Lincoln, Nebraska — BNSF Hobson Yard
Four subdivisions and two Class I railroads converge on Hobson Yard
Lincoln, Nebraska — BNSF Hobson Yard
BNSF Railway — Hobson Yard, junction of the Ravenna, Saint Joseph, Creston and Hastings Subdivisions; Union Pacific on trackage rights · Lincoln, Nebraska, United States
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Virtual Railfan's cameras overlook BNSF's Hobson Yard in Lincoln, Nebraska, where four subdivisions converge. Coal dominates, joined by unit aggregate and merchandise freight, Amtrak's California Zephyr twice a day, and a Union Pacific local that interchanges with BNSF at the yard.
About this cam
Virtual Railfan's Lincoln cameras look out on BNSF Railway's Hobson Yard, where four subdivisions and two Class I railroads converge. The operator lists each line and what it carries: The Ravenna Sub is the busiest, running west towards Wyoming's Powder River Basin and carrying much of the remaining coal traffic — an average of 58 trains a day. The Saint Joseph Sub heads south towards Kansas City with about 16 a day. The Creston Sub converges with lines to Omaha, Sioux City and Chicago to the east. The Hastings Sub runs southwest then west towards Denver, and carries Amtrak's daily California Zephyr. Because Hobson is a convergence rather than a through point, the cameras record every train arriving and departing, including the locals that switch industries near the yard through the day. Union Pacific also runs a local here on trackage rights, interchanging with BNSF at the yard. The host is Old Mil-Custom Woodworking, a Lincoln awards and display-case business co-owned by Dan Nelson and Joe Kouma.
What to watch for
Coal is the staple — the Ravenna Sub alone averages 58 trains a day off the Powder River Basin — with unit aggregate and merchandise filling out the rest. The real interest is the yard work: arrivals, departures, locals switching nearby industries, and a Union Pacific local coming in on trackage rights to interchange, which is the sort of inter-railroad move most cameras never catch. Amtrak's California Zephyr passes twice daily on the Hastings Sub. The Lincoln Yard channel is 161.100 (AAR 66).