Gateway Yard, Youngstown, Ohio, USA : booklet : The Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad Comapny - New York Central Railroad : nd [1957] : cover by Howard L Fogg

A brochure describing the new fright hump shunting yard opened by the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad and situated in Youngstown, Ohio. It opened in 1957 and was intended to reduce time and costs in the shunting of freight wagons; the practice of hump shunting yards, where freight wagons are shunted over a hump and then sorted into siding roads by gravity using multiple points and retarders from a central yard tower, had become almost fashionable amongst rail operators at the time.

 

The 'Gateway Yard' was a sizable installation, stretching almost five miles in length. It wa sbuilt to primarily served Youngstown's then thriving steel industry - the glow can be seen ont he cover - that relied on rail delivered raw materials - this has been described as a disadvantage in comparison with other US steel producers, and Youngstown suffered a 'rust belt' decline apparently earlier than other steel production centres. The Yrad closed in 1993 and lies derelict. The Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad was formed in 1875 and was, for many years, an independent subsidiary of the New York Central following its effective acquistion of the line in 1887.

 

The cover is signed "Fogg" and this is, I suspect, Howard L. Fogg (1917 - 1996) a well-known artist specialising in rail scenes.

Done