HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!

 

Wishing everyone safe, happy, and healthy holidays!

P.C.C.M. 79 Coal ops: Part 3 on the KPD

 Hello to all!

If you have been following this latest P.C.C.M. (Penn Central Car Movement) series you know that Coal is King this weekend on our three layouts as John's New York Central Train Layout and Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R. along with my Kings Port Division focus on the movement of "black diamonds" from one layout to another.

Along with some intra-layout coal moves, trains of empty hoppers were sent from the A.P.R.R. and the KPD to Hudson Coal on the N.Y.C.T.L. for loading.    The mining operation performed a quick turnaround during this busy heating season and is sending trains of loaded hoppers back our way.  

On the KPD the action begins as Extra #1802 powered by a covered wagon fan treat of an F7A/FP7/FP7 lashup arrives at Kings Port from Selkirk with loaded hoppers for local industries   Watch it arrive in the video below:

The Extra comes to a stop to drop off some of the cars for KP Steel on the interchange track with the KP&W.

As the Extra's crew prepares for this move....

...a unit train from the N.Y.C.T.L. for Weehawken (and eventually the A.P.R.R.'s Rock Ridge Yard) roars by with familiar #6533 as the power!  Here it is seen leaving the N.Y.C.T.L.

 

 ...and arriving at Kings Port!

The coal hoppers on Extra 6533 race by Extra 1802.

 After Train #6533 passes by, Extra #1802 drops off six cars at the interchange and then leaves town.  Watch the action in the video below:

 

The train continues its journey toward West Mill.  Watch Extra 1802 pass by Hedberg Aggregates at the summit of the KPD, working its way downgrade now toward West Mill Yard   The two hoppers at Hedberg are the only ones on the roster that haven't been involved in this series' coal ops!

 Extra 1802 arrives at West Mill.

 As the train is broken up into cuts for various industries, the yard crew pauses to read a strange stenciled note on one hopper.

This is one far reaching coal op!  Thanks for following along and remember to check the action on John and Neal's blogs noted at the top of the page!    Happy Holidays everyone and remember to be "NICE" so you don't receive part of that last shipment in your stocking!  :)

 

 

 

 

P.C.C.M. 79: Coal Ops Part 2 on the KPD

 Hello again!

We're continuing a weekend series devoted to coal operations on John's New York Central Train Layout , Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R. , and my own Kings Port Division.

Today's action begins with one of my favorite layout operations, the Kings Port & Western coal transfer from Mayfield Yard to West Mill with cars from the Lehigh Valley coal field connection for the Edison Power Plant in Port Owen.

 The train stops at a red signal before entering the main.  

 Watch the Mayfield Transfer wait for a mixed freight to Weehawken and then take the main when it is clear in the video below:

The train backs into the yard entrance.

 Watch the action in the video below:

After setting out the coal cars the KP&W consist separates from them and moves over one track to pick up a mixed cut of cars to take back to Mayfield.

We won't follow the rest of that action today since we're focused on coal movements.  We don't have to wait long, however, as the loaded hoppers from Mayfield are set on the car float for Port Owen's Edison Power Plant.

The car float job pauses at the lead to the float....

 ...while PC Extra #6533 that originated at the A.P.R.R.'s  Rock Ridge Yard and exchanged power at Weehawken blasts through West Mill on the way to Selkirk and eventually Terminal Yard.  The train's locomotive PC U Boat #6533 will lead the train all the way.

Extra #6533 passes by the car float job as it runs toward Selkirk

Watch some of the car float loading action in the video below

Now that the car float is loaded and preparing to shove off, the two remaining strings of empty hoppers at West Mill will be assembled into a train for Hudson Coal on the N.Y.C.T.L.   These cars are empties from Port Owen's Power plant and Bloomberg's Tri-Mount Cement.

  Watch this train, designated as Penn Central Extra #8046, head out of West Mill in the video below.

The train later stops at Kings Port to pick up additional empty hoppers for Hudson Coal that were left on the interchange by KP Steel.

