P.C.C.M. 62: Part 4 on the KPD. KP&W trains dispatched!

Howdy everyone!

In the last post cars sent from John's New York Central Train Layout  and Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R. arrived at West Mill.  Today two KP&W trains will be dispatched to deliver them to their consignees.

A four car block for Mayfield Yard with two coal hoppers for the LV connection...

...an empty 86 foot PRR auto parts car for ACME Auto Parts, and IC boxcar #30130 loaded with tea from Neubaum's for Cavendish Foods.  

On the next track we see the block for the KP&W's run up the Mountain Branch to Bloomberg.   This branch on the KPD is somewhat inspired by the Penn Central Catskill Mountain Branch out of Kingston, NY.  Apparently trains were dispatched up the Catskill Mountain Branch when ten cars consigned to businesses there gathered at Kingston.  The KPD sometimes runs shorter freights up their version of the Mountain Branch once cars arrive at West Mill.   

In this case, HRC 913001 loaded with fresh vegetables from Empire Produce is headed to Van Winkle Canning and RI #35062 loaded with drums of Dry Well ink will be set out at Catskill Mountain Press.

Three "nonplayer" cars have been added to the train for other non-virtual ops industries.   The Rock Island Line is a "mighty fine road!"

The one remaining car to be forwarded is this great looking black and orange HRC 40 foot boxcar loaded with Heileman beer for Reynolds Beverage Distributors.  The one car set-out will include some pick ups as the short "turn" delivering the beer makes it trek.

KP&W operations  at West Mill often involve the coal traffic between Mayfield Yard and West Mill's car float that serves the large coal fired power plant across the river at Port Own.  A string of empty  hoppers recently pulled from the float await pick up.

When they head back to Mayfield the block of cars seen below will be going with them.

Later in the morning a pair of KP&W SD9s arrives from Mayfield with a loaded coal train for Port Owen.

The train completes the usual moves of backing the caboose into a separate track to free it, and then shoving the loaded hoppers into the yard for later placement on the car float

Loads and empties sitting next to each other

West Mill's yard switcher grabs the caboose, tacks it onto the rear of the string of empty hoppers

..and then moves them over to the next track to pick up the block of cars for Mayfield.

The entire train for Mayfield is pulled out of the yard to position it for the two KP&W SD9s to pick up and take out of town.

The set of six axle units couples with the train by WM tower and heads to Mayfield Yard. 

The train leaves West Mill.  We'll catch up with delivery of its cars to Mayfield area industries tomorrow.

KP&W railfans get a treat as a second train powered by blue and orange equipment is scheduled to run up the Mountain Branch.  The busy yard switcher crew sets to work preparing the train.

"Non-player cars"

Cars for Van Winkle Canning and Catskill Mt. Press.

The cars are put into position for pick up by...

.....KP&W RS3 #566.

The yard switcher provides a KP&W caboose for the trip and the Mountain Branch local to Bloomberg heads out.

An hour later the first set out at Bloomberg is completed.  

Its a hot summer day in Bloomberg, NY but the train crew notices a gathering outside of Catskill Mt. Press.   

Seems a bunch of guys are paying rapt attention to a Zenith console TV placed on the loading dock.   "Hey guys"!  one of the men calls out to our crew.  "You gotta come watch this!!!" The crew consents to find out what's going on.

Its July 20th, 1969 and Apollo 11's Lunar Excursion Module is descending to the surface of the moon!   The guys watching join the nation in anxious anticipation of the momentous event!   They can hear a countdown of seconds that later will be understood to indicate just how close the LEM came to running out of fuel for the landing.   Waiting for the confirmation of a lunar touchdown the crowd holds its collective breath until Neil Armstrong utters the famous words, "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed!"  Cheers and great relief follow as Houston responds "Roger Tranquility, we copy you on the ground!  You got a bunch of guys who are about to turn blue.  We're breathing again.  Thanks a lot!"

Everyone is very relieved and very proud.    After cheers, applause, handshakes, and even some hugs, the group disbands and gets back to work in the plant and on the train.     RI #35062 is set out with its load of drums of ink.

Still energized that America has actually landed on the moon the KP&W crew can't stop talking about the event while they finish the Mountain Branch Job by setting out the remaining cars on its train.  While dropping of a couple of covered hoppers at Agway  the usually reliable RS3 stalls....


...leading Engineer Tommy Catone to mutter what might be the first use of what will become a common phrase when technology fails:   "If we can put a man on the moon...you'd think we could keep this hunk of junk running!"

Stay tuned for more action tomorrow as the Mayfield cars and the lonely HRC boxcar still at West Mill are set out to complete this series on the KPD.