Yard Master Monroe Yard Operating Instructions
As Yard Master you will co-ordinate the North and South yard switcher crews dutys.
You will direct all activity within Monroe Yard Limits including assigning tracks to trains entering the yard, assigning tracks for cars to be placed for pick up and setout, and building and blocking correctly local freights. You will also handle Passenger train locomotive swaps (SOU/N&W trains) and diner set out and pick ups.
General Rules: Normally all freights passing through Monroe will use the outer (Freight) Mains. Northbound this is called Freight 1, southbound Freight 2.
Normally all passenger trains will use the inner Mains, northbound Track 1, southbound Track 2. The northbound Southern/N&W passenger trains are the exception. They must use the northbound Freight 1, with the replacement diesels and switcher to receive the N&W loco set up on Track 1. This allows the switcher to take the N&W loco over to Track 2, and directly to the wye for turning. (See instructions for wyeing)
Northbound freights working in Monroe may be required to separate and clear the depot area for a ten minute period if any passenger trains stop at the depot.
Transferring cars from the southbound yard to the northbound and vice versa must be planned carefully. The only crossover is in the center of Monroe Yard, therefore no other trains should be in the yard or due to arrive while this takes place.
Yard tracks are numbered outward from the Mains, and further classified by the direction cars parked there are bound for. Therefore North Yard is southbound holding 1 through 6. They are west of the Mains and cover the north end of the yard. South Yard is northbound holding 1 through 7 and they are on the east side of the Mains, and cover the south end of the yard. Generally the outer most track on both sides is kept clear as a lead. Other tracks may be called things like freight house lead, pulpwood track, north and south ladder, industry lead, and service tracks (where locomotives, cabooses, and diners are serviced and parked).
Times / Instructions
10:00 – 2:00am All classifying of cars for the next day must be performed during these four hours. Assign tracks for way freight pickups, locals, and transfers to the other side of the yard. Northbound cars in the southbound yard must be handed off to the other side, and vice versa. There are just three passenger trains arriving during this time. Their times are listed for transfer planning.
11:25pm – 11:45pm #47 Southerner
12:25am – 12:45am #38 Crescent
12:55am - 1:15am #32 Aiken-Augusta Special
2:00am Continue building local freights blocking them in this order from front to rear:
Charlottesville Turn: Rockfish, Red Hill, Amherst, Tye River (VBR interchange), Covesville, Arrowhead (Gleco Mills). Note: Half of the VBR cars are taken on this train, and the other half on the C’ville Local.
Charlottesville Local: C&O transfers, Southern Transfers, Tye River (VBR interchange). Note, the rest of the VBR cars go on this train.
Lynchburg Local: Piedmont Mills, Craddock Terry, Schewell Furniture, Strother Drugs, Barker Jennings, N.B.Handy , Sinclair Oil.
Lynchburg Interchange: C&O Transfers & N&W Transfers.
2:10am – 2:30am #29 Peach Queen
2:30am Prepare to receive J loco from #42 northbound Pelican arriving at 2:40am. Have Southern diesels on #1 track just north of yard limits, and switcher on north end of #1 passenger main to receive J. It must be turned on the wye after #42 and #41 depart.
2:45am #41 southbound Pelican arrives at 2:55am, and should use N&W K2 to replace it’s Southern diesels. If diesels have only one cab end, turn them on wye.
3:25am – 3:45am #30 Peach Queen
4:30am #51, southbound 2nd class freight is due in at 4:40am.
4:50am Charlottesville Turn should be ready to depart at 5:00am
5:25am #33, southbound Piedmont Limited is due in at 5:35am. Have switcher on north end of diner on north end of #2 freight track. When train arrives pull sleepers and club car off, connect them to diner, and push them back onto train.
6:10am – 6:30am #48 Southerner
6:30am #58, northbound 2nd class freight is due in at 6:40am.
7:50am Lynchburg Local should arrive as #58 leaves.
8:15am #18, northbound Birmingham Special arrives at 8:25am. N&W loco must be removed and turned, Southern diesels must be in position to back onto train.
