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Northwest Ohio is home to some of the busiest railroad mainlines in
North America, including
CSX Transportation’s
Willard Subdivision. Located between the towns of
Hoytville and
North Baltimore, Ohio,
CSX’s massive
North Baltimore Yard, opened in
2011, services between 25 and 30 intermodal trains per day. The yard is part of an investment in CSX’s $850 million dollar "
National Gateway Project", which will make shipping intermodal freight safer, faster, and more cost efficient when completed.
The National Gateway Project is also expected to create over 50,
000 new jobs over the next thirty years, with a total public benefit of over $
10 Billion Dollars. The National Gateway Project will allow CSX to increase its intermodal capacity to double the volume they currently ship.
The yard utilizes over
500 acres of property and
300 new employees for the switching, loading, and unloading of intermodal trains. Because North Baltimore is located on one of CSX’s busiest railroad subdivisions, and since it is located between several major US cities, the yard makes for the perfect staging ground.
Trucks from locations within a
200 mile range come to North Baltimore for the drop-off of loaded and empty intermodal crates.
Before unloading at the yard, the trucks go through a scanner at the main entrance, which scans the truck’s shipping information, such as what load it is hauling, where the truck’s location of origin is located, and where the intermodal container is to be shipped once loaded onto a train. After passing through the scanner and a security inspection, the trucks are permitted to enter the yard.
Upon arriving in the yard, the containers are picked up by a ground loader. They are then placed in several rows on
the south side of five,
100 foot tall intermodal cranes. The cranes, of
European design, are powered by electricity and run on a track. Since Northwest Ohio is a relatively flat area, one can see these cranes from several miles away. Each crane is operated by one man, who is required to have hundreds of hours of training time on a simulator before operating the giant machines for the first time. The intermodal cranes operate 24/7, servicing trains that operate all over the region. When moving, the cranes make loud beeping sounds to alert the CSX employees on the ground of their whereabouts.
As one can see, the North Baltimore Yard is one busy place. CSX plans to continue the expansion of its National Gateway Project, adding new trains and more shipping customers to its system.
After visiting the yard in North Baltimore, we traveled seven miles west to
Deshler, Ohio. Deshler is a crossroads between the CSX’s
Garrett,
Willard, and
Toledo Subdivisions. In this scene, CSX train K682, led by
Union Pacific locomotives, charges east over the diamond at Deshler.
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- published: 27 Jan 2015
- views: 45326