Spencer Yard


Spencer Yard aka Linwood Yard is one of the largest classification railroad yards in North Carolina. It is also one of the remaining hump yards in North America, which are steadily being eliminated. The yard is operated by Norfolk Southern Railway. The yard is located north of Salisbury, and north of Spencer, off Interstate 85 in Davidson County, west of Linwood. The yard is on the edge of the NS Charlotte District and Danville District, and the Asheville District is nearby in Salisbury.

History

Spencer Yard, aka Linwood Yard for the location, is named after Samuel Spencer, the first president of Southern Railway. It started operations in 1979 for the Southern Railway, before the NS merger. The project cost $49 million to build. The yard is and long and consists of more than of track. The yard facilities include diesel locomotive repair shops, which replaced older facilities at the nearby Spencer Shops.

Current operation

More than 20 freight trains are handled by Spencer Yard every day. More than 1,000 employees serve the yard, and the yard reassembles more than 3,000 cars a day.