P.C.C.M. 69 Part 1: 4th Anniversary Special Op

Greetings railfans!  

John's New York Central Train Layout  and my Kings Port Division are are noting the fourth anniversary of the beginning of our Penn Central Car Movements (P.C.C.M.) "virtual ops" scheme in which we photograph and video identical trains so they appear to move from one layout to the next.  Its been a lot of fun, a motivator to improve our layouts, and a great way to learn more about freight car forwarding! 

This time around we'll be running a Unit Grain Train with loaded covered hoppers from Empire Grain on my layout being forwarded to John's Terminal Yard Pier 16 for loading on boats to the Soviet Union in 1972.    John informed me about this shipment known as the so called Great Grain Robbery in which the USA shipped millions of tons of grain to the Soviet Union at subsidized prices, leading to increased grain prices at home.    

You can see an informational link about the story here:  "Great Grain Robbery"

Politics and economics aside, we're moving a lot of grain cars in this series, as can be seen in the photos below.  West Mill has been steadily picking up strings of loaded cars from Empire Grain to prepare for a unit train to Terminal Yard.  Several grain cars are in the yard already.

West Mill Yard switcher #8951 goes out one more time to pull cars from the large Empire Grain complex.

SW9 #8951 pulls six more...

Watch the switcher grab six more grain cars in the video below:

All the cars headed for Terminal Yard are now sitting at West Mill..

...waiting to be assembled into a unit grain train.

Power for the heavy loaded grain train will be a three unit lashup consisting of U33C #6552, GP30 #2228, and U28C #6533

The crew gathers to confer prior to boarding the lead unit

Watch the power head out after waiting for a short passenger train  in the video below:

The three unit consist backs into West Mill Yard to couple up to the first string of grain cars.

The first string is pulled ahead so it can be backed into Track 2 to pick up the second string.

The brakeman throws the switch so the train can back into Track 2.

The yard crewman walks over to the next track to monitor the second pick up.

The power backs the first string into the second.

SW9 #8951 tacks a caboose at the end of the second string of covered hoppers to make this an official Grain Train, Extra #6552

Watch the train leave West Mill in the video below:

Watch Extra #6552 pass through Kings Port with grain on its way to the Soviet Union in the video below:

Be sure to check John's blog in the link at the top of the page to see the grain cars continue their journey toward the Soviet Union!

 Dasvidaniya comrades!

P.C.C.M. 68: Epilogue correcting a miss-routed car!

Hi everyone!

It is with some chagrin that I report the miss-routing of PC boxcar #77047.   I'll be blaming it on the carelessness of my 1/87th scale clerks and crewmen on both the Penn Central and King Port & Western, but I suppose the real issue is my eye fell on the wrong cell on the Rail Traffic Management Form we use to determine where cars are going! 

The problem was immediately apparent to employees at Woodstock Hills Natural Soda who were expecting the empty boxcar that was supposed to be loaded with soda for Ralph's Grocery Warehouse.  They are seen below trying to call out to the KP&W crew leaving Van Winkle Canning on the other side of the tracks, but they couldn't be heard above the GP9's loud whine.

HEY!!  COME BACK!!!

The owners of Woodstock Hills, being members of a former hippy commune where they first developed their exotic beverages for fun instead of profit, are usually a pretty laid back couple.  Today, not so much!   A phone call is made to West Mill where Cappy Foster hears the news about the miss-directed boxcar.  The car was interchanged with the KP&W at West Mill and placed on their train to Mayfield Yard instead of the train to Bloomberg.   This joint railroad error has Cappy's hair on fire!   He gets on the horn to his KP&W counterpart in Mayfield and informs them of the problem in his own colorful style...

After strongly encouraging Cappy and his yard crew to take a visit to a notably warm subterranean destination, Mayfield confirms that PC #77047 has been mistakenly set out at Amalgamated Container (ACCO) and reports the situation will be immediately corrected.

A KP&W crew rushes out to board #922 and heads out to ACCO to pull the car.

About an hour and a half later they return with the errant boxcar.

PC #77047 is quickly added to a transfer run to West Mill

The Transfer arrives headed by a pair of F7As that back the cars into West Mill Yard

PC #77047 is given priority treatment and pulled individually from the train.

