Hello,
We're doing something different this month with our "virtual ops" between John's New York Central Train Layout , Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R.
, and my own Kings Port Division.
John and Neal's friend Steve who inspired Neubaum's Coffee & Tea Importers is also the head of the real Blue Comet Presentations that builds model train layouts, mostly in O scale.
Our
virtual ops mission this weekend is to provide various materials and
freight cars to support 1/87th Scale Blue Comet Presentations in their effort to
build and ship completed model train layouts before the holidays.
The 1/87th scale Neubaum's Coffee & Tea Importers headquarters located in Bedford, NY on John's layout (the gray building seen below) will be the home base for the ops supporting Blue Comet Presentations. Leased space at All City Storage will be available for over flow traffic as there is limited space on the Neubaum siding.
We're waiting at the tunnel on the south end of West Mill for a rare Mail & Express train that has been dispatched from Weehawken to run up this side of the river.
The train arrives and rolls through West Mill with passenger coaches and mail cars along with an empty former Pacemaker, REA Express car, and TOFC trailers that will be forwarded to help Blue Comet Presentations make deliveries.
The M&E train continues to Albany Station. The Pacemaker, REA, and TOFCs will be forwarded to the N.Y.C.T.L.In addition to the Kings Port Division's indirect provision of suitable freight cars for Blue Comet Presentations it will also facilitate forwarding products needed to the build the company's model train layouts. These include lumber for benchwork. Half Moon Wholesale Lumber Distributors has loaded four cars of untrimmed lumber; two KP&W cars for Mike's Lumber (on Neal's layout) and two MEC bulkhead flats for Neal's Lumber (on John's) where they will be cut into 2x4s, 1x4s etc.
The four cars are picked up by the South Local out of West Mill which is now seen returning to its home yard with the lumber loads.
The two MEC bulkheads for Neal's Lumber on the N.Y.C.T.L....
...and the two KP&W cars for Mike's Lumber on the APRR are set out at West Mill.
After tying down the South Local the West Mill crew awaits the arrival of the Bloomberg Turn from the Catskills which will emerge from behind the tower.
The Turn arrives just as the yard's switcher #8951 leaves to make a pick up at nearby Canton Box Company.
The Bloomberg Turn passes behind the switcher and its caboose. ...and then backs in front of them into West Mill Yard.
Once
the Turn is clear the #8951 picks up TP&W boxcar #627 from
Canton Box. The car is loaded with packaging materials for Blue
Comet Presentations.
The TP&W car is brought into the yard.
The arrival of the TP&W car completes the list of PCCM cars scheduled to be forwarded to the N.Y.C.T.L. and the APRR. Switcher #8951 gets to work sorting the cars and assembling a block for the next WV-2 Weehawken to Selkirk transfer that will stop at West Mill
The block includes PC #77047 loaded with O Guage model railroad track from Quality Fabrications and the TP&W #627 carrying packaging from Canton Box Co...
...along with the two MEC bulkhead flats of lumber for Neal's Hardware to cut into appropriate sizes for model train layout construction.
Watch the #8951 set the block of cars out for WV-2 to pick up
A hour later the expected WV-2 arrives at West Mill
The power uncouples from the first car in the train, RI #35062 loaded with carpet padding from Mohawk Industries of Des Moines, IA to be shipped to Blue Comet as sound dampening material.
The U33C/ GP38/ U28C consist picks up the four cars at West Mill
Connections are checked and the air is up! Time to roll to Selkirk!
The crew turns their attention to the pair of KP&W boxcars loaded with untrimmed lumber for Mike's Hardware on Neal's layout.
The cars are set out by the always busy #8951 in time for the VW-1 from Selkirk to pick them up to take to Weehawken. The cars will be forwarded from there to Rock Ridge Yard on the APRR.
After coming to a stop the three units pulling the VW-1 uncouple from the train to pick up the two KP&W cars.
After completing the pick up the train is ready to go!
Next stop: Weehawken!
That concludes the "outbound" segment of this new op! Check back Sunday to follow the "inbounds" as cars loaded with model train layouts are delivered to happy hobbyists in the region!
