P.C.C.M. 83: Part 3 on the KPD

 Greetings!

 If you've been following our latest series you'll know that John's New York Central Train Layout , Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R. , and my own Kings Port Division are in the "outbound" part of our 83rd "virtual ops" together.   This means we are dispatching trains to each other's layouts with cars that will be forwarded to various industries.

I've already sent out a block of cars to Neal's A.P.R.R. and one train to John's N.Y.C.T.L.   Today my West Mill Yard will be dispatching another freight to John's Terminal Yard.

As we did the other day, let's first head over to the  KP&W's Williams Yard near Kings Port to see what is going to be set out on the KP&W/ Penn Central interchange.   

You'll recall that a train from East Deerfield arrived the other day at Williams Yard with this Swift reefer as part of the manifest.   Its loaded with frozen meat for Ralph's Grocery Warehouse on John's layout and needs to be moved quickly. 

A pair of SW9 switchers takes the car out of Williams Yard and sets it out on the interchange.

While this is going on KP Steel's industrial switcher # 2 has a feeling of Deja Vu pushing out to more coil coaches as it did for the previous train dispatched to the N.Y.C.T.L.  These steel coils are for Gervais Pipe and Fittings.

The coil coaches join the Swift reefer on the interchange track.  The locos in the background are a GP30s helper set waiting in the pocket for their next assignment. 

The KP&W switchers did a short run down the industrial lead to Blue Ribbon Flour to pick up PC #229046 loaded with cake mixes for Ralph's Grocery Warehouse.

A run-around move allows the PC car to be conveniently coupled to the Swift reefer since both are going to Ralph's Grocery Warehouse.

As the four cars are left on the interchange action at West Mill Yard prepares the train that will eventually pick them up and take them to Selkirk.

Speaking of Ralph's Grocery Warehouse, both PC #360063 loaded with Cavendish packaged meals and P&E #3638 full of REVCO kitchen gadgets are headed there.  They are seen being coupled together below.

Additional cars on this train include a pair of 38 foot hoppers, empty for Hudson Coal, and PC Hi Cube #272242 loaded with kitchen appliances for Terminal Warehouse...

...and a pair of Southern R.R. bulkhead flats loaded with lumber from Half Moon for City Pallet.

The bulkhead flats are added to the train...

...and a caboose is tacked on the end.

Power called for this train is a classic PC oddball FP7/GP38 mix.  The consist stops at WM Tower for 19s.

Watch the train now designated as Extra #7692 leave West Mill in the video below:

The train later reaches Kings Port where it will pick up the four cars on the interchange.  Extra 7692's crew wants to block the train well for Selkirk and Terminal Yard.  Fortunately there weren't any car placement errors at West Mill like occurred yesterday so it should be an easy job.

These two cars are headed to Ralph's Grocery Warehouse...

..so they will be coupled to these two headed for the same destination.

The train is cut behind PC #360063.

Watch the crew of Extra #7692 get the job done in the video below:

After the interchange cars have been picked up Extra 7962 to Selkirk gets permission to leave Kings Port.  

That's all of the outbounds from the KPD for this series.  Check back next weekend to see inbound trains from the N.Y.C.T.L. and the A.P..R. arrive at West Mill!

 

P.C.C.M. 83: Part 2 on the KPD

 Hello again,

John's New York Central Train Layout, Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R., and my own Kings Port Division are in the early parts of this 83rd virtual ops series, preparing to dispatch trains to each other's layouts.  Cars have been coming into West Mill from various locations to be forwarded to the N.Y.C.T.L. and the A.P.R.R.  We'll follow more action at West Mill but first let's go over to the Kings Port & Western's Williams Yard where other cars to be forwarded to John's and Neal's layouts are gathering.

Extra #1805 originating at East Deerfield, Mass headed by a pooled power PC/B&M consist arrives at the KP&W's Williams Yard.

Included in the manifest are three B&M RBLs loaded with TV cabinets for Zenith TV in Bloomberg from Yankee Veneer.

...and a Swift reefer from its home plant loaded with frozen meat for Ralph's Grocery Warehouse.

Meanwhile, not far away in Kings Port, KP Steel's industrial loco #2 prepares to set some cars out on the interchange with the Penn Central.

#2 pushes gons KP&W # 2140 and MCRR #350623 loaded with steel slabs for Mid Island Steel...

...along with two coil coaches loaded with steel coils for Ford on John's layout.

