Latest "Virtual Ops"

Hello,

Blog followers know that my Kings Port Division layout and my friend John's New York Central Train Layout regularly engage in what we call "virtual ops".   This is model railroad operations from a distance.  Despite living more than a 1000 miles apart we've found a way to work on train ops together by dispatching trains to each other that include several cars we have in common and then photographing their movements on our respective layouts.

The latest example,  Penn Central Car Movement #19 started on the New York Central Train Layout with the dispatch of Train BF-1.

Here is a link to John's blog:  http://newyorkcentrallayout.blogspot.com/

...and a link to his YouTube video of the train:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR3LKpBz6gU

My response to this was to create a train with a block of cars matching those in John's train and take photos and video of it arriving on my layout.

Here is the link to my video: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t77iMawidk

Although I don't always make a YouTube video of the action or post about it in my blog,  I do follow up every train's arrival with photos of subsequent switching moves and email them to John.    

Some recent examples:
Red signals herald the arrival of train VWM-8 at West Mill.

The train is powered by a GP38/ GP38-2 consist.   The GP38 is a 30 year old Atlas Yellow Box unit while the other unit is an Athearn dummy.

The train includes two hoppers for KP Steel

Boxcars for industries in Kings Port and covered hoppers for Empire Grain

Auto parts cars for ACME Auto Parts in Mayfield (to be shipped via the Kings Port & Western)

Cars for Peerless Appliance in Mayfield.  These will create a challenge since Peerless cannot handle that many cars in one shipment.

And finally, two TOFC that will go to Williams Yard.

More to come as we'll follow the action of #19 in our Penn Central Car Movement Series