PCCM 102: Part 3 on the KPD

 

Hello again!

We're continuing the "outbound" portion of our 102nd Penn Central Car Movement (PCCM) "virtual ops"  between John's New York Central Train Layout,  Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R., and my own Kings Port Division. 

Yesterday a KP&W transfer brought the last of the cars to West Mill needed to assemble a WmV-6 for Selkirk.  These cars will then be forwarded to John's Terminal Yard.   

The KP&W transfer also brought a cut of cars that will be picked up by the next Penn Central train VW-1 from Selkirk to Weehawken that will then be forwarded to Neal's Rock Ridge Yard.   

Some of the KP&W transfer's cars are scheduled to be forwarded as intra-layout moves on the Kings Port Division.    Lots to organize!

Switcher #8951 has been busy assembling blocks of cars.   We see it below at the head end of what will become WmV-6 for Selkirk.  The 50 foot plug door PC boxcar #160502 is loaded with materials from Battaglia Brothers Warehouse for All City Storage.  The old Pacemaker is carrying sewing machine and wire twister parts from Quality Fabrications for Moore & Co.  An unseen NYC Early Bird boxcar behind the Pacemaker is loaded with bagged Cement for Neal's Lumber and Hardware.

These three 60 foot auto parts cars, PC/TOC #350562, NYC #53051, and KP&W #50335 were loaded by ACME Auto Parts for Ford in Bedford Park.

PS-2 hoppers PC #883190 and KP&W #445052 are loaded with fine grade aggregate from Hedberg Aggregates for Lombo Cement.  the white LV boxcar NIRX #41000 is carrying adhesive backed paper for Berk Enterprises from International Paper Co.

In the background we see P&LE gondola #40331 loaded with long poles for Lilco from Bell Pole.  Two flatcars act as safety spacers.  The Empire Belt boxcar #360279 in the foreground is from International Paper.  Its carrying bulk paper for Marcal Paper served by the APRR.   The two PC gons # 576104 & 576123 are traveling empty to Shapeless Steel.

Two cars loaded with tanks (PC # 766053 and PC #288673) are for West Chemical from Amalgamated Container Co. (ACCO)

Two MEC bulkhead flats with pulpwood loads from Maine and empty double door NYC boxcar #40762 wait their turn to be assembled into a southbound local to Half Moon Wholesale Lumber Distributors.  Behind them you can see recent virtual ops addition PC gon #55702 loaded with steel coils for Mid Island Steel and EL boxcar #73510 loaded with Port Owen bricks for Gotham Builders.

The final car to account for is TP&W #627 which is headed empty to Canton Box Co, just outside of West Mill Yard.

Time to dispatch some trains!

A pair of RSD12s draws the assignment of powering WmV-6.  Watch the locomotives couple up to the train and pull it out of the yard.

The train will stop at Selkirk where it will meet up with the other cars scheduled to be forwarded to John's N.Y.C.T.L.  Those cars include the three B&M RBLs seen below earlier at Mechanicville before being sent to Selkirk in Part #1 of this series.   The cars are loaded with veneers from Eastern States Plywood for University Milling.

There are also four TOFCs waiting at Selkirk to be forwarded to Terminal Yard along with Swift reefer SLRX #4244 loaded with meat for Ralph's Grocery Warehouse.  John will decide how the Selkirk Hump arranges trains dispatched to his Terminal Yard.

After WmV-6 left, the crews focused on sending out a Southbound local that will serve Half Moon Wholesale Lumber Distributors.  The virtual ops cars on this train include the empty NYC #47062 and the two MEC bulkhead flats with pulpwood loads from Maine.  The train prepares to leave under the power of GP9 #7085.

Watch the Southbound Local depart in the video below:

An hour later the cars are set out at Half Moon Wholesale Lumber

The last three cars for Neal's APRR (the boxcar for Marcal and the two gons for Shapeless Steel) are set out on a siding for the next VW-1 to pick up to take to Weehawken before they are forwarded to Rock Ridge Yard. 

VW-1 arrives in the background while switcher #8951 prepares a string of cement cars to be set out for the next KP&W WiBi-4

After picking up the cars VW-1 continues to Weehawken.