We'll catch up with these cars later when West Mill dispatches its first of two trains to Selkirk that will continue to Terminal Yard.  That train will pick up the four cars on the interchange.

Let's go back to West Mill.  Yard switcher #8951 is busy as usual assembling a three car cut for the A.P.R.R. that will be set on a siding for the next train to Weehawken where they will be picked up for the run to Rock Ridge Yard on Neal's layout.

The 50 foot Hoschton Railway Co. car was picked up from Canton Box loaded with cartons for Freihoefers.   Those soft chocolate chip cookies come in boxes you know! 

It is shoved into KP&W boxcar #15638 carrying bricks from Port Owen Brick Co. for American Hardware Rock Ridge, and Empire Belt drop end mill gon #509823 loaded with steel coils for Shapeless Steel.   This completes the short A.P.R.R. cut.

Watch #8951 pull the cut from the yard and set it on a siding for pick up by the next Extra to Weehawken, due in three hours, in the video below:

Switcher #8951 returns to the yard to build a train for Terminal Yard. Three NYC double door boxcars are moved out of the way as part of the process.

Watch as the expected train for Weehawken, Extra # 7675 powered by a GP38/F7B lashup, arrives and picks up the three cars for the APRR while the switcher continues its work.

Extra #7675 is ready to go and gets permission to proceed to Weehawken with the three cars for the A.P.R.R. in tow. Watch the train leave while #8951 keeps plugging away moving auto parts cars at West Mill in the video below.

After Extra #7675 leaves, the yard switcher finishes assembling the train for Selkirk.  Power called to haul it out of West Mill is SD35 #6017 and GP38-2 #8046.

The road crew boards after the hostler couples the locomotives to the train, now designated as Extra #8046. 

Watch the Extra leave West Mill in the video below:

The Selkirk-bound train reaches Kings Port later in the afternoon

Remember that the four cars set out for Extra 8046 include the two coil cars for Ford and the gons of steel slabs for Mid Island Steel. 

Extra 8046 is composed of a block of cars for Bedford Park on John's layout and another block for his LIRR interchange at North Side Yard.  In order to neatly preserve the two blocks the train's conductor would like to place the four pick ups behind the PRR auto parts car and the flat in front of the pole load seen below.

One hitch realized a bit too late:  The EL car right behind the locomotives should be part of the second block for the LIRR instead of being in front of the Bedford Park block!   The yard and train crews should have caught that!  (So should the 1:1 scale modeler!)

After a few self-administered palm to head slaps in the cab the guys figure out the plan.  EL #73510 is pulled along to grab the two coil coaches for Ford and the Bedford Park block.  

The coil coaches are then moved to the head end of the Bedford Park block with the auto parts cars.

EL 73510 is then coupled to the two gons for the LIRR block.

The entire Bedford block is then pulled forward and coupled to the EL car.

Once the Bedford Block is coupled in front of these LIRR-bound cars they are all shoved back toward the rest of the train composed  of the rest of the cars for the LIRR. 

The train is now properly configured for hopefully easy work at Selkirk and Terminal Yard.

The Bedford Park Block ends with the PRR 86 footer in the far right side of the photo...

...while the LIRR Block begins with our troublesome friend, EL #73510.

After checking all connections (and triple checking the paperwork!)  Extra 8046 heads out of Kings Port, north to Selkirk!

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Check back  tomorrow to watch West Mill dispatch the second train for Terminal Yard with additional pick ups in Kings Port!

P.C.C.M. 83: Part 1 on the KPD

 Hello again virtual ops fans!

Welcome to our 83rd Penn Central Car Movement (P.C.C.M 83) series!  This is a three layout series between John's New York Central Train Layout , Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R. , and my own Kings Port Division model railroad.

Our Rail Traffic Management Form, the multi-page document we created that determines car forwarding between our layouts, has scheduled a number of cars to be moved by the Kings Port Division this time.   They will gather at West Mill Yard on several trains and then be forwarded to John and Neal's layouts.   The first cars arriving at West Mill will be a cut of six loaded cement hoppers from Tri Mount Cement (for John's layout) hauled in by a GP9/GP7 consist pulling The Cement Job.

 As the Cement Job comes into West Mill a Southbound Turn heads out.  This train has a similar First Generation Geep consist on the point.   The Turn will be working industries south of West Mill including Half Moon Wholesale Lumber Distributors and will bring a pair of virtual ops cars back to West Mill from there. 

