PCCM 93: Part 1 on the KPD

 Hello virtual ops fans!

We are embarking on our 93rd Penn Central Car Movement series in which we forward freight cars from one layout to another in a three layout tour between John's New York Central Train Layout , Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R. , and my own Kings Port Division.

We'll start off the series at Bloomberg's industrial park in the Catskills where the Bloomberg Turn dispatched from West Mill Yard is picking up and setting out cars.  IC # 30130 is picked up by the Turn's usual GP20 power set at Van Winkle Canning.   The car is loaded with canned fruit and vegetables for Pilgrim State Hospital

After pulling the IC car, RI #35062  and the aging Pacemaker at Catskill Mt. Press will be pulled for local turnaround delivery.  Typically cars are returned to West Mill for car forwarding but both of these are needed at nearby industries and will be delivered directly instead of having them make the trip down and back up the mountain.

The next move is at Zenith TV where KP&W #30112 & 30115 are pulled loaded with new console units for Three Amigos Warehouse on Neal's layout.

After the pick up the RI car is set out empty at Zenith to be loaded for All City Storage on John's layout.

The old NYC Pacemaker is then set out empty at Quality Fabrications to be loaded with sewing machine parts and wire twisters for Moore & Co.

The last work in Bloomberg is a stop at the local Agway to pick up the distinctive Dresser Magcobar car for a return trip to its home facility in Texas..

The Bloomberg Turn's work completed, it heads downgrade toward West Mill Yard which is currently rather quiet.

Passengers at West Mill's commuter station will soon be surrounded by trains, however, as the Bloomberg Turn will appear behind them and a South Local returning to West Mill will roll in front of them.

Watch the action in the video below as the Bloomberg Turn arrives first but holds on the branch line while the South local goes by on the main.  The Local is pulling six empty hoppers from Tri Mount Cement for Hudson coal and a few non-player cars picked up from Half Moon Wholesale Lumber Distributors.

The South Local has pulled beyond the Yard Lead and prepares to back into West Mill Yard.  You can see its Northeastern-styled caboose in the GERN Tunnel

Watch the South Local back into West Mill Yard with its six "virtual ops" empty coal hoppers in the video below:

The Bloomberg Turn completes a similar move backing into West Mill Yard with its virtual ops cars and two "non-player" KP&W cylindrical covered hoppers.  

Watch the back up move in the video below: 

While the two trains are settling into West Mill Yard the North Local, which was dispatched earlier this morning before we arrived on the scene, is working Lower Kings Port and gathering more "virtual ops" cars

Here the North Local will pick up TP&W #627 from Booms Ready Mix and P&LE #35892 from Reynolds Beverage distributors.  Both cars are empty for intra-layout moves on the KPD is this series.

The two Alco RSD12s separate from the train....

 

...and back into the spur shared by the two businesses.

The cars are pulled off the spur track...

 ...and added to the train.

The pick-ups completed here, the train continues on its way to Hedberg Aggregates where it picks up virtual ops car PC #77047 loaded with landscape rock for Neal's Lumber and Hardware on the N.Y.C.T.L., and a non-player hopper loaded with aggregate.

 

After a run around move at the siding near Hedberg Aggregates the North Local returns to Lower Kings Port to pick up three tank cars from the Gulf facility now that the locos have access to the trailing siding.

 

The train is cut behind the TP&W car.....

...and the RSD12 set shoves the two box cars behind them into the Gulf spur to pick up the three tankers.   Locomotives will not clear the fueling racks so buffer cars are needed. This also meets safety requirements to avoid coupling potentially hazardous loads right behind the engines.

The tankers are added to the North Local.  After connections are checked and air is pumped the local prepares to return to West Mill.

Meanwhile at West Mill, while the North Local completes its work at Gulf, switcher #8951 prepares to run a short job making pick ups at yard side industries.

The first order of business is grabbing NYC #87055 from Canton Box Co.  The car will be forwarded empty to Quality Fabrications, another intra-layout move.

After pulling the NYC car the switcher passes empty P&LE gon  #40331 at Sal's Salvage.  This is the next pick up.  The P&LE gon will be forwarded to Bell Pole in Bloomberg as yet another intra-layout move.  

The cars enter West Mill Yard where they will wait to be added to the next Bloomberg Turn.

After bringing in the two yard-side industry cars, #8951 gets to work organizing a cut to be picked up by VW-1 which is expected to arrive in an hour.  The train is one of the five daily southbound Selkirk-to- Weehawken transfers.   The virtual ops cars for the VW-1 cut are KP&W #30122 & 30115, both loaded with Zenith console TVs for Three Amigos Warehouse on Neal's APRR.

Three non-player cars are included in the cut.

Watch the switcher assemble the cut in the video below:

The cut for VW-1 is assembled and ready to be set out on the siding for pick up.

 Watch the cut get set out for VW-1 in the video below:

Switcher #8951 will have to sit tight for a short while as it waits for the North Local to return to West Mill

The North Local arrives a few moments later:

That's it for today!   Stay tuned tomorrow for more "outbound" action!