These were more than simple yard power. One must remember that Russel Yard was one of C & O's largest rail yards. The Russel yard included a Westbound Hump, a Eastbound Hump, and a Coal Classification Hump. The SD-18s were built on trade in Alco Trucks with GE traction motors, these were used in pairs on the humps. Russel Yard was one of, if not the first large hump yards in The United States. When built each set of retarders was operated from it's own small tower by a retarder operator. A very large number of retarders, with a three shift operation, required a lot of employees. Each hump also required a number of skate men in each bowl yard. Russel Yard has always been a major employer in the area.
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