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| Read part 3 of the North Platte Bailey Yard by Deloyt Young | ||
| North Platte Bailey Yard by Deloyt Young | ||
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Shelly Harshaw - 5-7-2008 Below is the third part of North Platte Bailey Yard by Deloyt Young. Books are available at:
Chapter 3. Original Bailey Yard The first building in North Platte was a general store built in September of 1866 by Penniston and Miller in anticipation of the railroad's arrival. The railroad entered North Platte on November 9th, 1866. Having already been designated by the initial surveying crew as a division point, it would become a switching yard. The population of North Platte reached nearly 3,000 people prior to the end of 1866. It was primarily those people building the line and business people who were after the money which came in with the railroad wages. This yard remained the end of the railroad until May of 1867 as the government and railroad were working out treaties with the Plains Indians to help insure the safety of the workers as they preceded building the railroad west. When the workers left North Platte and began building the west section of the railroad, the population dropped to around 300 people, and from that point continued to build back up. One year later in the fall of 1868, the railroad employed 350 people in the North Platte area. The government built a fort in North Platte called Fort Platte which was located on the south side of the railroad and just west of downtown; this fort was to protect North Platte and the railroad. In the fall of 1868, meeting were held with the Government and Indian tribes from the area in a machine shop building which was built by the railroad and not yet in use. The Fort was at one time commanded by Captain Arthur MacArthur who was father of General Douglas MacArthur. The funding for the building of the railroad was established by the US Government and stated that 100 miles of railroad was to be built and inspected. Then the government would pay a certain amount of money for each segment of road. The price varied with the terrain that was to be crossed. Also, land grants would be made on each side of the railroad for 20 miles. The railroad received odd numbered sections, and the government retained the even numbered sections which they could sell with extra land as town sites. Through the 1870's and 1880's, many branch lines were built and much money spent; this money was borrowed on government bonds to be paid off at later dates. These bonds were recalled by the government in the 1890's and sent the railroad into a Receivership. In 1879, the railroad was then sold on the steps of the Freight House in Omaha, Nebraska. It was purchased by a group of men headed by Mr. Harriman, and the major interest was owned by that group through most of its first 100 years of history. In 1915 the hotel and train station at North Platte burned and was replaced in 1916. This depot building was the one that housed the World War II Canteen that is famous for the 6.5 million servicemen that it served from December 25, 1941 until it closed on April 1, 1946. We thank all of the towns in the area that helped with the Canteen during that period. The classification yard concept was initiated in the North Platte yard in 1948 and classified cars which were at that time known as the 14 to 21 lead, which are still being used for storage today. From this point on, this booklet will discuss existing components of the North Platte Bailey Yard. Books are available at:
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Deloyt Young worked for Union Pacific Railroad for 31 years as a detective, a yardmaster and a manager of yard operations.
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