Several trains that work at Tilford will start picking up cars at other locations, while other trains will be abolished entirely. Trains Q582 and Q583, a pair of merchandise freight trains between Nashville, Tenn., and Atlanta, will be abolished. Trains Q580 and Q581 will be responsible for cars at smaller yards previously classified by Tilford.
In addition, the railroad is also getting rid of its remote control operations and will revert to two-person crews at Tilford. Trains News Wire has also learned that CSX may likely close the Tilford car shop and will reduce its locomotive shop crews to a bare minimum.
A few yard transfer jobs between nearby Howell Yard and Tilford will remain.
The railroad is not yet confirming the change. “While CSX continuously reviews our operations to ensure that we are configured to serve our customers as efficiently and effectively as possible, we have no specific announcements to make at this time about changes to operations in the Atlanta area,” CSX spokeswoman Laura Phelps says. “In the event we do make substantive changes, our first obligation will be to inform our employees and our customers about any impact those decisions may have on them.”
Tilford is a former Louisville & Nashville yard named for L&N railroad president John E. Tilford.
It will be the first rail yard to be significantly downsized under the leadership of new CEO E. Hunter Harrison. Sources close to the railroad say Harrison is evaluating other yards on the network to streamline operations.
Starting 8/7 I have noticed a 60% cut back in trains (mostly road)coming out of Atlanta headed to Athens and the Carolinas.
Call this E Hurricane’s revenge
And so it starts…. I guess the employees in Atlanta know where his over blown salary is coming from.
A lot of the big hump yards built in the 1950’s and 60’s are underutilized
because the railroad have favored commodities than be shipped in
unit trains – coal, grain, autos, stack trains, oil from fracking. They
have deemphized single or multiple car shipments except in commodities
for which they have ittle competition like hazardous and explosive materials
Hump yards, a 1950’s concept, are on their way out.rai Eailoads have become increasingly dependent on unit train operations – coal trains, g
No surprise. Atlanta itself has tried to get rid of Tilford – several years ago they asked CSX to move the yard so the city could proceed with it’s Beline project. The eco-nerds would like nothing more than to see Tilford and Inman go away so they can have walking trails and doggie parks. Loserville.
Here it comes, Old Hunter’s, Back Stabbing _-_-_. How many people told the CSX stockholders that Hunter was trouble.
Sweet! Lets save money by spending more money on redoing a yard that has no significant issues.
Once he starts cutting, he’ll never stop. he loves the smell of blood (otherwise known as departed employees) just like a shark smelling blood. To heck with customer service.
Hunter hates humps, tried to close them all at CP. He also hates power switches in yards and will replace with hand throws. It doesn’t matter if it is harder work, complain and you are fired. Hurt your back throwing switches, too bad.
Allanta remains important obviously. Just not for intermediate classification of through freight. Radnor, Hamlet and Waycross can probably making up sending or sorting through blocks that terminate or originate in Atlanta, and any through traffic that is routed through there (think New Orleans-Hamlet) saves a day or more of terminal dwell.
So does that mean Atlanta is not in one of the prime corridors for traffic? Will overall CSX traffic through Atlanta decrease? The former Seaboard Airline route between Atlanta and the Carolinas near my home still seems pretty busy
CSX has several hump yards in the southeast. How many hump yards does CSX need??.
Cool. More profits for the CEO!
Slash and burn.
Getting rid of RCO’s. GOOD IDEA! A total waste of time. I worked one for a few years and they are a PIA to operate. Gimme an engineer any day!
Tilford yard is very close to midtown Atlanta, so the land it sits on is probably too valuable to remain a railroad yard. My guess is that, 20 years from now, “Tilford Yard” will be a mixed used development, much like Potomac Yard in Alexandria, VA.
Harrison’s forte’. Paul Bunyan style of management….chop…chop…chop! Just hope the tree falls in the right direction.