Why not just depart from the Yard Bowl?

and save the move to the departure tracks

In some terminals they do. Usually classification tracks are not long enough, though, and multiple tracks have to be doubled up to make up a complete train for departure.

It's more efficient -- saving terminal delay for crews -- to have the train all doubled up on a departure track, inspected, and pre-tested on yard air supplies. The crew then just couples on, makes an apply & release test and leakage test, and departs in much less time.

Yard bowls are spaced much closer together than most departure tracks and they are very dangerous places to be . Carmen would have a very difficult time doing their inspections, tests and spot repairs in a bowl. In smaller yards, It can be done, but in a large classification yard I would hate to be in there trying to get work done while cars are being humped inall around me.

cb&q bob wrote:...but in a large classification yard I would hate to be in there trying to get work done while cars are being humped in all around me.

Amen to that, Bob.

LCJ wrote:

cb&q bob wrote:...but in a large classification yard I would hate to be in there trying to get work done while cars are being humped in all around me.

Amen to that, Bob.

And amen to the both of you! IMHO, nothing is more dangerous than a bowl yard with a light dusting of snow on the rails. Those cars are almost silent as they're whizzing by on both sides of you! A scant second of day-dreaming can cost you your life.

One other reason for not departing from the class yard is because the bolcks of the train may be made up on various tracks. The yard that I work out of is not a hump, but the principles are the same. If they are making up a train to interchange with the B&M, we block it for, E. Deerfield, Fitchburg, Lawrence, and Rigby. Even though all of the cars are going to the B&M, they have to be blocked. If it was a big yard, the yardmaster may have the blocks made on separate tracks. The trimmer engine would double the blocks together. The assembled train is brought to the departure yard. Here the car knockers couple the air, and sometimes make a brake test using ground air.
B&M sends us trains blocked for points on our line too. This was the same when I worked for BN. We would block a train for points on Conrail, CSX, NS, or GTW. They wouldsend us blocked trains too.