Conway, PA: NS/Conrail/Penn Railyard and Yard Towers

Yard: (Satellite)

Turntable: (Satellite)

Mystery Tower: (Satellite)

Hump Yard Tower: (Satellite)

G-1 Tower: (Satellite)

Central Tower: (Satellite)

East Tower: (Satellite)

"CR's Conway yard was located northwest of Pittsburgh along the Ohio river.  This former PRR yard remained the largest railroad yard in the world from the time of it's expansion in the 1950's until 1980." [ConrailPhotos, many of the photos are just locomotives, but there are some overview shots]

NS Photo from Railway Age

Rick Shilling posted
Undated Conrail Railroad Roundhouse, Turntable, Shops and Yard, Conway, Pennsylvania. Kent Campbell Photo.

 

Little Beaver Historical Society posted

Conway railroad yards aerial photo-1977

From BCHRLF Archives

Carrie M Smith: At one time it was the World's largest push button operated rail yard

Dennis DeBruler commented on Rick's post
1952 aerial photo [AR1NZ0000020196]

Dennis DeBruler commented on Rick's post
1953 Beaver and Baden Quads @ 24,000

 

Roger Durfee posted
The Conway, Pa turntable, May, 1976.

Donald Wayne Klink posted two images with the comment: "Found this Thank you note That Was Sent To Me This is the new engine shop, and a picture of the old Roundhouse, and the same table."

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By John Vachon - This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID fsa.8c18818. Public Domain, Link
Conway Yard in 1941

Eric M Ziegler
NS Conway yard,Pa 12/27/2015

Kenneth J. Kobus, July 1987 from HistoricPittsburgh

Paul Neal added two photos to the album "March 17, 2014" with the comment: "Conway Yard........"

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Samuel Pelaia from HistoricPittsburgh
The Conway Yard, built by the Pennsylvania Railroad at a cost of nearly $35 million, was the world’s largest and most advanced automatic freight classification yard. Cars were directed to the proper track by an automatic system, which could set up a route of up to eight switches. The eastbound line of the railroad ran adjacent to the Ohio River (right) and State Highway 88 bordered the yard on the left. The central tower for the entire yard, the general yard office, the dormitory, and other related facilities for trains and personnel are located in the large structure in the left center of the photograph.

The Conrail Historical Society posted
A rare shot of the inside of a yard tower in Conway, circa 1983. Dick Bregler photo
Tim Shanahan shared

Trainyard Tech from Railway Age
Operator screen from the CLASSMASTER Process Control System

Selected pages from "an advertising brochure the Pennsylvania Railroad and Union Switch and Signal put out to showcase the PRR's Conway Yard." The captions are the page numbers.

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NS Training, Page 1

NS Training, Page 2

The tower on the right would be the hump yard tower. Is the tower on the left is a mystery. Is it "West Conway Tower?"

Street View, Sep 2019

G-1 Tower

Street View, Sep 2022

Central Tower and Offices

Street View, Sep 2022

Darren Reynolds posted two photos with the comment:

Conrails ( Ex-PRR) 

"East Conway" tower 

Conway, Pennsylvania

Tim Shanahan shared

Jim Kelling: Conway opened in stages from 1953-1958.

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"East Conway" tower

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The interlocking machine at "West Conway" tower

Photo by: Chip Syme June 24,1995

East Conway Tower:

(new window) a drone flyover   


Another drone flyover

NS map (pdf)

There is a lot of interesting current operations information in this Trains thread.

A railfan's blog about Conway Yard