Maschen Marshalling Yard

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Mesh marshalling yard (short stitches Rbf AM or after operation centers) in mesh south of Hamburg on the railway line between Hanover and Hamburg is the largest marshalling yard in Europe and to the rail yard Bailey Yard in the State of Nebraska 's second largest rail yard in the world.

Planning

Even before the First World War, there were plans to remodel the Hamburg freight transport systems. It provided, among other things, the construction of a marshalling yard in Meckelfeld north of mesh, which was realized in the 1920s, partly and mainly served to relieve the marshalling yards in Harburg and William Castle. As a result of the Second World War, the continued expansion of Meckel fields marshalling yard was omitted as well as the construction of the southern part of the Hamburg freight bypass track, which was to end in Meckelfeld.

In the 1960s, passed in Hamburg five marshalling yards, all of whom were over 40 years old and outdated in their technical equipment. A total of 11,000 freight cars per day were converted in Hamburg. As the train composition was spread over several marshalling yards, had 2,500 daily freight cars are switched several times. In the late 1950s studies disclosed that the construction of two maneuvering for the North-South and South-North direction economical than the modernization of the existing marshalling yard was. Here, the area south of Harburg proved as the most favorable location for the new marshalling yard. One problem the high cost of the new building and the additional burden of the North head of the station Hamburg- Harburg were considered in which the routes to Cuxhaven and Hamburg branch out at the same height. Therefore was provided to 1966, to build a one-sided mesh marshalling yard for the North-South direction, according to the commissioning of the two-sided rail yard in William Castle should be converted into a one-sided system for the south-north direction.

After further investigation starting in 1968 a two-way rail yard in mesh was considered to be the most economical solution. Was predicted that the shunting almost halve; In addition, the operating personnel should be reduced by 382 people. The additional burden of Harburg station was maintained by electrification of routes and modernization of the signaling system to be acceptable.

The Board of the German Federal Railways approved the construction of the rail yard in August 1969; the Federal Ministry of Transport approved the project in October 1969. The cost of the yard, including the required access routes were predicted with about 375 million DM (price level 1969).

Construction

Construction of the yard meshes in June 1970. The ground at the site on both sides of the railway line between Hamburg, Hanover consisted of a one to four meter thick layer of peat that was removed in the rinse and replaced by sand. A total of three million cubic meters of peat and ten million cubic meters of sand were moved; there emerged three lakes that serve the recreation today. To vacate the construction area, the railway line was laid between Hamburg and Hanover Meckelfeld and point to the east; that section of the new station went stitches on 10 April 1975 in operation.

In April 1972, a new line was opened from mesh to Jesteburg that connects the railway line leading to the Ruhr pan - Eickelmann -Hamburg at the yard. The access route uses in the course between Jesteburg and Buchholz on the railway line Buchholz -Lüneburg, which was double-tracked and electrified in this section. The route to the Ruhr was a third track between Buchholz and Rotenburg.

The marshalling yard mesh went gradually from May 1977 to October 1980 in operation; The official opening was on July 7, 1977 With the commissioning lost five marshalling yards in the city of Hamburg some of their tasks - Eidelstedt, Harburg, Rothenburgsort, William Castle and the main freight depot.; partly they were downgraded to railway stations, who took over the further distribution of the freight cars. When commissioning has resulted in significant teething problems, so that the Eilgüterzugbildung for half a year was shifted back in the Harburg yard.

In 1996, the southern part of Hamburg's freight rail bypass, also known as line between Hamburg -Harburg -Hamburg- Rothenburgsort referred, in simplified form in operation. When planning for mesh was still assumed to be independent route to Hamburg - Billwerder on the southeast of the Elbe island.

Systems and tasks

The marshalling yard covers an area of 280 hectares with a length of 7,000 meters and a maximum width of 700 meters. At the opening, the total track length was 300 km; there were six interlockings, switches 825 units, 100 main, 115 pre-and 688 shunting present. As a two-sided rail yard has mesh on two classification yards. In the north-south direction a system group were built with 48 tracks and a reception sidings with 16 tracks; the south-north direction system got a group with 64 tracks and a gateway group with 17 tracks. Both systems are supplemented by a storage and order groups. In addition, a achtgleisige car maintenance center for repair of freight cars and a depot for the maintenance of electric and diesel-powered freight locomotives with a two-pronged study hall and numerous outdoor sidings are available. For each system, two interlockings are responsible, the interlocking systems for the order group were decommissioned in 1983.

2002 replaced a central planning point the previously separate for each direction planning point. 2004, the freight wagon maintenance was extended to a combined work; currently she is also responsible for the maintenance of locomotives.

In order to achieve the desired capacity of 11,000 freight cars per day, received stitches embodies the most advanced in the 1970s Marshalling. The composition of incoming freight trains has now been transmitted before their arrival on the mesh, so that the previously usual recording of trains accounted for in the sidings. Based on the data originated Zerlegelisten, the working basis of the sequence control computer ( ASR) were. The ASR controlled by radio to the shunting humps, gave the hump before, adjusted the routes of the running freight cars and regulated their speed with track brakes, including 26 bar and 112 rubber track brakes. 112 Beidrückanlagen presented the last freight cars within the classification tracks together dome ripe.

The marshalling yard mesh assumes the consist of both regional and national and international freight trains. It forms in particular the hub for the hinterland transport of maritime ports of Hamburg and Bremerhaven as well as traffic to and from Scandinavia. Currently operates DB Schenker Rail, Cargo Center Hamburg plant.

In marshalling yard mesh around 1.18 million trains were from 1977 to 2007 formed with a total of 35.5 million cars and removed. In the 1980s, 125 trains per day were formed in the north-south system 75 and in the South-North system. The maximum number of outgoing car was reached on December 11, 1985 8400 cars. In the early 1990s, the number about 8000; 2009, there were 4,000 freight cars. This mesh has not yet reached the design value of 11,000 freight cars per day; as a reason is given for Wagons among other things, in the last 40 years considerable increase in length.

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As the now 30-year old plants are in need of renovation, the marshalling yard is renewed since 2009 and partially rebuilt. Thus also the increasing importance of container traffic of sea ports to be met. As part of the renewal of a secondary hump is given with short directional and Nachordnungsgleisen favor of longer directional tracks for the formation of long-distance trains. In addition, the directional groups are reduced, in the north on 48 and head south on 40 tracks. Despite lower track number the more modern marshalling technology to enable higher performance of the station. Drive-in and sorting sidings and associated switches are bundles renewed and brought the plumbing technology with maintenance of shunting on the cutting edge of technology. Overall, this 220 million euros will be invested. The renovation will be completed in 2014. The first two phases of construction with the track renewal of both Einfahrgruppen have been completed. The third phase is used to connect the new process control technology to the existing marshalling yards. In the last stages of construction the tracks of the directional groups are built into bunches of eight tracks new.