UP 9910 and UP 3120 - Alton & Southern Gateway Yard Hump

UP 9910 and UP 3120 - Gateway Yard hump

UP 9910 and UP 3120, two EMD SD40-2s, sit on one of the two hump tracks at the Alton and Southern's Gateway Yard. UP 9910 is fitted with remote control equipment so that the operator can be on the ground as the unit goes about its duties. If you look closely you can see the remote operator walking next to the two locomotives. UP 3120, at the time, did not appear to be fitted with remote control equipment.

To the left of the locomotives, and between the two hump towers, you see an auto rack car beginning to roll down the other hump track. Cars are pushed over the hump from the left and roll down the right side into what are called bowl tracks, in order to build new trains from trains that arrive at the yard for classification. The speed of the cars as they roll down the hump are controlled by retarders, which apply various amounts of pressure to the rail cars' wheels. Gateway Yard is one of two hump yards in the St. Louis area. The other hump yard is the TRRA's Madison Yard, located north of here in Madison, IL. and Venice, IL.

Photo taken: October 13, 2007. Alorton, Illinois.