Chapter 3
YARD PERSONNEL AND THEIR DUTIES
3.1. GENERAL
The operation of a yard at a rail terminal requires a large
number of workers assigned to a variety of duties. Large staffs
exist for inspecting, maintaining, and repairing motive power and
rolling stock. This chapter deals with those whose duties directly
relate to yard switching work. Supporting personnel who make
extensive repairs to cars and locomotives and to the track layout are
covered in other texts. This chapter also discusses some of the
documents and reports used in yard work, procedures involved in
switching cars, and yard delays.
3.2. YARDMASTER
The yardmaster is in charge of all the workers in the yard. He
is responsible for directly supervising all operating employees, and
he indirectly supervises employees of the car repair platoon of the
railway equipment maintenance company assigned as inspectors. In
addition to those duties of the yardmaster that have already been
covered, the first of the two subparagraphs that follow gives some of
his other duties and responsibilities; the second explains the
planning necessary for efficient yard operation.
a. Duties and responsibilities of a yardmaster that relate to
switching include: admitting all trains and yard drafts of cars into
the yard without delay; switching all inbound arrivals in a way that
takes the least time; and making up outbound trains and arranging for
crews to move them out of the yard. He does as much of the switching
and train buildup on his shift as he can, trying to leave the yard in
the best shape possible when the shift ends. The yardmaster's
administrative duties include close supervision of all clerical
personnel charged with keeping records and compiling information on
forms that make a permanent record of all cars passing through the
yard; maintaining a yardmaster's journal showing a complete and
permanent record of yard movements,
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