Working on a resolution!

Hey everone!

One of my layout New Year's Resolutions was to replace the plastic wheel sets on more of my cars with metal wheels.  I've been prioritizing upgrading some hopper cars lately to support a fun operation I like to run. The cars I'm talking about below are mostly Tyco or Bachmann cars with talgo trucks.  

Predictability they did not run reliably through mazes of turnouts or stay on the track when being backed up as a group.  Repeated loud calls from West Mill Yard crews about cars being "on the ground" were costing time and money.  Well, actually they were costing hobby enjoyment more than anything else!

Last summer  I replaced the wheels on a number of similar cars and was pleased to see they ran well enough for operation even with their talgo trucks and horn hook couplers.  I'll add body mounted magnetic couplers to all of these cars someday but for now I'm content that they can be included in the fun on my layout as they are.

The video below from last summer shows a string of loaded hoppers being set out on the car float for a trip to Port Owen's power plant.  I've decided to keep these cars as dedicated loads for this op.   I wanted to create a string of empties to represent the second part of the ops cycle as they return empty on the car float to West Mill.   This required getting back to my resolution regarding changing out more wheel sets.  

I created a cut of eight more hoppers that needed upgraded wheels.   As I did with the string in the YouTube video I placed transition cars at each end of the eight car cut that have one magnetic coupler so they can couple up to my locomotives and cabooses.  The cars in the middle still have talgo trucks and horn hooks. 

Here is the cut of empty hoppers just arrived by car float at West Mill.  They will be forwarded to Mayfield Yard by the KP&W for eventual delivery to coal mines in Pennsylvania via the Lehigh Valley. 

I used Kadee wheel sets and ream out the old trucks a little bit with a pin vice to accommodate the new wheels so they roll very freely. 

To run the op the free rolling empty hoppers are first pulled off the car float.

...and placed on the first yard track next to the float prior to being pulled out of the yard to conveniently stage them for pick up by the KP&W..

Sometime later in the morning a KP&W train arrives at West Mill from Mayfield.

The caboose is set out on another track so it can be reclaimed for the run back to Mayfield.

See the train arrive and set its cars out at West Mill in the video below:

The RS3 uncouples from its train and runs to an engine pocket where it will wait for the empty hoppers to be positioned for departure.

A West Mill Yard Switcher grabs the KP&W caboose, tacks it on the rest of the cut, and pulls them out of the yard.

The buffer flat cars are used for loading and unloading the car float.   I've kept them coupled to the switcher. 

The hoppers are now in place for easy pick up by the KP&W crew.

Watch the coal hoppers being placed for pick up by the KP&W in the video below:

Watch the KP&W RS3 pick up its train of empties in the video below:

The train load of empty hoppers heads for Mayfield completing the cycle of operations.

Thanks for taking a look!