Saturday, October 18, 2025

PCCM 113: Part 5 on the KPD

 

Hello!

We're continuing our 113th Penn Central Car Movement series (PCCM) also known as our "virtual ops" between John's New York Central Train Layout , Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R. , and my own Kings Port Division.

Yesterday we followed transfers between Weehawken and Selkirk that set out cars for both the Penn Central's West Mill Yard and the KP&W's Williams Yard.   Today we'll follow along as those cars are sorted into various locals and transfers forwarding them to their customers down the line.

Williams Yard sends out switchers #22 & 24 to pick up the cars left behind by Penn Central train WV-2 in yesterday's installment.  The block includes the Morton Salt car for Cavendish Foods...

 ...six empty hoppers for the LV Coal Connection.

...and three Hi Cubes with hardware for Peerless Appliance.

Williams Yard  is filling up with PCCM cars to forward.

KP&W yard crews get to work assembling blocks of cars to be delivered.  We've moved to the yard entrance to wait for a KP&W switcher to set out three Hi Cubes loaded with American Hardware and one GM&O boxcar carrying electrical parts from Bruce Electric Equipment for Peerless Appliance.   A Yard Local also leaves to set out a Hoschton Railwy boxcar of Schaefer beer at Reynolds Beverage Distributors, a PC boxcar full of Berk Enterprises packaging materials for Blue Ribbon Flour, and a load of scrap for KP Steel.


After switcher #22 returned from Peerless Appliance it coupled up to TP&W boxcar #627.  This car will be transferred to West Mill for the Penn Central to forward to Canton Box Co.  It will conveniently be tacked onto the front of the next WiBi-4 trasnfer to Binghamton which stops at West Mill.

Some of the other cars for the WiBi are seen in the background. 

After the train is fully assembled WiBi-4 gets its F7A-B-A power consist and leaves Williams Yard.  It stops at West Mill for the one car set out.


A KP&W brakeman uncouples the TP&W boxcar...

...which the KP&W F7s set out on a siding at West Mill.

After the set out the WiBi-4 leaves West Mill for Binghamton! 

 As the rumble of the departing WiBi-4 fades West Mill's switcher #8951 grabs the empty TP&W boxcar...

...brings it into the yard...
 
 ...couples it up with NYC #80755 which is loaded with cardboard from Moore & Company...
 
 ...and takes both toward Canton Box Co.
 
 
 The company has a short siding so the TP&W car will be constructively placed nearby.  Canton will call the Yard Clerk when they need to exchange cars after NYC #80755 is unloaded.

The yard crew focuses their attention on assembling the next Bloomberg Turn serving industries up in the Catskills.   There are 10 cars heading up the mountain today.   The EL boxcar loaded with produce and two empty white APRR RBS are heading to Van Winkle Canning.
 

PC #77047 carries City Pallet products for Woodstock Hills Natural Sodas, and PC #104478 is loaded with Drywell ink for Catskill Mt. Press.

Rock Island #35062 is also carrying Drywell ink for the Catskill newspaper while PC #360158 has University Milling cabinets for Zenith TV.

....the former NYC Pacemaker has a load of Moore & Co. burlap bags for Agway and the two KP&W boxcars are loaded with American Hardware products for Quality Fabrications.


 The turn will be powered, as usual, by GP38-2 #8150

 A caboose is tacked on the rear of the cut of cars for the Catskills.

The Bloomberg Turn is ready to be dispatched.

 
Watch the Bloomberg Turn back out of West Mill Yard and then proceed past WM Tower to access the Mountain Branch.


 The Bloomberg Turn spends the afternoon delivering cars to 

 Van Winkle Canning...

 

 
Woodstock Hills Natural Sodas...

 Catskill Mt Press...

 Zenith TVs...

 

Quality Fabrications...

 
 ...and Agway.

That's it for today!   We'll wrap up the KPD's particpation in this series by following the arrival of the WiBi-4 in Binghamton and the subsequent interchange and delivery of cars to various consignees in the area. 


Friday, October 17, 2025

PCCM 113: Part 4 on the KPD

 

Hello!

