A pair of high hood geeps switch at the south end of NS’s Massive Inman Yard on Atlanta’s north side. Built in 1957 on the site of a much smaller older yard it was spearheaded by legendary VP of Operations DW Brosnan who would later ascend to the SR’s presidency and transform the road and the industry as he embarked on a massive upgrade to the plant, the equipment and most importantly the processes. Inman was one of seven automated hump yards the Southern would built and at its completion had 16 receiving tracks, a 65-track classification bowl, 16 departure tracks, the intermodal terminal, and a 20-track intermodal classification yard. It also had a few auxiliary facilities such as a locomotive service area, a local yard, and a rail-welding plant. In 1993 the hump was closed and the retarders removed and the bowl was transformed into NS’s largest intermodal classification facility as that franchise boomed. Meanwhile a decade later and 80 miles to the southeast another hump was built in Macon and today it bears the name Brosnan Yard and serves as NS’ principal general freight classification yard in this region. Shuttered briefly in 2020 during the pandemic, Brosnan is an active hump again. I’ve also read, though would love if someone local could confirm, that Inman had retarders reinstalled within the last year or so and again classifies some general freight.
As for the locomotives NS 4148 is a GP38AC blt. Nov. 1971 for the NW with the same number and 5148 is a GP38-2 blt. Oct. 1974 for the SOU with the same number. Alas both were sold around 2017 as the number of once ubiquitous and uniquely NS high nosed 2nd generation power continues to dwindle.
Atlanta, Georgia
Tuesday May 26, 2015
Posted by Dave Blaze Rail Photography on 2023-02-17 11:17:07
Tagged:
Leave a Reply