Bailey Yard North Platte Nebraska

 

Located in North Platte, Nebraska,  Union Pacific's Bailey Yard (named after long time Union Pacific president Edd Bailey) is one of the largest railroad classification yards in the world.  The rail yard covers 2850 acres of land, is 8 miles in length, and contains about 315 tracks.   Nearly 10,000 train cars pass through daily.  

The classification "hump" yard uses a unique mound system to sort cars bound for different destinations.  Cars from one train are rolled onto the hump, disconnected, then allowed to roll gently down the mound to be directed and reconnected to the new destination train.  In addition to this classification or sorting activity, Bailey Yard repairs, maintains, and fuels hundreds of diesel engines daily.

Bailey Yard activities are best seen from the Golden Spike Tower located nearby.  From observation decks 8 stories above the rail yard one can watch the trains come and go.  Guides (former Union Pacific employees) are present to answer questions or tell stories about working the yard.  Interactive kiosks and videos also offer information about the trains.

Scotts Bluff Nebraska

Along the North Platte River in western Nebraska a huge formation of sandstone and siltstone rises 800 feet above the prairie landscape. 

Scotts Bluff was a welcome sight in the 1800's as fur traders, military expeditions, pony express riders, and caravans of pioneers and settlers following the Oregon Trail headed westward.  Once they saw Scotts Bluff, they knew they were near Fort Mitchell, and that Fort Laramie, Wyoming wasn't far away. Weary emigrants in their covered wagons knew the western destinations of Utah, California, or Oregon were getting closer.  The relatively flat valley across the plains, and abundant water from the North Platte River, made this a favorable route to follow.

It is estimated that between 1841 and 1869 some 350,000 people joined wagon trains that traveled through this area of Nebraska.