 Watch the trains meet in the video below:

The Cement Job backs into West Mill with its empty coal hoppers and loaded cement cars.  The cement cars are going to be forwarded to Lombo Concrete via an LIRR interchange on John's layout.

Later in the day the Southbound Turn's Geeps bring cars to West Mill.  Not yet seen behind them are two Southern R.R. bulkhead flatcars loaded with lumber for City Pallet on John's layout.  

As the Penn Central Southbound Turn approaches West Mill a Kings Port & Western Transfer from Mayfield Yard holds to let it go by.

The Mayfield Transfer's manifest includes auto parts cars from ACME Auto Parts for Ford on John's layout

Watch the action as the Turn passes by the waiting KP&W train in the video below:

 The Turn stops just beyond the yard lead by WM Tower and prepares to back into West Mill Yard.

Watch the Turn back in while the Mayfield Transfer gets the go ahead to proceed to West Mill Yard as well in the video below.

Later in the day a Kings Port Turn has been dispatched to pick up cars as far as KP Steel and the Kings Port interchange with the KP&W.  Among these are former NYC Early Bird #90718, BAR #5226, IC #30130, and PC 104478 picked up from Reynolds beverage Distributors and Booms Ready Mix.

Empire Belt drop end mill gon #509823 now loaded with steel coils for Shapeless Steel on Neal's layout,

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Cargill covered hopper TDLX 7241 and a non-player PC car from Blue Ribbon Flour represent an intra-layout move to Empire Grain.

APRR #9416 and PC # 77047will be picked up from Hedberg Aggregate.  The hopper carries aggregate for a NY State DOT project while the boxcar is loaded with bagged landscape rock for Neal's Lumber and Hardware on John's layout.

Gulf Mobile & Ohio #21129  is loaded with barrels of oil for Quality Fabrications as an intra-layout move.

We'll see the Kings Port Turn head back to West Mill soon, but right now let's note today's Bloomberg Run (BWM-2) arriving with the usual pair of GP20s taking the lead.

The Bloomberg train includes P&LE drop end mill gon #40331 loaded with oversized utility poles from Bell Pole with spacer flats on either end.  The car is going to LILCO Babylon via John's LIRR.

P&E boxcar # 3638 is full of kitchen gadgets from REVCO for Ralph's Grocery Warehouse.  The rest of the train is made up of non-player cars.  While BWM-2 can access the main, it will have to hold near WM tower to allow the Kings Port Turn to enter West Mill Yard first.

Watch the Bloomberg Run wait for the Kings Port Turn to enter West Mill Yard in the video below.

After the Kings Port Turn passes by, the Bloomberg Run backs into West Mill as well.

 Watch the action in the video below:

Both trains are now in the yard.

Wrapping up our look at the last cars coming into West Mill today for dispatch to the N.Y.C.T.L. and the A.P.R.R.,  let's check out the car float that is bringing in three boxcars along with its more typical string of empty coal hoppers

NYC 50 double door boxcar #47062, EL #73510, and KP&W #15638 are all coming from Port Owen Brick Co.  The NYC car is empty for an intra-layout move to Half Moon Lumber, the EL car is loaded with bricks for Gotham Building Supply via the LIRR on John's layout, and the KP&W car is loaded with bricks for American Hardware on Neal's A.P.R.R.

The three cars have been pulled from the car float and set in the yard.  If you look in the distance in the photo below you'll see the KP&W's daily BiWi from Binghamton to Williams Yard arriving.

The BiWi is often powered by a pooled power combo of four F7As.

The train stops at West Mill to drop off two NYC double door boxcars from IBM.   They will be headed empty as an intra-layout move to Zenith TV in Bloomberg.

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The B&O/KP&W consists makes the set out at West Mill.

...and then returns to the BiWi to take it to Williams Yard.

The last car needed at West Mill for the outbound trains in this series is the orange Hoschton Railway Co. car at Canton Box.  It will be forwarded to Freihoefers on Neal's A.P.R.R. loaded with boxes for those tasty cookies!  Yard switcher #8951 does the honors.

That is finally it for all of the cars expected at West Mill for dispatch on outgoing trains to the N.Y.C.T.L. and the A.P.R.R.   Next time we'll turn our attention to the KP&W's Williams Yard to look at additional cars that will be sent out this series.