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| Our first stop today is an appointment at Nebraskaland Tire & Service to have our home on wheels re-shod....after the tyre blow out we had investigated replacing the other 3 which is now accomplished... Just 173 miles today taking us south east through small communities following the North Platte River and the railroad !!! This turkey must be getting a bit worried with Thanksgiving next month !! |
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| It's a grey and drizzly day but hey here we are at the railroad... |
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| Getting very autumnal.... This was our lunch sandwich spot at an Historic Marker pullout, we are still on the early settlers trail.... By the time we got close to our stay for the next couple of nights in North Platte the rain is torrential....but can't always have sunny skies.... |
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| But the next morning it's bright and sunny and perfect for a look-see of the area... This is the best we can do for a cowboy for you Alan S.... |
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| A fun spot near our campsite... |
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| And the very best part of the day is a visit to the Golden Spike Tower and a panoramic view of the Bailey Yard.... These photos do not do it justice at all...It's in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's largest rail yard, covering 2,850 acres handling 14,000 rail cars every 24 hours !!! |
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| The white railcar in background is on the east "hump" one of two at the yard.. I have lifted a description from their website which explains the "humps" better than I can !! |
about 3,000 cars are sorted daily in the yard’s eastward and westward yards, nicknamed "hump" yards. Using a mound cresting 34 feet for eastbound trains and 20 feet for those heading west, the hump yards allow four cars a minute to roll gently into any of 114 "bowl" tracks. Here they become part of trains headed for destinations in the East, West and Gulf Coasts of America, as well as the Canadian and Mexican borders. An average of 139 trains per day, comprised of raw and finished goods, such as automobiles, coal, grain, corn, sugar, chemicals, steel and consumer goods, including electronics, apparel and other retail products, are handled at Bailey Yard.
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| The locomotive maintenance sheds... |
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| Fascinating to watch (especially to a lover of the railroad !!) We had been aware of this yard pre this road trip we think from the excellent Michael Portillo Railroad series on BBC... |
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| Sunday 8th October and back on the I-80 east.... Just 170 miles today mainly corn fields and small communities...The road basically following the North Platte River.... Coming up to Kearney and Monument Archway... We love the camper in front, it is actually a VW Camper towing a half camper/trailer !! |
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| The Bridge and Museum is a monument to Nebraska and The Platte River Valley's role in westward expansion with the Mormon, Oregon & California Trails converging at nearby Fort Kearney.... |
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| And so to Henderson and The Prairie Oasis Campground and our home for the next 2 nights...this is another fabulous park with the most delightful owners, Todd and Patty and not just because Patty gave us home baked cookies on arrival !!! This 1966 Chevrolet Impala was bought by Todd's grandmother in May 1966 and is immaculate with only 60,000 on the clock...one careful lady owner !!! This site is so peaceful the only sound being the American blackbirds swarming to gorge on the field corn before flying south...I'm hoping I have a photo for the next blog entry but for now it's Tiffin time... Cheers for now from Yorkieman and Mrs Blogger.... |
Hi Sue + Michael,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the "hump" info ,once again you are keeping my little grey cells busy.We are stiĺl in Cornwall, weather being kind have another couple of days.Partaking of the local ale, and seafood.
Enjoy.
Cheers Ann + Dave
Well we like to keep you on your toes !!!
ReplyDeleteGlad you are enjoying the delights of Cornwall and have good weather...
M & S :)