We're continuing our 113th Penn Central Car Movement series (PCCM) also known as our "virtual ops" between John's New York Central Train Layout , Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R. , and my own Kings Port Division.

In my last installment Penn Central transfer WV-2 picked up cars at West Mill and Kings Port to take to Selkirk and to later forward to John's Terminal Yard.    

This weekend we're focusing on inbound trains coming to the Kings Port Division from John's Terminal Yard (via Selkirk) and Neal's Rock Ridge Yard (via Weehawken). 

John dispatched train SK-5 from Terminal Yard now seen arriving at Selkirk.

The cars on SK-5 will go over the hump and be sorted with additional cars into the next VW-1 to Weehawken with intermediate stops at Kings Port and West Mill.   The Dresser Magcobar boxcar heading back empty to its home company in Houston Texas and LV #8247 loaded with Delco products for ACME Auto Parts arrived earlier at Selkirk on other trains.  These PCCM cars will be added to the VW-1.

After the VW-1 is assembled it leaves Selkirk with PCCM and non-PCCM cars.


 The southbound train arrives at Kings Port and hour and a half later.  The two GE U Boats and the EMD GP38 prepare to set out several cars at the KP&W's William Yard. 


The orange and white Dresser Magcobar car and the brown boxcar immediately behind it will stay on the train all the way to Weehawkern

VW-1 makes the set out for Williams Yard.



 After coupling back to its train the GE/EMD power takes the remaining cars to West Mill.


VW-1 reaches West Mill 45 minutes later and stops to set out a string of cars here as well.



The former NYC Pacemaker is the last car in the block for West Mill.  

After being uncoupled from the rest of the train the block is set out on a siding next to the main.

VW-1's consist returns to the train still coupled to the Dresser Magcobar car and a non-PCCM car that will continue to Weehawken.  The Dresser Magcobar car will be forwarded toward Houston from there.

 VW-1 is reassembled and waiting for clearance to depart West Mill.  The block of cars being left behind is on the track in the foreground.

The VW-1 receives permission to proceed to Weehawken with the Dresser Magcobar car and several non-PCM cars..
 

Here is the block left by VW-1 for West Mill.


The yard's switcher #8951 brings them into the yard tracks.
 

Two NYC boxcars make up the other end of the block.   The set of cement hoppers in the foreground waits to be dispatched on a Southbound Local to Trimount Cement.

 The local is assigned GP9 #7175 to take the PS2 hoppers to Trimount

The Southbound local for Trimount Cement leaves West Mill by backing out of the yard and then going forward past WM Tower.

After a couple of hours of relative quiet WV-2, the Weehawken to Selkirk transfer, arrives with cars forwarded from Neal's Rock Ridge Yard.

Only two cars are being set out at West Mill; KP&W #6544450 & 6544455 both loaded with hardware for Quality Fabrications.


WV-2 makes the two car set out.


The train then continues to Kings Port where it will leave more cars on the interchange track for the KP&W to pick up from Williams Yard.

West Mill's yard switcher goes out to pick up the two cars.
 

 

After a 45 minute journey to the north WV-2 arrives at Kings Port

Several cars will be set out here including the Morton Salt hopper which is going to Cavendish Foods.

...a string of empty hoppers for the Lehigh Valley Coal connection.

..and three Hi Cubes loaded with hardware for Peerless Appliance. The three B&M RBLs behind them are empty for a return trip to Merrimack, NH.

A WV-2 crewman uncouples the cut for Williams Yard...

...and the multiple car set out is completed.

 Care was taken to avoid blocking Ulster Ave so the cut was set out in two sections on either side of the street.

 WV-2's power returns to its train and couples up to the B&M RBLs.

After pumping up the air and checking connections the train continues to Selkirk.  From there the three B&M cars will be forwarded to Mechanicville and then on to New England.

 The rest of the train composed of non-PCCM cars passes over Ulster Ave crossing.

That's today's action!   Come back tomorrow to see West Mill and Williams Yard assemble cars into trains to delivery freight to their respective consignees in this series!