With VW-1 out of the way the West Mill yard crew executes another intra-layout move involving six cement hoppers that were loaded at Tri Mount Cement for a consignee in Binghamton.  Watch the West Mill Yard switcher set the cars out for the next KP&W Williams Yard to Binghamton transfer (WiBi-4) which later arrives to pick them up.

 The last job is a quick intra-layout move of empty TP&W #627 to Canton Box Co. just outside of the yard.  Switcher #8951 easily takes care of it.

That's it for this week!  Come back next weekend for the "inbound" portion of this series as cars arrive from John's and Neal's layouts for consignees on the Kings Pot Division!

PCCM 102: Part 2 on the KPD

 

Hello again!

We're continuing the "outbound" portion of our 102nd Penn Central Car Movement (PCCM) "virtual ops"  between John's New York Central Train Layout,  Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R., and my own Kings Port Division.  Cars are arriving at West Mill Yard to be assembled into trains to be forwarded to the APRR and N.Y.C.T.L.

We return to West Mill to find just a handful of "virtual ops" cars in the yard.  The EBRR car will be going south to Neal's Rock Ridge Yard while the LV car is heading to John's Terminal Yard. The greater percentage of cars going to the N.Y.C.T.L. in this series are currently holding at Selkirk.

 The NYC double door boxcar and the two bulkhead flats will be forwarded on a Southbound local to Half Moon Wholesale Lumber distributors.  More cars are to come!

 

The blaring of a multi chime Leslie horn coming out of the tunnel at the south end of town heralds the arrival of today's KP&W transfer run from Mayfield to West Mill.

Watch the transfer arrive a West Mill.  The six cars behind the string of nonplayer coal hoppers are the "virtual ops" cars from Mayfield.   While the transfer rolls by the tower to access the yard lead, the Bloomberg Turn is seen coming back home off the Mountain Branch after serving industries in the Catskills. The Turn stops to wait for the KP&W train to clear the main.

The KP&W Transfer begins backing into West Mill Yard.

While the Transfer from Mayfield is backing into West Mill Yard the Bloomberg Turn  receives permission to leave the branch line and enter the main so it can enter the yard as well.  Watch the two train action in the video below:

The KP&W train is resting in the yard.  The F7A/SD9 consist set out their orange transfer caboose prior to backing into the yard track.

The transfer's string of cars includes barely seen KP&W boxcar #15638 on the left, empty for Port Owen Brick Co., depressed well flat car #766053 loaded with a large tank and PC gon #288673 loaded with two additional tanks for West Chemical.  The three 60 foot auto parts cars to their right are for Ford in Bedford Park.

The Bloomberg Turn backs its car into West Mill Yard while the WM Towerman provides a roll by inspection.

The Bloomberg Turn's GP38-2 comes to a stop next to the KP&W Transfer's F7A/ GP9 consist.  EMD units are idling away!

The Bloomberg Turn's string of cars is in front of the Mayfield Transfer's manifest.  Virtual ops cars on the Turn include P&LE gon #40331 loaded with poles from Bell Pole for Lilco and an aging former NYC Pacemaker boxcar (seen in the photo above) loaded with sewing machine and wire twister parts from Quality Fabrications for  Moore & Co.  The two PC boxcars on the left are nonplayers to fill out the Bloomberg Turn.

The KP&S consist prepares to return to Mayfield.  They get a little help from yard switcher #8951 as it tacks their transfer caboose behind the F7A.

 

Watch the KP&W locomotives leave West Mill and head back to Mayfield Yard caboose lite.

After the KP&W units leave, the yard crew focuses on loading the car float for Port Owen with hoppers for Con Ed and a couple of KP&W boxcars for Port Owen Brick Co.

 KP&W #15638 is added to complete the manifest for Port Owen.

The last action of the day at West Mill is the Cement Job coming from Tri Mount Cement with covered hoppers loaded with Cement.  These will later be forwarded by the KP&W to a consignee in Binghamton.

 Lets head over to the KP&W's Williams Yard where a Local Industrial Job is picking up cars at Kings Port area businesses.  These three cars were pulled from Battaglia Brothers Warehouse.

 The local moves to Reynolds Beverage Distributors and Booms Ready Mix...

 ...and pulls three cars from that spur.

 It later grabs three gondolas from KP Steel and then heads back to Williams Yard.

Things will get busier at Williams Yard as a Marion Branch run prepares to return with cars from the recently expanded Hedberg Aggregates plant.

