PCCM 89 Coal Op! Part 1 on the KPD

 Hello everyone!

Its time for what is becoming a virtual ops tradition; our annual Holiday Time Unit Coal Trains!   John's New York Central Train Layout, Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R. , and my own Kings Port Division will be sending empty coal hoppers to Hudson Coal on John's N.Y.C.T.L. for loading.  The coal hoppers will then make their way back to various consignees in need of the anthracite!  

On the Kings Port Division the first string of empty hoppers is pulled from the Con Ed. power plant at Port Owen.

 Watch the action in Port Owen in the video below:

After a short trip to Port Owen's car float yard the hoppers are loaded for the river journey to West Mill.

Forty five minutes after casting off, the tug boat Robert H. brings the car float into West Mill.

West Mill's usual power for the car float, SD9 #6922, prepares to pull the six empty hoppers from Port Owen.

West Mill we have a problem!  Watch as #6922 develops serious mechanical issues and needs to be rescued by RSD12 #6865!

SD9 #6922 is set aside to smoke and cool down after the fire was put out by West Mill crews.  It will later deadhead to Selkirk for repairs.

RSD12 #6865 takes over responsibility for unloading the car float.  A caboose hop arrives at West Mill while the coal hoppers are pushed into the yard.  Watch the action in the video below:

 The first string of coal hoppers is set out at West Mill.

The next group of coal hoppers comes from Corning Glass Co.  The eight empty cars in the background were set out loaded with coal for Corning's power plant in the last PCCM.   

They are picked up by a KP&W GP9 that will take them to Binghamton to be put on the next transfer to Williams Yard.

The next day BiWi-2 from Binghamton is dispatched with the eight empty coal hoppers in the first block to be set out at West Mill on the way to Williams Yard.  Watch the KP&W train arrive in the video below:

 

 The coal hoppers for West Mill are cut from the train.

The BiWi's power pulls the string of hoppers away from the rest of the train and beyond the West Mill Yard entrance.

The last hopper in the string can be seen waiting at the yard entrance switch.

Watch the hoppers get the shove into West Mill and couple up with the string from Port Owen in the video below:

The two cuts of hoppers now form one long string at West Mill.

The twin KP&W F7As separate from the coal hoppers and return to the BiWi...

...couple up to the train...

...and continue their trip to Williams Yard near Kings Port.

There are now 14 coal hoppers at West Mill ready to become a train for Hudson Coal but six more empty hoppers will be added when the coal train arrives at Kings Port.  They are seen sitting in KP Steel's holding yard below:

Two KP Steel switchers team up to pull the six hoppers to the KP&W/PC interchange track for pick up later.

Watch the diminutive KP Steel power pull the hoppers while a southbound freight passes by in the foreground in the video below:

Six empty coal hoppers now sit on the interchange waiting to be picked up by the unit coal train that will be dispatched from West Mill.

Stay tuned tomorrow when the train leaves West Mill, picks up the cars on the interchange, and heads to Selkirk!