9:20am #154, northbound 1st class freight is due at 9:30am.
10:45am #45, southbound Tennessean arrives at 10:55am. Southern diesels must be removed, and N&W loco backed onto train.
10:45am No northbound trains due for two hours. This is a good time to have the Monroe switcher work Dillard, Quality Foods, Monroe Freight Depot, and Monroe Pulpwood siding.
11:00am Lynchburg Transfer will arrive sometime soon.
11:15am #153, southbound 1st class freight is due at 11:25am.
11:50am Charlottesville Local should be ready to depart at 12:00n
12:55pm #36, northbound Washington-Atlanta-New Orleans Express is due at 1:05. Have switcher at south end of Freight track #1. Pull sleepers, club car and diner off, push diner down Freight track #1, uncouple, and place other cars back on rear of train. Diner is placed on service track just north of Monroe depot.
1:35pm – 1:55pm #135 Washington Atlanta Local
2:45pm #155, southbound 1st class freight is due at 2:55pm.
3:30pm #46, northbound Tennessean is due at 3:40pm. . N&W loco must be removed and turned, Southern diesels must be in position to back onto train.
4:10pm – 4:30pm #136 Atlanta Washington Local
4:10pm #35, southbound Washington-Atlanta-New Orleans Express is due at 4:20pm. Have switcher on north end of diner on north end of #2 freight track. When train arrives pull sleepers and club car off, connect them to diner, and push them back onto train.
4:30pm #156, northbound 1st class freight is due at 4:40pm.
5:30pm #256, northbound 2nd class freight is due at 5:40pm.
6:45pm #17, southbound Birmingham Special is due at 6:55pm. Southern diesels must be removed, and N&W loco backed into train.
7:50pm #57, southbound 2nd class freight is due at 8:10pm.
8:55pm – 9:15pm #37 Crescent
8:55pm #34, northbound Piedmont Ltd. Is due at 9:05pm. Have switcher at south end of Freight track #1. Pull sleepers, club car and diner off, push diner down Freight track #1, uncouple, and place other cars back on rear of train. Diner is placed on service track just north of Monroe depot.
9:10pm – 9:30pm #31 Aiken-Augusta Special
Guidelines for freight car handling:
Spencer & Pot Yard Cars:
You will have four through freights going to each of these destinations. Except for reefers going to only 1st class trains, any car consigned to one of these yards can go in any train. As Yardmaster, you are trying to achieve a balance. Count how many cars you have for Spencer and divide by 4. This is how many to put on each train going to Spencer. Do the same for Pot Yard. Also take into account the number of cars each train drops off, and the fact that each train should have no more than 18 freight cars, not counting locomotives and caboose.
Charlottesville Turn:
If you block the cars in the order as they appear on your sheet, the crew of this train will be able to easily set out the different blocks. Remember that half of the VBR cars go with this train. The other half should be saved for the Charlottesville Local.
Lynchburg Local: Block this train as your sheet suggests.
Charlottesville Local:
Block the cars as suggested. The rest of the VBR cars should go with this train.
Lynchburg Interchange:
Block C&O and N&W cars separate.
Monroe Switcher.
The switcher’s crew can decide how to best block these cars. Depending on the industry, some will have to be in front of the locomotive, some behind.
Diner Restocking: Some Northbound Passenger trains will leave a diner, to be stocked, and then placed on a later Southbound Passenger train. The car should stay at least two hours at the track just north of the depot, then it can be moved across the yard to North Yard Track 1 to await it’s train.
Turning N&W Steam on Wye:
Northbound N&W train should use Freight Main #1. Southern diesels should be waiting on Track #1 just north of north end turnout. Switcher to hostle J should be on north end of Passenger main #1, an engine length from that north end turnout. When train stops, J (or K2) is moved forward out of freight Main #1, then backs onto switcher on Passenger Main #1. J should then be MUed to switcher and both move south on Passenger main #1 crossing over to passenger main #2 and then on to entrance of south leg of Wye. Southern diesels are backed on train as this is going on. J (or K2) and hostling switcher then move into wye, and come back out north leg which leads into loco tracks. Switcher un-MUs and moves on, J may stay on north leg of wye (if it will be needed soon) or park in loco ready tracks.