The KP&W suspends its usual rule requiring at least five cars before dispatching a train up the Mountain Branch to Bloomberg.  Probably a good business move in this case!

The Prodigal Car reaches its intended consignee, Woodstock Hills Natural Soda.   The train's brakeman is getting an earful from some company employees while he walks the car in!

THAT concludes P.C.C.M. 68 for real this time!   Please continue following along in the future as we've obviously been making an effort to model realistic Penn Central car routing!  Happily this was an empty car and not a perishable load.   :)

P.C.C.M. 68: Part 6 on the KPD

Hello everyone!

Thanks for staying with us as we come toward the end of our 68th virtual ops series!

Its up to the Kings Port & Western R.R. to forward the remaining cars at West Mill, starting with a block for Mayfield Yard that was dispatched yesterday.

 Here is the Mayfield Transfer heading out of West Mill

After arriving at Mayfield the cars were dispatched on the Daily Morning Job to three nearby industries, starting with Peerless Appliance. Today's weather forecast promises continuous rain which doesn't make the Job's brakeman very happy.    

Peerless is a one car drop off consisting of PC Hi Cube #272242 loaded with electrical equipment from Bruce Electric.  Watch the soggy action at Peerless Appliance in the video below:

Next on the Switchlist is ACME Auto Parts. 

ACME is receiving four large empty cars with instructions regarding their placement at the loading doors.  The NYC 86 foot car #67086 will be set out first at Door #3  TOC/PC #350562 then needs to be set in front of Door #1.  The other two will be set on the second track for unloading later.  Rain continues unabated, dampening our brakeman's spirits.  Watch the action in the video below:

The work at ACME completed, the train heads on to its last stop.

The last stop on this "rain run" is Amalgamated Container (ACCO)

The KP&W will set out a Penn Central Depressed Well Flat that will be loaded with a large tank and a PC boxcar that will be loaded with several pallets of those new black and white 55 gallon drums.  Watch the delivery sequence in the video below:

 That concludes the work of the Daily Morning Job from Mayfield.  Time to dry off and get a hot meal!

The last train of this series on the KPD will be the KP&W's Bloomberg Run from West Mill to the industrial park in this
larger town in the Catskills.  Typically the train is powered by a pair of GP9s but a KP&W motive power shortage at West Mill prompts the assignment of F7A #160 with GP9 #742.  Weather looks clear for today!

Cars on this train include intra-layout move NYC #80755 heading empty to Quality Fabrications...

  
P&LE Drop End Mill Gon  #40331 and two buffer flat cars for an oversize load from Bell Pole.

 Old Pacemaker #174508 still earning money loaded with burlap bags from Moore & Co for Bloomberg's Agway...

...and two KP&W covered hoppers will be forwarded to Agway as well.

 West Mill's SD9 has been busy this series and steps up one last time to tack a KP&W caboose on the rear of the Bloomberg cut and push the cars toward the KP&W locomotives waiting for them.

Pumping air and checking couplers.

Watch the F7A/GP9 shove their train out of West Mill Yard.in the video below:

The train backs up to get past the switch for the mainline.

Now on the main and waiting near WM Tower for permission to proceed to Bloomberg...

On our way!

After an hour long climb the Bloomberg Run reaches Agway and Bell Pole.  The Pacemaker with its burlap bags for feed is set out along with the two KP&W covered hoppers.

Bell Pole is across the tracks from Agway and receives its three car block intended for a special oversized load of telephone poles.

Proceeding to the industrial park where Van Winkle Canning is located we see some intra-layout moves setting up car forwarding for the next P.C.C.M.   The brown P&E boxcar #3638 was pulled empty from Catskill Mt. Press and will be forwarded to REVCO.

The KP&W crew will grab two cars from Van Winkle Canning,...

...PC #360063 which is empty for Canton Box Co. in West Mill...

and PC #229046 which is empty for International Paper.

P&E #3638 is added to the string and pulled away.

The P&E car is later dropped off at REVCO before the final bit of business, the delivery of NYC boxcar #80755 at Quality Fabrications.  This car will be loaded with parts for Reliable Machine for the next P.C.C.M. series.

That concludes the action on the Kings Port Division for this series!  Remember to take a look at John's Blog and Neal's Blog  to follow more virtual ops action..and ship by rail!