October 11, 2022
GOLDEN SPIKE TOWER
1249 N Homestead Rd, North Platte, NE
“Tower with open-air & enclosed observation areas for viewing the sprawling rail yard below.” – Google
If you love railroads, then the Golden Spike Tower is a must stop if you are in the North Platte area. The Tower overlooks Bailey Yard, the largest railroad yard in the world. I stopped on the 7th floor, an open-air observation deck, and was amazed at the yard’s enormity. It was fascinating to watch the engines jockeying back and forth along with all the other activity. But it wasn’t until I went up to the 8th floor, the enclosed observation deck, where a retired railroad engineer was explaining what was happening and answering questions that I really began to see what was happening on the rails below. I spent an hour watching the yard and could have spent more time had I not gone at closing time. I left wanting to do more research about Bailey Yard and all the operations.“Tower with open-air & enclosed observation areas for viewing the sprawling rail yard below.” – Google
If you love railroads, then the Golden Spike Tower is a must stop if you are in the North Platte area. The Tower overlooks Bailey Yard, the largest railroad yard in the world. I stopped on the 7th floor, an open-air observation deck, and was amazed at the yard’s enormity. It was fascinating to watch the engines jockeying back and forth along with all the other activity. But it wasn’t until I went up to the 8th floor, the enclosed observation deck, where a retired railroad engineer was explaining what was happening and answering questions that I really began to see what was happening on the rails below. I spent an hour watching the yard and could have spent more time had I not gone at closing time. I left wanting to do more research about Bailey Yard and all the operations.
Engines in front of the Diesel Repair Shop.
A panoramic view of part of the yard.
The wheel repair shop. They can diagnose a wheel problem and fix it in little time.
The two cars in the middle of the picture are moving. I wondered how, until I was told this is one of two "humps" in the yard. The cars are brought to the top of the hump and then gravity does the rest. Where they go and their brakes are controlled by computers in the office building.
The office building where computers control where the cars go.
A display of some of the technology used in the yards. Most of the engines had no one in them, they were run by remote controls.