Union Pacific Railroad's Bailey Yard

Just imagine how you would handle 10,000 railroad cars every 24 hours. That is the job that is done by the Bailey Yard. 3,000 of these cars are sorted daily in the yard?s eastward and westwards yards, nicknamed "hump" yards. How do they possibly do that?? Well, using a mound cresting 35 feet for eastbound trains and 20/1 feet for those heading west, these two hump yards allow four cars a minute to roll gently into any of the 114 "bowl" tracks where they become part of trains headed to all the destinations. The eighth floor observations deck of the Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center gives you a panoramic view of all that is happening at the Yard. You reach the top of the tower by an elevator. When you arrive at the top you can use the coin-operated binoculars (or bring your own) while standing in the enclosed area to see all that is going on. The seventh floor observation deck is open to the air allowing you to hear the diesel engines roar and the box cars clan as they come together to make a new train on the bowl tracks.