DeWitt
The New York Central established the huge DeWitt yard complex in the 1870s and sitting astride the NYC's four track mainline to Buffalo it was once one of the busiest in the world. Modernized several times over the years it had a 40 track bowl well into the Conrail era and a major locomotive shop but was shut down by that road sometime around 1991 I believe, though I'm not certain. The mainline remains very busy as Conrail successor CSXT's Mohawk Sub and much of the facility has been reconfigured as an intermodal yard and it remains an important hub for swapping blocks and originating trains like my favorite predictable morning run daily into New England, good old I022.
The classifcation bowl has been reduced to mostly stub end tracks and the old hump itself is leveled and the remaining traffic flat switched. This view looks east off the Fremont Street overpass in the middle of the yard and the hump and retarders were once directly underneath. While most of the west end of the 3.5 mile long complex supports intermodal operations, some carload freight business can still be found as seen here.
A crew had just pulled up to the two Gevos and can be seen inspecting the units and releasing the handbrakes. But this bridge and the tight chain link wasn't particularly conducive to photography but I always wanted to see this once great yard so grabbed this shot for posterity and headed on my way west.
East Syracuse, New York
Thursday October 28, 2021
DeWitt
The New York Central established the huge DeWitt yard complex in the 1870s and sitting astride the NYC's four track mainline to Buffalo it was once one of the busiest in the world. Modernized several times over the years it had a 40 track bowl well into the Conrail era and a major locomotive shop but was shut down by that road sometime around 1991 I believe, though I'm not certain. The mainline remains very busy as Conrail successor CSXT's Mohawk Sub and much of the facility has been reconfigured as an intermodal yard and it remains an important hub for swapping blocks and originating trains like my favorite predictable morning run daily into New England, good old I022.
The classifcation bowl has been reduced to mostly stub end tracks and the old hump itself is leveled and the remaining traffic flat switched. This view looks east off the Fremont Street overpass in the middle of the yard and the hump and retarders were once directly underneath. While most of the west end of the 3.5 mile long complex supports intermodal operations, some carload freight business can still be found as seen here.
A crew had just pulled up to the two Gevos and can be seen inspecting the units and releasing the handbrakes. But this bridge and the tight chain link wasn't particularly conducive to photography but I always wanted to see this once great yard so grabbed this shot for posterity and headed on my way west.
East Syracuse, New York
Thursday October 28, 2021