SOUTH YARD:
The operator assigned to South Yard (Physically at the south end of Monroe Yard) is actually dealing with all northbound cars, local Monroe industries, and the Charlottesville Turn and Local including cars bound for the VBR.
In this photo we are looking South. In the lower left is the Monroe Freight House with a box car being unloaded. The track above and to the left of that is the Monroe Pulpwood siding. The track just to the right of the Freight House Lead is the South Yard Lead, and it merges into Freight Main #1 next to the box car. All six yard tracks are stub ended, and numbered 1 to 6 from the Mains outward. To the right of Freight Main #1 is Passenger Main #1(Northbound). The crossover in the center leads to Passenger Main #2(Southbound), then Freight Main #2. the upper lead off of it is to the Locomotive Servicing area, the lower one leads to North Yard. The holes in the back drop are the south leg of the wye (left), and the north leg (right). At the top note that Freight Main #1 continues around to the left. It goes to Dillard Paper and Quality Foods.
NORTH YARD:
The operator assigned to North Yard is responsible for all southbound cars and cars for the Lynchburg Local and Lynchburg Interchange.
In this photo we are looking north. On the left bottom are the locomotive service tracks merging into North Yard track 6 which is used as a lead to loco service and a caboose track. The other five yard tracks are stub ended as well. Next is Freight Main #2 and then Passenger Main #2, both southbound. Next is Passenger Main #1, and Freight Main #1, both northbound. The Southern F unit is on Freight Main #1. The switcher is on the next pocket track with a diner. This is the diner service track which is just north of the Depot.
HOSTLER:
The Hostler handles all Locomotive movements to and from the service tracks, the wyeing of any locomotives, and the diner set off/pick ups.
CHARLOTTESVILLE YARD
The C&O and Southern Railways meet in Charlottesville and in addition to transfering cars between each other's yards they each serve industries in Charlottesville.
This view of Charlottesville's Southern Yard is looking south from the C&O/Southern diamond. The C&O main is westbound from lower left to the backdrop center right. The Southern double track main is southbound from lower right, thru the Southern yard and on into the distance. The connector track from C&O to Southern is just to the left of the JC Tower roof. The other track off the C&O is Steel Fabricators, an industry C&O serves. The left hand Southern main is track one, the northbound track, and the right hand one is the southbound main. The three tracks to the left of the northbound main are east 1, 2 & 3, the one off the southbound track is west 1. Further down the UVA siding is off west 1.
The Charlottesville Yards are covered by two switchers, a C&O job, and a Southern job. Below are their dutys:
C&O Switcher
This train is called at 8:00am to collect Monroe cars from Steel Fabricators and the C&O Charlottesville Yard. Get outbound cars from Steel Fabricators first, and then collect outbounds from the C&O Yard. Take them to the Southern Yard with tower permission. Join Southern switcher and help sort cars. Return to C&O Yard light
At 3pm C&O Switcher goes back on duty. The Southern switcher will deliver cars for Steel Fabricators and the C&O Yard. Sort these and set them out accordingly.
Remember, C&O switches only Steel Fabricators and C&O Yard.
Southern Switcher
Crew goes on duty at 8am.
1) Collect Monroe cars at UVA Hospital, take to yard for Local.
2) Meet C&O transfer job and put his cars for Monroe with other Monroe cars for Local.
3) Collect all cars going to The Charlottesville Freight Depot, Allied Concrete, Va. Oil and Southern States and go switch those industries.
4) As you deliver these cars, pick up those going to Charlottesville Yard, and return with them. These cars need to go on a track designated for “tomorrows cars”.
5) After Local has departed collect C&O transfer cars (C&O Westbound & Steel Fabricators), and deliver them to the C&O Yard.
6) Finally, take UVA Hospital cars to UVA.
7) Overnight (after waybills are turned) “tomorrows cars” need to be classified for next day’s 2nd class freights
Remember Southern Railway does not switch Steel Fabricators or the C&O Yard.