The GP38-2/ SD35 consist pulls away from the train to pick up the interchange cars; first coupling them together (they had been split to avoid blocking Ulster Ave.)...

...and then running around them to push them back into the rest of the train.

 

The Extra is now ready to depart Kings Port.

Watch as the train of empty hoppers heads toward Selkirk and terminal Yard!

That concludes the outbound portion of this coal op on the KPD! Follow the rest of the action on John's New York Central Train Layout and Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R. !  Then come back to the Kings Port Division Blog on Sunday to see loaded hoppers return from Hudson Coal!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.C.C.M. #79: Coal ops on the KPD Part 1

Hello everyone!

I hope you are all safe and healthy as the Holiday Season quickly approaches!

This weekend John's New York Central Train Layout , Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R. , and my own Kings Port Division are presenting a multi-train series of coal operations occurring between the three of us on our layouts.  You will also see some "intra-layout" coal ops on the Kings Port Division.  Coal ops are a popular favorite and account for significant traffic on my layout.  John's Hudson Coal mine will figure prominently and long strings of hoppers will be seen on all three layouts! 

On the KPD the first coal related run-through arrives at Williams Yard as a PC/B&M train of empty hoppers from New Hampshire.  This is a nod to the famous Penn Central Bow Power Plant Train.   On the KPD the PC/B&M train will run through to West Mill where power will be exchanged and the train will become a KP&W/B&O unit train heading to a Pennsylvania coal mine.

Here we see the train arrive at Williams Yard with a set of First Generation power in the form of an F7A-GP9B-GP9-F7A lashup!

After passing through Williams Yard the train continues through Kings Port, crossing Ulster Ave.

Watch the train run through Kings Port on its way to West Mill:

The train later arrives at West Mill where it stops for a power and crew change, and inspection.

A quartet of KP&W and B&O F7A's will take over.

Backing the new power up to the unit train...

West Mill's SW9 switcher removed the train's B&M caboose and will exchange it for a B&O hack for the rest of the trip.

Watch the train head out of West Mill in the video below:

Now that the unit train has cleared West Mill, lets head back over to Kings Port where KP Steel's industrial switcher #2 is pulling some empty hoppers out of the holding yard.    

The switcher crew is mindful to cut the cars on the PC interchange so they don't block Ulster Ave.

The Interchange Job completed, the diminutive switcher heads back to KP Steel.

 A train of empty hoppers will eventually be dispatched from West Mill to Selkirk to be forwarded to Hudson Coal on the N.Y.C.T.L.   The hoppers on the interchange will be picked up along the way. 

Before that happens we'll see a collection of empty coal hoppers gather at West Mill.  The first cut is coming from the Edison Power Plant at Port Owen, pulled out by SD9 #6925, assigned to the area.

The hoppers take the short trip to Port Owen's carfloat.

A little bit of mist comes off the river this morning while the cars are loaded on the float barge.

After the hoppers cars are secured the float is pulled out by tug boat "Robert H." for the 45 minute voyage to West Mill while the SD9's crew takes a break.

The Robert H. arrives at West Mill and  shoves the float into the West Mill slip.

West Mill's SD9 #6922, sister unit of #6925 at Port Owen, uses spacer cars to grab the empty hoppers off the float. 

These cars will be going to Hudson Coal on the N.Y.C.T.L.

One more cut of hoppers will be arriving at West Mill today.  A run from Bloomberg is bringing in a short string of empties from the Tri-Mount Cement Company.  (This is a new industry I've been pondering for a while and plan to feature it in a future blog post.).

Watch the Bloomberg Turn come back to West Mill with the cut of empty hoppers in the video below:

That's plenty of action for today!  Stay tuned tomorrow as string of empties is dispatched toward Hudson Coal, a Mayfield Transfer brings in loaded hoppers for the Port Owen Power Plant, and a unit coal train from Neal's layout runs through West Mill to reach the N.Y.C.T.L.!