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| 3D Satellite |
This photo was taken from around the lower-right corner of the above satellite image looking across the turntable and at the mill.
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| RailPictures, photo by mtnclimberjoe An autorack train and light power set move about in BNSF's Northtown Yard near the General Mills elevator. Buried among the power pictured is the Great Northern SD45 and a BNSF rotary plow. Locomotives: BNSF 5237 C44-9W BNSF 6730 ES44C4 BNSF 1803 SD38P BNSF 1894 SD40-2 BNSF 1594 SD40-2 BNSF 1502 GP28M GN 3407 SW1500 BNSF 1543 GP28P BNSF 7364 ES44DC BNSF 3791 ET44C4 |
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| railroad_history_archives posted Former CB&Q GP35 2543 and an Erie Lackawanna F3B lead an early BN train at the Saint Anthony Parkway overpass in Northtown Yard in Minneapolis, Minnesota. January, 1971. Photo Credit to Ted Steinbrenner. Dale Agthe: I've seen some strange lashups back in the day, but an aging EL B-unit by itself, with no other EL units, that far offline is something else. Likely only worked because EL kept its power in such great repair! |
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| I Love Trains posted photo courtesy of Timothy Taylor - what goes where? Gary Richard Nelson: BN Northtown Yard, Fridley, Mn. Trainbook posted Minneapolis, MN: BNSF/Northern Pacific Northtown Yard and General Mills Oat Mill. Here it is: Thanks a lot, Timothy Taylor, for pointing out this great pic! |
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| Viral Media posted BNSF Northtown Yard Built on the site of the old Northern Pacific yard in Minneapolis, the BN Northtown Yard was built between 1971 and 1976, and includes a classification yard, engine house and car repair facility. |
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| Timoth D. Sievern posted Burlington Norhtern book cover BURLINGTON NORTHERN A Great Adventure, 1970–1979. |
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| Viral Media posted BNSF Northtown Yard There are eight BNSF hump yard facilities across the country that sort and group freight cars destined to arrive at specific locations BNSF hump yards: Barstow, California; Galesburg, Illinois; Kansas City, Kansas; Lincoln, Nebraska; Memphis; Tennessee; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Pasco, Washington; and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Northtown yard lies north of downtown Minneapolis, on the east side of the Mississippi, along the old NP line north to St. Cloud. After the BN merger, BN Northtown Yard was built between 1971 and 1976, including a classification yard, engine house and car repair facility. Northtown is a classification yard that sorts cars to their destination, much like a post office sorts mail. The “bowl tracks” fan out from the hump in a series automated of switches, with each track representing a destination. The gravity of the hill propels the freight cars (or block of cars) into the classification bowl. Retarders (brakes) located on the tracks, limits the speed the cars to 4 mph as they travel into their assigned destination tracks. Arriving manifest trains enter the Receiving Yard. The cars are then “classified” over the hump to sort them by destination. The sorted freight cars are then assembled into outgoing trains in the Departure yard. This map is not to scale as the facility is 4 miles in length. It is derived from GIS data and was created by Railroad Journal. Dennis DeBruler: I've seen in more reliable sources that 4mph is the coupling speed limit, not the travel speed. |
Google Maps labels this grain elevator as General Mills Inc - Fridley Oat Mill.
This yard is huge. Further to the south is a diesel servicing facility and a hump yard.
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| Street View |
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| Viral Media posted General Mills at NorthTown Yard The huge grain silos at General Mills in Fridley, Minnesota are adjacent to the BNSF Northtown receiving yard. 1 billion pounds a year of oats pass through General Mills’ Fridley mill. The plant produces most of General Mills’ oat flour for the North American market. The flour is used for Lucky Charms and Cheerios. General Mills has spent tens of millions of dollars at its Fridley flour mill to produce oat flour that’s free of gluten. A new seven-story concrete tower was built and equipped with machines to weed out little bits of wheat, barley and rye that sneak into shipments of oats from the farm. |
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| 1 of 2 photos posted by Viral Media Under the Hump An BNSF train passing under the hump at BNSF Northtown Yard in 2019. Northtown yard lies north of downtown Minneapolis, on the east side of the Mississippi, along the old NP line north to St. Cloud. After the BN merger, BN Northtown Yard was built between 1971 and 1976, including a classification yard, engine house and car repair facility. BNSF 7029 GE ES44C4 is on point with BNSF 4737 GE C44-9W and BNSF 7459 GE ES44DC trailing. The hump tower and classification yard bowl is seen in the background. [I find the green hopper car to be more interesting than the three GE locomotives.] |
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| David James posted Under the Hump An BNSF train passing under the hump at BNSF Northtown Yard in 2019. Northtown yard lies north of downtown Minneapolis, on the east side of the Mississippi, along the old NP line north to St. Cloud. After the BN merger, BN Northtown Yard was built between 1971 and 1976, including a classification yard, engine house and car repair facility. BNSF 7029 GE ES44C4 is on point with BNSF 4737 GE C44-9W and BNSF 7459 GE ES44DC trailing. The hump tower and classification yard bowl is seen in the background. |
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| Marty Bernard posted 4. BN Northtown Yard, Minneapolis, MN May 30, 1976. Larry Anglund photo, Iowa NRHS collection |
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| Marty Bernard posted 𝐇𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐱𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐬 Northern Pacific SW1200 155 built in 1957 and became BN 214 then BNSF 3545i in Minneapolis, MN, June 3, 1964. When I took this slide I thought nothing of all those boxcars. I mean, boxcars are forever, right? Tom Lyman: he locomotive is on the NP, A Line EB mainline. Most likely the Grove Yd. job, or The Brewery job. |
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| Marty Bernard posted SW1200 156 was in Minneapolis, Northtown Yard, when I found her next to a sea of box cars. 156 was built in 1957 and became BN 214 and then BNSF 3545. June 1964 |
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| Marty Bernard posted Very many BN Cascade Green Power in Northtown Yard, Minneapolis, MN July 4, 1977. Looks like they are all lined up to be fireworks. Larry Anglund photo, Iowa Chapter NRHS collection Which one is Cascade Green? As someone editing BN slide scans, that is an ongoing problem. |
2 of the photos in “BRAKING” NEWS: KEY COMPONENT OF NORTHTOWN’S HUMP YARD GETS REPLACEMENT AND UPGRADE (source)
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| a View of the Northtown hump yard, or “bowl,” with secondary retarders in foreground. Master retarder is below bottom edge of photo. Downtown Minneapolis is visible in background. |
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| b [They are replacing the master retarder.] |
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