Location: Elkhart Yard, Elkhart, IN

Elkhart Yard is a major classification and hump yard in Elkhart, Indiana. The yard has been in existence for about 150 years but received major upgrades during the Lake Shore years, as well as additional capacity and modernization in the early 1950's under NYC ownership. From a Michigan perspective, Elkhart replaced the hump and class yards at Niles in the 1950's when the NYC upgraded their Air Line (Jackson to Three Rivers) to centralized traffic control with controlled passing sidings.

Elkhart had two water towers and four standpipes for filling locomotives.

When trains arrived at Elkhart they were put into the arrival yard, power cut off along with cabooses. Hump switch engines pulled these cars to the east side of the yard, and then humped them into classification tracks.

When the yard was rebuilt in the 1950's, there were 72 classification tracks which were divided into eight groups. The first group (1-4) assembled trains headed east. The second group (5-8) assembled trains headed west. After trains were assembled, they were pulled onto departure tracks with cars from several classification tracks making up one train.

• Group 1 - Track 1: Collinwood (Cleveland)
• Group 1 - Track 2: Cleveland
• Group 1 - Track 3: East DeWitt (New York)
• Group 1 - Track 4: Toledo
• Group 1 - Track 5: Buffalo
• Group 1 - Track 6: Youngstown
• Group 1 - Track 7: Toledo & Ohio Central
• Group 1 - Track 8: Seneca (New York)
• Group 1 - Track 9: Unassigned

• Group 2 - Track 10: Boston & Albany, Boston & Main
• Group 2 - Track 11: New York - East Side
• Group 2 - Track 12: New York - West Siode
• Group 2 - Track 13: Kalamazoo
• Group 2 - Track 14: Detroit Junction Yard - C&O - DT&I - Wabash
• Group 2 - Track 15: Battle Creek - Marshall - Albion
• Group 2 - Track 16: Grand Rapids
• Group 2 - Track 17: Lansing
• Group 2 - Track 18: Unassigned

• Group 3 - Track 19: Air Line locals
• Group 3 - Track 20: Anderson
• Group 3 - Track 21: Toledo Division locals
• Group 3 - Track 22: Jackson
• Group 3 - Track 23: Toledo Branch Locals (Northern District)
• Group 3 - Track 24: Saginaw - Mackinaw - Bay City
• Group 3 - Track 25: Wayne - Ypsilanti - Detroit Terminal - Detroit Belt and Belt Extension - North Yard - Junction Yard
• Group 3 - Track 26: Unassigned
• Group 3 - Track 27: Unassigned

• Group 4 - Track 28: Detroit side tracks
• Group 4 - Track 29: Detroit cities
• Group 4 - Track 30: Detroit Terminal Railroad
• Group 4 - Track 31: Windsor (CP)
• Group 4 - Track 32: Rochester Division (Suspension Bridge)
• Group 4 - Track 33: Canada locals
• Group 4 - Track 34: Detroit - Mound Road - Transits - Detroit locals
• Group 4 - Track 35: Unassigned
• Group 4 - Track 36: Unassigned

• Group 5 - Track 37: Elkhart proper - including house tracks
• Group 5 - Track 38: Western Division locals
• Group 5 - Track 39: Elkhart E&W
• Group 5 - Track 40: Repair Branch
• Group 5 - Track 41: Repair Branch
• Group 5 - Track 42: Holds - for no bills 
• Group 5 - Track 43: Joliet Branch locals
• Group 5 - Track 44: C&EI - Chicago Heights
• Group 5 - Track 45: Unassigned

• Group 6 - Track 46: Benton Harbor - Big 4 local north
• Group 6 - Track 47: Niles - Michigan City - MC West 
• Group 6 - Track 48: Delmar - Milwaukee 
• Group 6 - Track 49: Kankakee Industries & empties
• Group 6 - Track 50: Kankakee - CB&Q - Zearing
• Group 6 - Track 51: Schneider & Lyons
• Group 6 - Track 52: Kankakee & west 
• Group 6 - Track 53: Santa Fe - Streator
• Group 6 - Track 54: Santa Fe - Joliet

• Group 7 - Track 55: Englewood, bedded stock cars
• Group 7 - Track 56: Englewood - BRC
• Group 7 - Track 57: Englewood - CRI&P
• Group 7 - Track 58: Englewood - CB&Q
• Group 7 - Track 59: Englewood - industries
• Group 7 - Track 60: Pine - EJ&E 
• Group 7 - Track 61: Indiana Harbor - Whiting
• Group 7 - Track 62: Terre Coupee - CSS&SB
• Group 7 - Track 63: Clean out - box and stock cars

• Group 8 - Track 64: Englewood - CJ
• Group 8 - Track 65: Gibson - CRI&P
• Group 8 - Track 66: Gibson - SFE
• Group 8 - Track 67: Gibson - Milwaukee
• Group 8 - Track 68: Gibson (proper) includes IC west - CGW - Soo Line, etc.
• Group 8 - Track 69: Gibson - C&NW 
• Group 8 - Track 70: Gibson - CB&Q
• Group 8 - Track 71: South Bend
• Group 8 - Track 72: Unassigned

Today, track designations are dynamically changed by computer. Cars are humped in groups of 1-5. A trimmer engine on the west side of the yard to bunch them up and assemble them into trains.

Photo Info/Credit: This is a postcard view of the Lake Shore shops at Elkhart in 1914.

Notes

Time Line