Branch line/ISL

[Brakie]

A lot of CSAO yard jobs have engines stationed in order to handle multiple jobs. They may have one engine stationed at a yard to handle 1 morning and 1 night switcher or it handles enough cars in one shift to justify its being there.
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The same could be said if the industrial park is located in a smaller city..A (say) GP38-2 might handle 2 shifts of switching one for the industrial park job and other local industries and the 2nd shift job for industries in the next small town.
Fuel would be supplied by a fuel distributor--any track can be used as long as the fuel truck can reach the engine.

Agreed. It's just that NSHO has only 6 cars at the interchange. I don't know if 6 cars would support a Class 1 Railroad crew. Even if the first crew sorts the cars, you still need a larger yard and more cars.

I agreed.
Let's look a tad deeper from the eyes of a railroad.

If there was other industries to switch in that town or the next town then a locomotive would be station there other then that the local would be called out of the nearest yard even if that yard is in a small city.

Now the cold facts.

Class one railroads would rather have a short line to handle those cars so,in short the industrial branch would probably be spun off to a port authority or a short line operator.
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Some times I think I've studied way to much on modern railroads. :o :oops: