with shelf couplers, like tank cars. This is because the shelf might damage the spring loaded walkway, on the coach. Some other rear riders are snowplows, and scale cars. I might have gotten way beyond what Ron was illustrating. Nobody says that you have to be 100% prototypical. My intention was to show some of the challenges of properly making up a train. If you operate your layout, based on prototype practice, then these factors may be of interest.

As usual a very, very good video. I’m a long way from even thinking about adding a yard and I couldn’t stop watching. Great graphics and well thought out explanation of how and why yards are managed. This is a great example of why you have so many subscribers. It’s the quality work you do.

Another great video, thanks for posting this - that all makes so much more sense now. 👍

great advice on Blocking and Classifying, thanks!

Awesome and very well articulated . Thank you for sharing

This is really a good series. thanks Ron, another great video along with the other's about "Yards". Thank you D. Muse

Thanks for this very clear explanation of the somewhat mystifying topic of yard classification, Ron. The diagram of classification and blocking is especially helpful. Your explanation will help me do yard classification in a more prototypical manner on my layout. I will be watching this very useful video over and over....Roy

You did an Excellent Job Fully Explaining the Intent and Operation of Rail Yards. Thanks! 👍

A great video. I know of at least one KZfaqr that attempts to model prototypical operations on a almost daily basis. In my case, I find prototypical switching a creates an additional dimension on my otherwise limited layout and learning how prototypical operations are performed makes it more fun. Thank you Ron.

Great Info! Easy, simple and understandable explanation of how a yard works. Thank You Kindly for sharing your knowledge with all of us!

Ron, a very informative video as your others, thanks for sharing!

Thank you. That was a very clear explanation of how yards work. As a Brit, I'm sure there are differences between American and British practice (particularly historical practice when we really did have thousands of wagons sitting around doing nothing for weeks on end) but I've come away wiser than I went in!

Thanks for this video Ron!

very helpful for some who don't use this. I like you do prototypical railroading. My yards work just like this.

Ur channel helps out so much!! Thanks so much!!

Another great video Ron! Thanks for sharing!

Starting out I had NO desire for a yard and operations but after watching JC’s Riptrack and some of your videos I now want to do one and connect it to the layout I’m working on

Good video Ron, Really informative info, Thanks

Congratulations, your pronunciation is very clear, so people from other countries can understand easily what you mean.

Im brand new to this but i found this facinating

Nice explanation of the yard and sorting. I wondered how it was done. Thanks!

Thank you, Ron. This is an excellent video. All of us want an accurate, creative and fun layout. Your videos help us do exact;y that. You do such an amazing job of explaining the workings of a railroad, even the point of how to raise the outside curve of the rail, you provide an incredible resource that helps us model a layout that we are both proud of and love to operate with our friends. Good work. Keep them coming. Mike (HO scale) just north of Toronto.

Ron, excellent summary of freight yard operations. Thanks!

Thank you Ron's Trains N Things

I don’t do operations on my layout but that was very interesting. The diagrams were helpful. Thanks

Thanks for the info !

I've always wanted to build a yard and now I know how to design my operations! Great video!

I was always fascinated by the Millcreek yard in Cincinnati. It had a raised section of the yard and cars were fed from that raised section to be gravity fed to a different track section in order to build up a train. There were braking mechanisms in the tracks to slow the cars before connecting with an existing line of cars. That would be a cool yard to try to recreate.

You're a talented man, Ron, kudos!

Great basic switching explanation. In real world switching it can become much more difficult. Hazmat cars, high wides, short to long cars, etc. We use hazardous materials switching charts and hazardous materials placement in train charts. Yardmaster have computer programs that pretty much does the work. Cars in active revenue service that sits in the yard have dwell time. The shorter the dwell time, the better. Cars sitting in yards dont make money.

Good show thanks for a good explanation of how it all works, while I ha a good idea its always nice to review it once in a while & have a different view on it, thanks for sharing-Jack....😁

big thumbs up from me for this one Ron. Trying to find out stuff about the US scene while living Down Under is a bit tricky so things like this are gold. Thanks for the information and your thoughts.

