P.C.C.M. 50H: The Train from Selkirk Arrives at West Mill

Hi all!

Welcome to the second half of the landmark P.C.C.M. 50 series!   As we continue our virtual ops involving five layouts we find ourselves again on the Kings Port Division.   The other day our hapless heroes,  the Kings Port Railfan Society, caught wind of a Wreck Train being dispatched from Terminal Yard and hoped to catch it at this grade crossing in West Mill.  

 See how John R. dispatched this Wreck Train on the New York Central Train Layout:
https://newyorkcentrallayout.blogspot.com/2018/10/terminal-yard-wreck-train-heads-to.html

Club members Benny, Chooch, Easy, and T.C. confer with a crewman who is protecting the crossing for the imminent arrival of the Wreck Train.    He's seen some foamers in his time but these guys are something else....

Arrggh!  While trying to avoid getting stung after stepping on a mud wasp nest near the entrance to Sal's Salvage, Benny stumbled into the Society's camera tripod just as Chooch was lining up video of the passing Wreck Train!   This single image of one of the big hooks is all they take away from the outing...that and Benny's sore foot.

Oh well.  The good news is the wrecker later cleared a derailment on the line south of Weehawken so trains from Rock Ridge can resume heading northbound.   See the first train dispatched from Rock Ridge toward Selkirk on Neal's layout:
http://atlanticpacificrailroad.blogspot.com/2018/10/pccm-50f-tracks-to-from-rock-ridge-are.html

The Kings Port Railfan Society missed this one too.  They were in their car debating whether to drive Benny to the hospital or to just grab some pie at Dave's Diner in Kings Port.

Meanwhile, since its Saturday the Kings Port & Western Railroad is not running trains from West Mill up its branch lines.  This gives the Catskill Mountain Railfan Association (a much more organized railfan club!) the opportunity to run one of their fan trip excursions up the Mountain Branch to treat riders to some exquisite Catskill scenery.  Fans board the vintage PRR Doodle bug at the abandoned West Mill station.  The C.M.R.A. hopes to purchase and restore the station some day.

The fan trip gets underway in time to avoid interfering with PC Train VW-1, a long manifest to Weehawken that will stop at West Mill for set outs and pick ups. 

Things are quiet at Ulster Ave until a train blast heralds the approach of a short mixed freight from Kings Port to West Mill.  It has orders to stop at Ulster Ave and hold for VW-1 to over take it.

The freight stops over the grade crossing to protect motorists from the hotter VW-1

Five minutes later VW-1 plows through town and passes by the waiting train.

Powered by an all EMD set of covered wagons, the lead is an F7A followed by to FP7s.

VW-1 rolls by.

The boys of the Kings Port Railfan Society decided Benny would live and opted for pie at Dave's.  While there they actually got some video coverage of the two trains at Ulster Ave.!  Unfortunately they ran out of film after the cut for West Mill rolled by and did not catch the entire train!

VW-1 arrives later at West Mill, passing WM tower.

Once again Sal Monella has ordered a Caterpillar loaner loader.   Its surprising that Caterpillar would take another risk on Sal since the location of an earlier loaner unit is still in dispute.  Rumors about Sal talking to a guy who knows a guy or making the proverbial unrefusable offer abound!    Sal eyes the loader on this depressed well flat car as it passes, anticipating its delivery very soon.

The end of the West Mill cut stops in front of WM Tower...

...while the consist at the head end is idling near the Yard Office

The West Mill block is cut from the rest of the train and pulled forward....

....to allow yard switcher SD9 #6925 room to pull the cars into West Mill Yard.

Coupling up behind three 38 foot hoppers of ore for KP Steel the SD9 pulls them....

...Sal's Caterpillar loader....

...and three loads of irrigation pipe for the Hudson Valley Coop.

Next up are rolls of paper and ink for Catskill Mountain Press

...and three boxcars of toys for Battaglia Bros Warehouse in anticipation of Holiday Season store stocking.

The two cars for Catskill Mt. Press are at the rear of this most recent move into the yard. 

The last move pulls the remaining cars for West Mill starting with this PC covered hopper of barley for Cavendish Foods and Spirits.

The last car is uncoupled from VW-1's lashup.

...and the string of cars for destinations such as Hedberg Aggregates, LaRoche Cycle, Booms Ready Mix, ACME Auto Parts, and Reynolds Beverage Distributors is pulled away... 

...and shoved into the yard.

This PC Hi Cube is bound for ACME Auto parts.

The set outs at West Mill completed, its time to tack cars onto VW-1 to be forwarded to Rock Ridge Yard, beyond Weehawken, starting with these two corrugated gons loaded with steel coils for Shapeless Steel.

PC 360063 is loaded with Packaging for Freihoefers Bakery

Two KP&W carloads of washing machines for Three Amigos Warehouse.

A.P.R.R. #60358 and TPFX #5510 loaded with canned vegetables for C&P Restaurant Supply

And finally,, three PC RBL cars loaded with cardboard container material for Tropicana.

The cut is pushed to couple up with VW-1's waiting power.

After the locos back up to reclaim the rest of their train to Weehawken that was cut beyond WM Tower, VW-1 gets underway and is last seen ducking into the tunnel on the south side of town.

Take a look at what else is happening in this series on four other layouts!

John R.'s:  https://newyorkcentrallayout.blogspot.com/2018/10/pccm-50g-arrival-of-trains-at-terminal.html?showComment=1538841670404#c5088503554221980171

Neal's:  http://atlanticpacificrailroad.blogspot.com/2018/10/pccm-50f-tracks-to-from-rock-ridge-are.html

Brian's: https://ralsontoncreekrailroad.blogspot.com/

John B.'s:  http://modelrrmisc.blogspot.com/2018/10/pccm-50c-union-pacific-extra-53-east.html