CSX Frontier Yard closing

[tree68]

A poster on the Trains Magazine forums suggests that Frontier Yard is being closed by CSX.

Old news? New news?

[pablo]

According to posts here, it sounded like a "wait and see."

Dave Becker

[Otto Vondrak]

A poster on the Trains Magazine forums suggests that Frontier Yard is being closed by CSX.

Unless that poster was the president of CSX, I don't know how much credence there is to that report.

[SimTrains]

http://www.wgrz.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=65866&catid=37

At a joint meeting Wednesday night, leaders of two local railroad unions, the United Transportation Union and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) told members to prepare for big layoffs in Buffalo. Together, the unions represent about 800 workers at the Frontier Yards on Broadway, a major "hump" terminus in the northeast United States. Jim Louis, General Chairman of the BLET locals in several Northeast states, confirmed for 2 On Your Side that a CSX official told him in a meeting on Tuesday to prepare for half the work force to be furloughed.

Division management has told us that Frontier Yard is to be closed. That's all they say, they don't give any kind of plan or timetable as to how or when. So yes, right now it is just wait and see.

[MarkT]

WOW, end of an era for sure!

Sometimes it looks like there are few cars in the yard considering its huge capacity, which would explain why they are closing it. Yet it always seems they are humping cars too.

Are they just closing the hump & bowl, or everything? If everything, where do they sort cars for the immediate area of Buffalo?

[Otto Vondrak]

Division management has told us that Frontier Yard is to be closed.

Awesome. Will the work move to other yards in Buffalo? I can't see how CSX would be completely without a Buffalo presence.

-=otto-

[Flat-Wheeler]

What in the Hell ???? This is the end of an era !!!
Yeah, like Penn Yard or Ohio St are going to be the sorting yards for Buffalo local traffic. Isn't Seneca Yard shut down too ?
I think that, IF... they "close" Frontier yard, CSX'll just close the hump, towers, and perhaps shops. Of course, this may be a crafty way to get NY State to divert the stimulus spending money towards the rail yard renovations. Kinda of a "either help us revamp this yard for the future, or we'll just close it and that many more jobs will be gone."

Buffalo is not a lucrative market for CSX. There's no shipping port, very little auto parts traffic left, and very few utilities. Even the Buffalo News paper service is gone. There isn't even a big building products warehouse getting cars every week, that I'm familiar with anyways. CSX doesn't care too much about retaining all the infrastructure here anymore.

Realistically, Niagara Falls and Kenmore should be able to handle the International, utility, and local traffic on the North Side of Erie County. The few customers in the Eastern half of Erie country can be handled out of what's kept of Bailey & Frontier yards, while the inner city & South Buffalo business can be switched out of any of the yards near Ohio St. or Tiftt St..

[scharnhorst]

wow.... don't know what to say! that sucks

[BR&P]

As the politicians of this state keep driving more and more industry away, there will be less need for "loose car" railroading. A few sidings to park unit trains and to let intermodals pass each other and that will be it.

[SimTrains]

It's worth mentioning... At one time there were 5 hump yards in New York State. Selkirk, Dewitt, Frontier, Bison, and Gardenville. Three of those were in Buffalo alone. This plan goes through there will only be Selkirk left in NYS. Sad.

[BR&P]

Oneonta...Mechanicville....

If I'm not mistaken, Frontier essentially replaced Gardenville. They may have co-existed in the very early days of Frontier but not for too long.

[roadster]

I just caution everybody to be patient with this news. CSX is also planning on shutting down 2 other large yards on the system. One in Atlanta and another out West. CSX has in the past been known to shutdown yards in slow economic times and reopen them when traffic volumes turn back up. Anyone hanging around Frontier lately, can see the yards tracks are mostly empty. With the low volume of cars, Selkirk and Willard would most likely handle classifying of cars for road trains. Line of road recrews will still be needed, expect some shifts and redirection of traffic patterns. I'd expect a phased, reduction of yarded trains, and Hump ops., as CSX re-evaluates op.s, at each step. Buffalo is still an important interchange point, and still has heavy industrial customers needing service. I don't expect a complete shutdown, but while the economy is very slow, expect a serious curtailment in op's., untill traffic volumes rebound sufficiently to justify increasing op.s. I don't like this news any better than anybody else. This is going to cause ripple effects across the system for all employees. Over the next year expect CSX operations to go through some big changes. This may only be the begining. Bottom line is CSX is not giving any details and we're all pretty much stuck to wait and see how bad it gets.

[Ironman]

You make some good points, and I won't argue with what you said.

To me, it looks like anybody on the Albany Division with less than 5 years at least is done. I'm not waiting around for the final decision.

[wdburt1]

Eastbound yard at Hornell was a rider hump until 1963 (like Gardenville, IIRC).

WDB

[Flat-Wheeler]

I was under the impression that gravity switched yards, or hump bowls, are one of the efficiencies that help make railroads more energy efficient than another mode of transport (trucks). How is shove and pull switching on flat track more efficient ? The entire train has to brake to a stop & reverse for each cut of cars set out for a separate block. I realize it's not always 1 and 2 cars per move like happens on the hump, but still, there's alot more back & forth acceleration and momentum wasted than just shoving one direction, one time (as in over the crest of the hump).
Something doesn't quite add up, or is CSX trying to dismantle infrastructure and remove all efficiencies from the industry on purpose ?