The yard is surrounded by old residential neighborhoods and some abandoned industrial facilities.
To the north of the yard, beneath the tracks, runs Hertel Avenue.
Trains depart the yard to the south by either the International Railway Bridge to Canada or the old New York Central Railroad line towards downtown Buffalo.
Beneath the southern end of the yard crosses Amherst Street.
Started in 1834 on state-owned land next to the Erie Canal, the yard began its existence as the northern terminus of the Buffalo and Black Rock Railroad, a horse-powered line from downtown Buffalo.