We continue following the travels of the loaded hoppers from Unit Coal Train UKP-1 that arrived at West Mill via car float. The cars are now ready to leave West Mill Yard for KP Steel in Kings Port. Power for the unit train is a reasonably clean NYC GP30 #6115 and the not-as-pristine looking NYC GP7 #5689.
The consist couples onto the train...
....and pulls it out of West Mill Yard.
Leaving West Mill...
Later seen on the highline approaching Kings Port...
Rolling through Kings Port station as eager passengers await their train.
Having completed the downgrade into Kings Port, the train nears KP Steel.
...and slows as it passes KP Tower.
The caboose is cut and the train moves ahead of the KP Steel yard entrance.
The string of cars, now in position, is backed into KP Steel.
After the hoppers are set out, the consist couples back onto the caboose to pull it ahead for a runaround move.
The crew moves to old GP7 #5689, now the lead unit...
....waits for clearance from KP Tower to proceed...and then gets underway to return to West Mill, running light.
Entering West Mill and tying up at the engine track.
In a few days this run will be performed in reverse as empty hoppers from KP Steel are returned to the car float for the voyage to Port Owen and eventual arrival at Terminal Yard as UKP-2.
Thanks for taking a look!
Not long after Train WMV-5 was dispatched with cars to be routed to Terminal Yard via Selkirk, news was received of the dispatch of UKP-1, a unit coal train from the New York Central Train Layout for KP Steel on the Kings Port Division. Send a train, get a train!
See the blog entry about UKP-1's departure from Hudson Coal here:
http://newyorkcentrallayout.blogspot.com/2017/03/penn-central-car-movement-30-dispatch.html
The exchange of loaded and empty Unit Coal Trains will become a more regular part of the virtual ops between the two layouts as KP Steel on my layout requires coal from John's. We've decided to employ the car float to expedite delivery. Loaded Unit Coal Train UKP-1 will set cars off at the un-modeled Port Owen float yard where they will be placed on a barge for West Mill. The cars will actually be seen off-loaded at West Mill and assembled into a train for KP Steel.
Cars from UKP-1 arrived late yesterday afternoon and are seen here on Barge #1, just tying up at West Mill's float apron.
Tommy Catone and Wil ("I'm getting too old for this") Washburn get the call to fire up SD9 #6922 to pull cars off the float. These old heads have lots of experience performing the balancing act of removing cars carefully from the floating barge as it heaves and shifts with the moving cars.
Pulling a couple of hoppers from each side at a time to maintain the barge's stability, Tommy and Wil eventually remove them all as the barge rolls and creaks in ways that would alarm the casual observer.
The string of loaded hoppers is backed into Track 1 to await a power assignment that will take them to KP Steel.
More to come soon!
As we continue following the most recent series of virtual ops with the New York Central Train Layout, Train WMV-5 (West Mill to Selkirk) is about to get underway after their power couples onto the train at West Mill Yard.
The train stops at the West Mill Yard Limits to wait for a Penn Central passenger train coming from the opposite direction.
Arlo Guthrie's "City of New Orleans" come to mind as this "train without no name" rolls by "the graveyards of rusted automobiles" of Sal's Salvage. Before the PC era, this passenger train was known as the "Valley Viewer" on the King Port Division and usually boasted six coaches, but now it's down to three cars and is only known by its train number.
Twin FP7s meet while performing different jobs, one heading a freight while the other pulls half-empty passenger cars. One is making money while the other is losing it daily.
The mainline now clear, WMV-5 is cleared to proceed toward Selkirk and weaves its way through the switches by WM tower.
Cars on this train for Terminal Yard include:
An empty TP&W boxcar for Walsh Steel Wool and an NYC covered hopper loaded with flour for Hostess/ Wonder Bread.
Three 60' auto parts cars for Ford.
A 50' double door NYC boxcar loaded with kitchen appliances for All City Storage and a B&M RBL car loaded with window glass from Corning Glass for Superior Furniture.
Two PC hoppers as an empty request to Hudson coal for Corning's power plant.
Two cars for Neal's Lumber and Hardware: The EL car loaded with bagged cement and the PC car with bagged GERN cement flux, which makes cement cure 3% harder!
Starting the block to be transferred to the L.I.R.R. via Terminal Yard, an IC boxcar loaded with cake mixes for Pilgrim State Hospital and two gons of steel plates for Mid Island steel.
And finally, a BAR "State of Maine"car loaded with packaged foods, and a P&E car full of soda, both for Pilgrim State. In retrospect, it would have been good to block them with the IC car ahead of the gons with steel plates! Extra work for the crew at Terminal Yard!
WMV-5 heads out of town.
West Mill Out.
Observe the rest of the story on the N.Y.C.T.L. blog!
http://newyorkcentrallayout.blogspot.com/
