An aerial view of Brosnan Yard with the city of Macon, Ga., in the background. Forwarding tracks run the length of the yard to the right. The hump and main tower are in the approximate canter of the picture with receiving tracks In the foreground and the 50-track classification yard toward the top of the picture.

Brosnan Yard at Macon, Ga., is Southern's newest and most modern electronic classification yard. In full operation since late 1966, the SOO-acre facility has the never-ending job of keeping Southern's freight moving on schedule 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Southern has long recognized the fact that moving freight swiftly and economically depends primarily on the efficiency of a railroad's yards and terminals. At Macon, careful planning has been combined with modern technology with the result that a $12 million investment is paying big dividends in useful service.

The main purpose of a classification yard is to sort freight cars into groups according to their destination so that these blocks of cars may be easily detached when they reach their final terminal. To better perform this vital function, Southern's engineers have designed a classification system that incorporates many elements of the new railroad technology including an advanced digital computer, closed circuit television, long distance xerography (LDX), microwave communications and electronic scales.

Freight cars move slowly through the classification yard powered only by gravity.

Brosnan Yard, being Southern's newest, reflects the continuing program of constant improvements going on at all Southern's yards, improvements brought about by the introduction of up-dated operating techniques and technology. As described by J. R. Tipton, assistant vice-president-Yards and Terminals, "Each of these yards represents a single integrated yard layout planned for an uninterrupted flow of freight cars from inbound trains, through a retarder classification yard and into outbound trains with a minimum of lost motion. This enables us to expedite the movement of traffic to make more efficient use of freight cars and to be better prepared to furnish the very best in freight transportation.

The yard is centrally located so that a railroad map of the state shows a web-Iike pattern with tracks running into the facility from seven major points: Atlanta, Jacksonville, Savannah, Augusta, Albany, Columbus and Brunswick.

Closed circuit television receivers in the yard office monitor the movement of inbound trains. As pictures of the cars in the train show on the screen, office clerk L. C. Morrow reads each car's identification number into a recording machine. Later, the recording will be used in preparing the switch list.

The new facility occupies swampland near a much smaller, former Central of Georgia yard. Building the new yard meant reclaiming the land from surrounding swamps; a levee and four large pumps now keep the area water-free.

A total of 89 miles of track surround the six-story main tower built on the hump at the approximate center of the yard. To the south of the tower are eight receiving tracks for incoming trains. The classification yard, consisting of 50 tracks with a capacity of 38 to 60 cars each, is north of the main tower. To the east and running almost the entire four and one-half mile length of the yard are eight forwarding tracks where outbound trains are built. Freight cars coming in for local industries are sorted at a separate ten-track industrial yard.

Two thoroughfare tracks provide north-south access through Brosnan Yard. One of these passes under the hump through what is believed to be the largest steel pipe culvert in the world. The giant pipe is 205 feet long and 26 feet in diameter.

A diesel passes under the yard hump through a monster steel culvert that Is 205 feet long and 26 feet in diameter.

At Macon, as in all of Southern's newer push-button yards, cars are classified through force of gravity using the "humping" principle. Cars are pushed up an incline (hump) and then allowed to roll free down the other side through a master retarder, one of five group retarders and into one of fifty classification tracks. When an outgoing train is made up, cars are pulled from the classification tracks and the consist built on one of the forwarding tracks. An average of 18 outgoing trains are assembled each day at Macon, with from 3,600 to 4,000 cars being handled in the yard.

A television camera takes a closed circuit picture of incoming trains as they enter Brosnan Yard and transmits the picture to viewers in the yard office. Microwave is used to transmit the picture rather than conventional cable lines-an innovation that greatly increases the reliability of the system.

At the yard office in the main tower a clerk watches a TV receiver-as each car comes on screen he reads its identification symbol and number into a tape recorder. On entry into the receiving yard, the conductor of the incoming train places the waybills covering the cars in the train into a carrier in a pneumatic tube system that terminates in the yard office.

Waybills are compared with the recorded car numbers and a "switch list" is made up. This list shows the car identification, its destination, weight (or an instruction to weigh) and the classification track to which it should go. Pneumatic tubes carry copies of the switch list to all the key operating personnel in the yard including the retarder operator, hump conductor and pit inspector.

From his ground-level position the pit inspector checks the undercarriage of each car and regulates the automatic lubricating mechanism in the foreground.

Once the switch list is prepared, exact copies of the waybills and a "header" (train number, where from, where to, etc.) giving the time of arrival of the train is sent over an LDX circuit to Southern's Control Center in Atlanta. Similarly, when the consist of an outbound train is made up, copies of the waybills also go to Atlanta with a header noting the estimated time of departure of the train. In both cases the information is rapidly fed into a computer at the Control Center where it immediately becomes available information for anyone who wants to know the latest location of a particular car. This includes shippers, often hundreds or thousands of miles from Macon, who have direct inquiry access to Southern's car location information.

A waybill that becomes separated from its car can be a big problem for railroad and shipper. At Macon and all of Southern's modern yards, operations strictly follow the rule that "waybills move with the cars." That is, as each car moves through the yard its waybill also moves to a corresponding location in the yard office, ready to be included in the packets of such information tull1ed over to conductors when trains leave the yard. By combining tight controls in the yards with the very effective record-keeping abilities of the Atlanta Control Center, Southern has been able to virtually eliminate lost waybills.

