PCCM 91: Part 6 on the KPD

 Hello once again!

Welcome to the penultimate installment of the Kings Port Division's involvement in our 91st Penn Central Car Movement "virtual ops" with John's New York Central Train Layout , and Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R..

We've been following trains dispatched from one layout to the next and are managing the deliveries of freight cars to their consignees.    Looking at the Penn Central's West Mill Yard, switcher #8951 is assembling a Northbound Local and a "Turn" for Bloomberg.  The P&LE gon loaded with scrap will be set out at nearby Sal's Salvage.

Cargill TDLX #7241 is empty for Blue Ribbon Flour while PC boxcar #77047 is full of pallets for Woodstock Hills Natural Soda.

IC boxcar #30130 is empty for Woodstock Hills while the old Pacemaker is carrying drums of Drywell Ink for the Catskill Mt. Press.

RI boxcar #35062 is also carrying ink for Catskill Mt. Press.  The Dresser Magcobar car is hauling the first load of bentonite being sent to Bloomberg's Agway.

KP&W #30112 and #30115 are empty for Zenith TV.

After some maneuvering the switcher has assembled two separate cuts of cars.  The Bloomberg Turn is in the background while the Northbound Local sits on the nearest track starting with the scrap gon.

Two of the cars forwarded by the APRR and N.Y.C.T.L. respectively are NYC #47062 loaded with steel banding and EL #73510 loaded with bagged iron ore. Both are going to take the trip down river on the car float to Port Owen Brick Company.  They are set on the track next to the car float to wait for the arrival of a coal run from Mayfield with more cars for the float.  

Watch the Mayfield Coal Transfer arrive at West Mill with hoppers for the car float in the video below:

After the coal hoppers from Mayfield are dropped off SD9 #6922 is fired up for car float duty. 

 It pulls its three spacer cars off the car float lead and backs them into the EL and NYC boxcars.

The two boxcars are then coupled to the string of newly arrived hoppers.

The eight car string is then pulled forward to access the car float lead...

...and the cars are slowly pushed onto the float a pair at a time on alternate sides to maintain the float's balance.

After the cars were placed on the float and locked down the captain of the tug boat Robert H. prepares to shove off for the 45 minute trip to Port Owen where the box cars will be delivered to Port Owen Brick and the hoppers to the Con Ed power plant there.

With the car float work completed, the yard crew turns its attention to the Bloomberg Turn (WmB-1) which serves an industrial park in the Catskills.   West Mill Yard policy is to dispatch the Turn when at least five cars are scheduled to be delivered to businesses up there.  As a reminder, today's manifest includes six cars with:

IC #30130 going empty to Van Winkle Canning

NYC Pacemaker loaded with Drywell ink for Catskill Mt. Press

RI #35062 also loaded with ink for Catskill Mt. Press

NIRX #42868 (Dresser Magcobar) loaded with Bentonite for Agway

KP&W 30112 & 30115 Empty for Zenith TV

The yard switcher tacks a caboose at the end of the Turn.

Watch the train back out of West Mill powered by its usual pair of GP20s in the video below:

 The Turn backs beyond the yard lead to access the mainline

After getting clearance to proceed, the Bloomberg Turn takes the branch line off the main to the Catskills and meets a Penn Central Weehawken-to-Selkirk power run before leaving town.

It takes about an hour to climb the mountains to the Bloomberg Industrial Park where cars are delivered to:

Van Winkle Canning Co....

...Catskill Mt. Press...

...Agway...

....and Zenith TV.

 Come back tomorrow for the final installment as the Northbound Local delivers the last of the cars in this series on the Kings Port Division.