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Buckeye Yard
1970
| 1. Trabue Road | 14. Hump Building - see note 1 |
| 2. Roberts Road | 15. Construction Co. Offices - would become railroad offices |
| 3. Receiving Yard | 16. Tracks from west to east - west drill, east drill, departure lead, local yard lead (later north van lead) |
| 4. Classification Yard | 17. Engine turning Loop track |
| 5. Departure Yard | 18. By-Pass track - hump escape track |
| 6. Local Yard | 19. Pig Tail Track - crossover from hump lead to the departure yard |
| 7. Diesel Fuel Pad - the "Pad", Engine Service Area |
20. Buckeye Interlocking - Bradford Inbound, Mounds Inbound, Western Lead |
| 8. Caboose Track | 21. Buckeye Interlocking - Bradford Outbound, Mounds Outbound, Western Lead |
| 9. General Service Building - crew dispatchers & locker room |
22. Retarder Tower |
| 10. Diesel Shop | 23. Signal Maintainer's Office - parts for retarder repairs |
| 11. 1 million gallon fuel storage tanks | 24.South Diesel Lead |
| 12. Repaired Cars Ready for pick up by hump crew |
25. North Tower (Yardmaster tower) and North Locker Room which included Buckeye Operator and Car Inspectors |
| 13. Car Repair shop |
A brand new Buckeye Yard on the west side of Columbus. The photo was taken looking to the north. The yard is orientated north - south and was built between the PRR Bradford main line to the north and the PRR Xenia main line behind the camera. The project was planned by the PRR and constructed by Penn Central at a cost of about $29 Million.
Buckeye Yard was designed to replace the PRR yards 'A', 'B' and the 20th Street shops. After the Penn Central merger the traffic handled by the NYC West Columbus yard was also folded into Buckeye Yard. Construction started in 1968 and was complete or at least complete enough that by December 1969 Buckeye Yard opened for business.
This photo is now 40 years old and undoubtedly changes have been made to Buckeye Yard over the years. For example in the Conrail era the Diesel Shop was converted into a system wide signal instruction school. With the construction of Buckeye Yard along with the creation of Penn Central, the Columbus PRR and NYC facilities of the 1950's were history. Photo from the Dave Bunge Collection.
Note 1: The three story Hump Building was the center of hump operations.
The hump yardmaster, clerks, terminal superintendent and trainmasters were located on the third floor.
The computer room, and crew locker room were on the second floor.
The railroad police and other offices were located on the ground floor.
A special thanks to Don Macke for help with Buckeye Yard operations and layout.