While the paperwork is being processed in the yard office, every incoming train receives a preliminary inspe9tion in the receiving yard. An inspector checking for potential troubles rides alongside the cars in a specially-designed cart on which are carried necessary equipment and tools that enable him to make minor tests and repairs on the spot. He also opens the journal box lids on all cars requiring lubrication.

When a train is ready for humping a yard engine pushes it toward the hump. The engineer is guided by color light signals on masts at the hump and other points along the receiving yard tracks. These are duplicated on a miniature "mast" in the engine cab.

The hump conductor's office is near the crest of the hump. As each car reaches the hump the conductor activates a digital computer which takes over and guides the car through retarders and switches into the proper classification track.

As the cars approach the hump each must pass over a dragging equipment detector and a broken flange detector. The first makes certain that nothing, particularly brake rigging, is out of place and dragging under the car as a potential cause of trouble; the second verifies that the flanges on all wheels are intact. Additionally, an inspector who sits in a glass-enclosed pit visually checks for any other defects in the running gear of a car. Using a foot pedal, he activates the mechanism which automatically injects lubricating oil into all opened journal boxes.

Hump operations are directed by a hump conductor from a classification console in his office near the crest of the hump. The console has fifty buttons, one for each classification track. As a car approaches the crest the conductor checks its number against the switch list and punches a button labeled with the number of the designated track into which the car is to move.

This button activates a digital computer which then takes over the classifying operation. As the car passes over the crest of the hump it is uncoupled and rolls free. The computer now has complete control and will guide the car through retarders which control its speed until it gently couples with another car in the proper classification track.

Loaded freight cars are electronically weighed as they pass the crest of the hump. Here, the scale clerk, R. C. Faircloth, observes indications on the scale console in the yard office.

The computer uses many inputs to accomplish this complex guidance. It keeps an up-to-the-minute record of the measured distance to the last car in each classification track, also of wind speed and direction as well as the rolling characteristics of each track.

For each car the computer automatically obtains the height of the car and its lading, its length, weight, number of axles and speed and time of entry into the master retarder. Using this data, it then determines how fast the car may be released from the master retarder without catching up to the preceding car and also the maximum speed which will allow the car to be properly controlled by the group retarder. The computer then operates the master retarder so that the car leaves it at the lesser of the two speeds.

After the car leaves the master retarder its rolling resistance is measured and using this together with the data on weight, size, number of axles, wind speed and direction, distance to go and the rolling characteristics of each track, the computer figures how fast the car must leave the group retarder so that it will roll to, and gently couple with, the other cars in the classification track. It then controls the retarder to hold the car to this speed.

Brady A. Heilig, superintendent terminals-Brosnan Yard, looks on while terminal trainmaster F. W. Keller operates the communications console in the main tower. (Mr. Keller was recently named superintendent terminals, Charlotte, N. C.)

Should it become necessary, a retarder operator who monitors the classification operations from the top of a five-story tower can take over and manually operate retarders and switches.

The tools of modem technology have refined another area of yard operation. As each loaded car passes the crest of the hump it is automatically weighed on precisely accurate electronic scales and the tonnage is printed on the car's waybill. A tonnage clerk places the waybill in a bin corresponding to the classification track for which the car is destined. Another clerk later pulls the waybills from these bins to make up the consists of outbound trains. Also in this area is another set of TV screens to monitor the movement of cars from the classification tracks to the forwarding tracks.

A fully-equipped car repair shop is capable of making almost any repair to freight cars.

The building and movement of outbound trains is directed from a tower at the far north end of the yard. Once the cars are readied on the forwarding tracks air hose is coupled on from lines in the yard and journal box lids are closed. Air is then pumped into the train and the engine coupled on. The call clerk in the yard office has already assembled a crew and the train is ready to go.

Important elements in providing the fast service available at Brosnan Yard are a car repair shop capable of making all except the most extensive repairs to freight cars and a central engine servicing facility permitting the servicing of any engine at any location on the engine terminal tracks.

An officer coordinates the many functions of Brosnan Yard from a glass-enclosed room at the top of the main tower. He is the man with the answers and he puts years of railroading experience into the constant decisions that keep the busy yard running at peak efficiency. A variety of communications systems keeps him in touch with any person or area in the yard.

Looking east from the main tower are the engine servicing facility and part of the forwarding tracks where outbound trains are built.

Freight must keep moving and three-shift, around the-clock operations go on at Brosnan Yard to see that it does move without delay. Near-daylight lighting conditions are provided for nighttime operations by more than 900 mercury vapor lamps.

Southern's super-efficient yard at Macon was built to improve service and reduce operating costs. Representative of a new approach in railroading, it is the result of a conscious effort to improve the railroad's competitive position by a constant upgrading of facilities.

For the shipper, Southern's electronic classification yards offer faster service on through freight shipments, better utilization of freight cars, increased reliability through elimination of lost waybills, and improved handling of freight cars to minimize risks of damage to their contents.

One of the key factors In providing the fast, efficient service available at Brosnan yard Is this engine servicing facility.

This new yard is one more milestone in the continuing improvement of Southern's services for customers; another way of attracting freight business that benefits customers, Southern and all who work for Southern.