Right back atcha! P.C.C.M. #30 B

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!