After the cars from Hedberg arrive at Williams Yard the two PS-2 hoppers KP&W #445052  and PC #883190 are included on a transfer run to the Penn Central's West Mill.   As the transfer leaves we can see a Williams Yard train for the KP&W's Mayfield Yard being prepared on the next track with F7 A&B unis for power.  The NYC double door boxcars behind them will later be forwarded to Peerless Appliance.

We'll stop here for today  Come back tomorrow to see cars dispatched on trains for Neals'APRR and John's N.Y.C.T.L.

PCCM 102: Part 1 on the KPD

Hello,

We're starting our 102nd Penn Central Car Movement (PCCM) "virtual ops" series moving cars from one layout to the next between John's New York Central Train Layout,  Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R., and my own Kings Port Division.

Usually the first part of the series on the KPD begins at West Mill Yard but today we're starting in Mechanicville, NY where several virtual ops cars await assembly into a transfer run to Selkirk.  These cars were "off layout" in New England and are now returning to be forwarded to consignees on the APRR, the N.Y.C.T.L., and the Kings Port Division.  They include B&M RBLs, TOFCs, auto parts cars, and a Swift reefer.

The cars are made up into train BM-17 for Selkirk via Rotterdam Jct.  Watch it depart Mechanicville powered by a GP30 still in NYC livery along with Penn Central F7B unit #3442 .  The train arrives later at Selkirk on the heels of MC-4 powered by an F unit consist typical of trains from Frontier Yard (Buffalo).   MC-4's manifest includes the very first PCCM car, the red Triangle Pacific boxcar TPFX #5510 working its way from British Columbia.

The distinctive orange and white Dresser Magcobar car is seen among a sea of freight cars.   It arrived at Selkirk on train NY-6 from East St. Louis.   This car will eventually go over the hump to be sorted onto train VW-1 to Weehawken along with the cars that just arrived on BM-17.  The VW-1 will stop at West Mill on the way to Weehawken to set some cars out.

Incidentally, check out the high tech system at Selkirk's hump in this 1969 video when you have a chance:

Cybernetics at Selkirk

VW-1 has been assembled.  Watch it leave Selkirk with a U33C-GP30 consist in the video below:

  

We finally turn our focus on West Mill Yard where things are pretty quiet.  The lone car in the yard is an NYC double door boxcar that will be heading to Half Moon Wholesale Lumber Distributors.  It was pulled off of the car float yesterday with some empty hoppers.  The hoppers were transferred to the KP&W's Mayfield Yard.  

The quiet times at West Mill usually don't last long.  Watch as VW-1 arrives and drops off a cut of three cars; two MEC bulkhead flats with pulpwood loads and the Dresser Magcobar car.

After the three cars are set out VW-1 proceeds on its way to Weehawken with cars scheduled to be forwarded to Neal's APRR; 86 foot auto parts cars NYC #67086 and PRR  #125291, and the Triangle Pacific car #5510. 

After VW-1 leaves, the bulkhead flats and Dresser Magcobar car are pulled into the yard.

The West Mill yard crew turns its attention to assembling a Bloomberg Turn to serve industries in the Catskills.  The Dresser Magcobar car is loaded with bentonite for Bloomberg's Agway.  Four covered hoppers that will also be going to Agway are pulled from nearby Empire Grain and added to the train.

 A caboose is tacked onto the rear of the Bloomberg Turn

...and its power, GP38-2 #8150, passes by to couple to the head end.

 Watch the Bloomberg Turn back out of West Mill Yard and then head up the Mountain Branch.

Cars on the Bloomberg Turn will later be seen delivered to Agway.  The P&LE gon loaded with long poles in the foreground will be picked up and taken to West Mill Yard.

The clicking of the Turn's wheels on the rails has barely faded away when The Kings Port & Western's daily Binghamton to Williams Yard transfer run (BiWi-3) arrives with an F7A-SD9 consist to set out two cars at West Mill.

 

Two cars are cut from the front of the train, EBBR #360279 and NIRX LV #41000

 They are set out in West Mill Yard by the BiWi's F7A/ SD9

...and then BiWi-3 continues its way to Williams Yard in Kings Port.

That's it for today.  Come back tomorrow as more trains arrive with PCCM cars to be forwarded to John's N.Y.C.T.L. and Neal's APRR!