Interserting railroad sites found using http://terraserver.microsoft.com/
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Living in Minneapolis I'm spoiled with yards to go look at...
(WARNING these could take a couple minutes each to load. You can make the load time faster by looking at less. Click on the green SML on the left to change size. Also, many of these are not zoomed in
all the way, so if you want more detail click on it and it should get in closer)
Here is the BNSF Northtown Humpyard in Minneapolis,MN on terraserver. The area just to the right of the hump ladder is the locomotive shop and several lined up locomotives.
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.asp?S=10&T=1&X=2393&Y=24937&Z=15&W=2
Here is the Humboldt Yard (CP) just to the west of the Northtown Yard. This one is best for modelling a simple yard. Double ended ladder with a long switch lead on each end. I used to spend a lot of
time watching this yard waiting for the trains to go away so I could finish my route (school bus driver).
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.asp?S=11&T=1&X=1189&Y=12468&Z=15&W=2
This is the old SOO yard(I think). It is on the south end of the Northtown yard. If you look you can still see where the roundhouse is.(note this might worth saving as a picture since I believe they
are tearing all this down right now.. sigh) Note that just north of the shops is an intermodal yard. IF you scroll west(left) you'll see the NSP power plant just before the river and the coal
cars.
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.asp?S=11&T=1&X=1200&Y=12463&Z=15&W=2
Here is the UP yard (some call it the 'new yard'). Lots of grain elevators and such in it as well. I borders the north side of the University of Minnesota. This is a couple miles south of the
Northtown yard. The east edge fo this yard is MN hwy 280 if you are looking at a map. The west end is Interstate 35W just north of downtown.
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.asp?S=11&T=1&X=1207&Y=12451&Z=15&W=2
I think this yard belongs to Minnesota Commercial(which is a rolling museum including some RS units.. they even have a working turntable) It is just east of the UP yard (I think this was the 'old
yard'). There is a bridge over each end (west is Rayond Ave, east is Piece Butler). Just south of the yard is the Amtrak station. If you look by the pond here in the photo you'll see the end of an
intermodal yard. This is the BNSF Midway yard.
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.asp?S=11&T=1&X=1213&Y=12449&Z=15&W=2
Here is the Minnesota Commercial shop, about 3/4 south of the yard. Note the turntable.
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.asp?S=10&T=1&X=2426&Y=24890&Z=15&W=2
Here is the rest of the Midway intermodal yard. The bridge crossing it is Snelling Ave. The double tracks on the north side of the baseball stadium are the main out the Northtown yard.
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.asp?S=11&T=1&X=1216&Y=12449&Z=15&W=2
Here is the Newport humpyard (I think that is what it is callled.. although Newport is a couple miles south and this is still St.Paul). We have jumped a few miles east and about a mile and a half
south to the other side of downtown St.Paul.
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.asp?S=11&T=1&X=1216&Y=12449&Z=15&W=2
This is a few miles south of the Midway yard. and a few miles southwest of newport. This is the Ford Motor Plant in the Highland are of St. Paul. They build Ford Ranger pickups here.
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.asp?S=11&T=1&X=1212&Y=12433&Z=15&W=2
I can give more details if anybodyu wants, but I'm just a shadetree railfan and I might not be able to supply much more data.
Enjoy.
-Todd
Albany, NY - Selkirk yard
http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/image.asp?S=12&T=1&X=744&Y=5889&Z =18&W=2
Binghamton, NY - D&H Conklin yard
http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/image.asp?S=10&T=1&X=2148&Y=23304 &Z=18&W=2
Binghamton, NY - NYS&W yard
http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/image.asp?S=11&T=1&X=1065&Y=11657 &Z=18&W=2
The NYS&W yard may be of interest because it is a relatively small yard, making it a useful yard to model. See this topo:
http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/image.asp?S=11&T=2&X=1065&Y=11657 &Z=18&W=2
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