NS Buckeye Yard closing

[wa8pyr]

Just found out after several days of rampant (but pretty reliable) rumors that Buckeye Yard in Columbus, OH will close effective Monday, May 4.

Last scheduled train out will be Sunday night.

Unknown if this will be permanent or not, but it doesn't look good.

No more to listen to from there...

 

[Nasby]

Wow!! Thats a real shock. I thought Buckeye was one of the more "state of the art" yards. Guess none are safe in these times. I would expect the small Chrysler Yard in Twinsburg to close after the anouncement that Chrysler is closing the plant there.

 

[WisconsinRailfan]

Wait what.. it's not April 1st...That's a real bummer. Any article links?

 

[CherokeeKid]

Im still listening to the Buckeye yard as we speak....

 

[CherokeeKid]

Dont know what the plans are but they replaced the RR ties a week or two ago coming from the west main line and i live about 1 mile from the actual yard and less than 100 yards from the tracks and we still have tons of traffic coming and going. I pass the yard on an over pass to and from work and the yard is still active as can be.....

 

[BT]

Closed

The yard is closed. There is still a small amount of traffic coming and going, but whatever comes in is essentially storage cars and locomotives. There is a crew that goes on duty in the mid afternoon to switch the local industries. Interchange with Camp Chase is still happening in the receiving yard for now, but this is supposed to happen out in the siding at Alton or be moved to Watkins, that decision hasn't been made yet. 376 will pickup at Alton and a local job (either L77 or L33) will come from Watkins with this and the Camp Chase traffic to set out in the siding there. The car shop is cleaning up bad orders, but the loco shop and fuel pad are shut down. Within the next week all remaining mechanical and most trans. employees will begin reporting to Watkins. Track Dept. and C & S employees are still working out of Buckeye. Keep in mind this is currently planned to be a temporary closure, however long temporary means.

By the way, the CSX operations at the Van Yard and whatever NS traffic passes through on the main are not affected.

 

[W8WCA]

I live close by The Buckeye Yard - there are a lot of trains there still.

Any word?

I think I will have to fire up a scanner

 

[cbehr91]

I live close by The Buckeye Yard - there are a lot of trains there still.

Any word?

I think I will have to fire up a scanner

Still just stored cars and engines - as there has been for the past year and a half - with the CSX van yard busy and just a trickle out of the Departure Yard from NS locals based out of Watkins and the Camp Chase shortline. No word on if/when the yard will re-open.

 

[css9450]

No word on if/when the yard will re-open.

A shame, too, since that yard was built in 1970 or so and as such represents one of the newer yards around. I haven't been there since Conrail days when it was hopping with activity and appeared to be in excellent condition.

 

[cbehr91]

A shame, too, since that yard was built in 1970 or so and as such represents one of the newer yards around. I haven't been there since Conrail days when it was hopping with activity and appeared to be in excellent condition.

Yes, quite a modern yard indeed. Came about because of the Penn Central merger in February, 1968. The need was to consolidate a dozen or so yards scattered throughout the city, so the expanse of farmland north and west of the I-270-70 interchange was an ideal spot (that area was REALLY out in the sticks in those days).

 

[W8WCA]

This from 2 Years ago:
http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/print-edition/2013/02/01/csxs-buckeye-yard-back-on-rail.html

Could this yard be opened again? (w/CSX vs NS)

There are a lot of Trains around it now days.

I will have to load up some freq's and check activity - I am very close to it.


This might be of inerest to some.
https://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Rail/Documents/Ohio's Intermodal Railroad Terminals.pdf

 

[cbehr91]

This from 2 Years ago:
CSX nearly ready with expanded Buckeye Yard intermodal on west side - Columbus - Columbus Business First

Could this yard be opened again? (w/CSX vs NS)

There are a lot of Trains around it now days.

I will have to load up some freq's and check activity - I am very close to it.


This might be of inerest to some.
https://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Rail/Documents/Ohio's Intermodal Railroad Terminals.pdf

With all the work NS has done to upgrade Bellevue, I seriously doubt it will ever return to its former glory. It's just not feasible for NS. There's a little local switching based out of there and interchange traffic with CSX who keeps the van site quite busy. I think the crews on the NS Dayton District still report to the GSB. NS will park trains in the departure yard when the main line is congested.


The frequencies I've found to be used there are 160.800 and 161.385 for the CSX van site and 160.920 for NS switching (seems to be in use citywide at Buckeye, Watkins and down at Rickenbacker).