Andover Yard

[thpbears]

Any one have any pics of the Andover yard ? Signs or anything that will help in modeling that area.

[GP30Rider]

Around here, questions like that could start an avalanche.  Paging Mr. Flanary

[Backyard]

  My suggestion is use Google Earth in Topo Map mode. All the trackage of the Interstate Railroad is still in place all the way to Miller Yard on the Clinchfield. The image "ages" as you pull back from the planet, if you can't see the tracks up close.

I have a DEM/Topo map of the entire Interstate Railroad in 3D (map only) for use in Trainz Simulator TS2009 if you can use that...it needs rails, roads, waterways and tons of scenery items and is highly detailed 1/3rd arc/sec terrain mapped.

[thpbears]

I have the layout of the track somewhat but I remember I saw some NS signage somewhere with Andover yard on it. I just can't find it anywhere.

[Backyard]

  You can find the Appalachia Division Track Profile for 1984 at Southern Modeler documents provided by Allen Stanley, Railroad Data Exchange.

That is the entire Interstate Railroad track chart, however the Andover Yard may not be fully shown. For that, you can use a Topo map as noted.

[thpbears]

Thanks for the info guys.

[Ponce de Leon]

Around here, questions like that could start an avalanche.  Paging Mr. Flanary

The internet sources cited are good places to start. I would suggest looking for copies of some of my friend Ed Wolfe's outstanding Interstate Railroad books. Andover was the Interstate's yard exclusively until the fall of 1965, when Southern closed its old yard at Appalachia and moved everything to Andover. Until some additional yard tracks could be completed, the congestion and confusion there was just incredible. The Interstate ran seven to eight crews a day from there, and Southern added another seven or eight, plus three yard crews. In the late '60s and '70s, it was a mega-busy place.

I suppose the configuration of any model of Andover would also be predicated on what point in time one was modeling. As with all railroad terminals, the place changed over time.

You might consider reviewing some photos on Rail Pictures. I know I've posted quite a few myself, such as:

[Backyard]

  Why on earth would they close the Appalachia Yard knowing they would have serious congestion problem?

In other words, who got fired for making that decision?

[thpbears]

Thanks for the info. I am on a brand new computer and have been away for a day or two.

[Matt L]

Why on earth would they close the Appalachia Yard knowing they would have serious congestion problem?

In other words, who got fired for making that decision?

It happened alot in those days- just look at the mess created by the Penn Central merger. And for that matter, it still happens. CSX really botched its Buffalo operations by closing Frontier Yard a few years back. After tying up the Water Level Route across most of upstate NY, somebody at CSX finally decided the computer was wrong... and Frontier has been partially reopened.   

[Ponce de Leon]

Why on earth would they close the Appalachia Yard knowing they would have serious congestion problem?

In other words, who got fired for making that decision?

Nobody got fired. In fact, it proved to be the salvation of the Appalachia Division. The Southern yard was purchased by Westmoreland Coal Company and a major coal transloading facility (and mine) was built on the site. It functioned well until it was finally closed in 1995, a victim of changes in the coal market and corporate structure within the region.

[thpbears]

Thanks for these pics Mr. Flanary. My Dad retired from Westmoreland  and this was the last mine he worked at as a foreman. I still remember being there all those years back as he did the fireboss duties on the weekend.