Location: Grand Rapids, MI - Hughart Yard

Hughart Yard is located in Grand Rapids next to US-131, between Burton and Hall streets.  Hughart today is a mere shadow of its Pennsylvania Railroad days.

In 1984 at the beginning of the Conrail years, this yard had 37 tracks.

This yard jointly served the Pennsylvania and New York Central railroads. The NYC came into the yard from the south, as did the PRR.

Photo Info: Top, New York Central locomotive 2020 at the coaling tower in Grand Rapids. [Grand Rapids Library Collection].  2nd photo, Hughart Yard in the 1970's. 3rd image, a view of the PRR roundhouse (left) and the NYC roundhouse at Hughart Yard in Grand Rapids. [GR City Archives]. 4th image, Conrail 9942 sits at the entrance to the engine shop at Hughart Yard in 1979. [Both, Greg Bunce]

Notes

The Pennsylvania had a wreck train based here with the requisite steam crane and old diners and support cars. 

Even farther back, they had a decent roundhouse and associated facilities under what is now the Hall Street bridge over US-131. 

PRR also had, up until the early 1980's, a sort of glorified mini hump with a signal system that told the engineer what to do (i.e. stop, kick, back up, etc.).  They had two signals along the lead up towards Hall Street to do this with.  Hughart Yard also used to build trains for Fort Wayne, Cadillac and Mackinaw, and Muskegon in the PRR days. 

After Penn Central ownership, they added Jackson and Elkhart trains and stopped building Fort Wayne trains.  This used to be a very busy yard up till the late 1980's. [Comment from "Doctor No" on the RRHX Bulletin Board in 2004]

Hughart Yard (PRR) had an electrically operated turntable.

Time Line

1880. December. A locomotive on the MC railroad exploded while in motion in the south part of this city this morning and was utterly wrecked. The engineer and fireman escaped. The engine was valued at $4,000. [DFP-1880-1211]

1885. A new 17-stall roundhouse is built at Hughart yard. [SAN]

1984. This yard has a two track diesel engine house, a turntable, and yard office.

1912. By this date, a second, adjacent roundhouse is built next to the original roundhouse. The new building has 14 inside spaces. Both roundhouses shared the same turntable.