Ron, that was an excellent presentation! 👍 Thanks for posting!!

I love model trains and real trains great information thanks

Good stuff. Nicely done. Thanks.

Awesome explanation. Very informative and helpful. Keep up the good work

that was well explaned Ron thanks again

Another awesome & informative video Ron, 👍👍👍

Thank you so much, this video and the other one on your north yard help me out a lot. I also have the book on freight yards which I dug out amid started reading again. I enjoy all your videos.

Very good explanation. Keep up the great work!

Thanks for the interesting video, I am planning to make a harbour yard.

Nice explanation. I spent 10 years as a switchman for chicago and northwestern/U.P. You hit on every relevant point. I would like to add that EVERY track has a name or number. EVERY track. Even a useless looking stub track for example. you can call it the name of the previous company that it served. Here in Milwaukee where I worked we had a track that used to serve a company that made stoves and refrigerators called hotpoint. (btw I do think hotpoint is still in business just not here in milwaukee) The place went under and the building torn down. But a small portion of the rail remained. We called that small remnant the hotpoint lead.

Great video Ron!

as usual Ron..very well put forward and easy to understand.. Tom

In mountain settings with intense grades and / or significant curves a general additional concern is to place heavier cars near the front of a train thus reducing the physical stress associated with the terrain.

Thanks for the helpful info

Excellent. Easy to understand. - Drew

As always a great video. I'd also like to thank you, thank you for immediately cutting to the video after your intro. I've noticed a lot of other youtubers leave this awkward pause where they just stand there staring at the camera for several seconds lol

Thanks.

Man! ! I understood this for the first time, keep teaching!

Excellent explanation, I'd love to see video of operations on your layout.

thank you I needed to know this before I build my yard very good topic...mike

Good information.

That Helped thanks!!

Very clear and precise explainantion.

very informative. well taught.

Ron, thanks for another great video. The operations you describe are pretty much the way I thought they should be done and added another dimension to the way I want my yard to operate when I build it. I do have some switching experience volunteering at a Scenic Railroad where our yard space is very limited and can get quite tricky. Barry Broyles

good info, thanks 👍

Sad I was late to see this amazing video

I work as engineer at BNSF Cicero Intermodal yard in Chicago. My job is the Valley job(ychc341). We switch automotive racks received from the IHB (Indiana Harbor Belt). We block the cars for two destinations. Dayton Bluff (St. Paul,), MN. and Dilworth (Fargo), ND.

As a kid growing up Creston Iowa had a very large yard. What amazed me was how the cars got moved. The locamotive would start a car moving and then it would free roll down the track. They would throw a manual switch and the car would roll under it's own momentum and couple to other waiting cars. The same engine could be moving other cars as this happened. How they knew to adjust the car momentum was magical to me. I assume this cannot be done in scale.

all good information. I only have 30% of cars in any of my yards at one time.

Nice. Great information. Now all one needs is more space. LOL. 🚂

I don't believe it. As a railfanner myself, I had no idea how yard operations work until I watched this video. Keep up the good work!

oh boy me and ez track are gonna get along well

Very informative. Many people think that they are just a waste of space and not used except to store the odd rusty car or when repairs are needed. It must be a dull job pulling cars around all day from one section to the next.

Great video! Well explained and easy to follow. Is it ok for the train to stop on the main and unload? -Mark

hi Ron... awesome explanation of yard ops... but when blocking cars wouldn't the cars destined for the first industry be at the end of the train??? vinny

Iam interested in doin that but can't rush it if you want to make it work and look good.

Ohh The 0 cars is going away 1 2 3 wait to Confirm to Move Brilliant info 😛

Very helpful tips! Do you have any content that goes into further detail regarding facing point vs trailing point spurs? I'm having a hard time imagining a good flow out of my yard if the train is facing one direction vs the other. Same for industry deliveries. Edit: typo

What kind of controller do you use and what do you use for power supply

What would the proper method of blocking the cars? You skipped the basic steps as to which line the yard would use to block the cars. Do they just use the feeder track or also the other open sidings? My solutions are rarely the prototypical solutions, so I'm curious how the Big Boys would do this step. Great videos!

Yards really don't do the detail blocking the way you describe it. Tracks 2 and 3 would never be "blocked" the way you describe it. It 's a waste of time. Your yard really needs a crossover beyond the lead. The "0"s would most likely be on the rear, the train would set out on the AD track then reach into the bowl to pick up the 0 cars and double them back to the rear of their train. Especially if you are modeling a train with a caboose. Also "destination" is a relative thing. For example, on the UP pretty much any general service car loaded on the west coast is a "North Platte". Going to Kansas City, its a N Platte. Going to Chicago, its a N Platte. Going to Atlanta, its a N Platte. Going to Portland, ME, its a N Platte. Then at N Platte the cars are switched again and broken down. Except on a local that actually serves industries, the "destination" of virtually every block on a train isn't where the customer is, its the next place the car will be switched. The car going to Chicago, it actually leaves N Platte in a Proviso block, because it will be switched again at proviso Yard in Chicago. The car going to Portland, would pick up an Elkhart or Selkirk block because depending on which train it took it would next be switched at Elkhart, IN or Selkirk Yard, NY. There are storage yards which are actually very modelable. Look at the UP yard in Spring, TX. Along the eastern perimeter are "SIT" yards, storage in transit. Plastics makers load hundreds of cars with runs of different types of plastics and then ship them to Spring. Its a warehouse on wheels. During the day, industries that use plastic buy carloads of the different plastics from the plastics manufacturers and then they bill the stored cars out to the industries. At night the railroad sends a switcher into those yards to dig out the 40-50 cars that have been billed outbound, out of the 1000+ cars stored in the SIT yards. Its the one type of yard that is prototypically cherry picked day in and day out. Down side is that the only cars you will be switching are hundreds of grey plastics covered hoppers.

Does a switcher engine serve the same purpose as the yard crew?

I'm liking this, but I'd love to see you explain and work a passenger yard.

Thanks Ron. I have a question: With so many cars running around the country, how does the freight car owner know where the car is, who to charge for it's use and who is responsible for keeping track? My second question: Some times I see eight engines at the head of 100 cars while other times there are engines in the middle or end of the train. Is there an engine power limit on the weight towed? I appreciate being enlightened.

Ron sounds a LOT like John Davis from Motorweek on PBS.

Of course a railroads purpose is to make money. Repeat after me, "ITS A BUSINESS, NOT A CHARITY". Within two miles of my house there is a passenger train yard that often has the yard full between certain hours at night and early morning. Admittedly it's not a huge yard. But it is also the northern terminus for Metra's route that goes north from Chicago into SE Wisconsin. So the yard is actually a staging yard for passenger trains.

Would "giant passenger station" be considered a different type of yard, or something meant for an entirely different video?

In the future rail yards should be put underground I've seen planty of them they don't look pretty I'll collect passenger trains they look really nice

Very helpful, got right to the point but it would be nice if the video was a little shorter. Great video

I thought North Yard was in Dallas?

Not a bad job on talking about yards

I have a question these are models like prototype but not real...the actual system of the open cars the loaded and de loaded again and again at their departure points and destination points. ...the question is what about the goods where we could send it further or put into another system ...cuze the frieght trains do a role in proceedure ..we deliver the goods to destinations then what after that with goods ???where the actual is new things come and delivered and other new things come and as same goes on ...how to follow that systematic prototype

What scale is your layout in?

"a car sitting in the yard is not making money". Contraire mon frere. The railroads are charging storage fees, for the use of cars. Sure, there are exceptions such as the "hot shot intermodals", but, depending upon the commodity that's in that rail car, the railroad is going to work every angle it can to make money. Only five years ago, during the oil boom in North Dakota, the BNSF would have Amtrak take the siding for an oil train because what the BNSF would be monetarily penalized (for having Amtrak wait in the siding) was *nothing* compared to what that oil train was making the railroad.

A railroad exists TO make goods move. It exists BY making money. Do you live to eat, or just eat to live? If it existed to make money, you would be building a model hedge fund.

just make it easy you are breaking down a train or putting one together .