PCCM 112: Part 2 on the KPD

 

Welcome back to PCCM 112!

 This is our 112th 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.

We're starting the day at the Kings Port & Western Railroad's Williams Yard in Kings Port, NY.    

The yard crew is preparing to set out boxcar TPFX #5510 on an interchange track where it will be picked up by Penn Central train VW-1 heading to Weehawken.  The car will eventually be forwarded to Chicago and points west to Triangle Pacific in British Columbia.

 An hour and a half later the VW-1 arrives at Kings Port and picks up the TPFX car.   It also sets out a Swift reefer loaded with frozen meat for Cavendish Foods.  The reefer will be forwarded to Binghamton, NY for delivery to Cavendish by the KP&W.

After the U33C/ GP38 consist returns to its train it proceeds to West Mill where it will pick up more cars.

 The Swift reefer left on the interchange track is picked up by a pair of KP&W switchers from Williams Yard.

Meanwhile, over at West Mill a string of cars is waiting to be picked up by the approaching VW-1.   They include EBRR boxcar #360279 loaded with bulk paper from International Paper Co. for Marcal and six coal hoppers for RMO Electric in Rock Ridge.

The VW-1 arrives at West Mill and makes the pick-up.

 The brakeman walks the train checking connections and the air is pumped up for departure to Weehawken.

The VW-1 leaves West Mill with the EBRR boxcar for Marcal, six coal hoppers for RMO Electric, and three B&M RBLS of Habitant canned soup for ShopRite.  Cars for Neal are on their way!

 There are several cars left in the yard that will be heading north to Selkirk and eventually to John's Terminal Yard.

The yard switcher's crew assembles them into blocks for the next northbound WV-2 transfer from Weehawken to Selkirk to pick up.

 

 

Coincidentally, the switcher crew at Williams Yard is preparing to set out cars on the Kings Port interchange track for the WV-2 as well! The former NYC Early Bird boxcar is loaded with bagged cement for Neal's Lumber and Hardware, the P&LE # 35892 is carrying bagged Blue Ribbon Flour for Ralph's Grocery Warehouse, and the empty APRR hopper #9416 is heading to Hudson Coal.

KP&W Switchers 22 &24 get the call for the interchange move.

After setting the cars on the interchange track the switchers return to Williams Yard.  The crew reports observing a fallen telegraph pole visible in the background

A little while later an MOW crew is sent out to repair the pole.

Back at West Mill WV-2 arrives with a loud horn fanfare!  The train stops and the U33C/GP38-2/GP30 consist uncouples from the train to pull two strings of cars from West Mill Yard.

After the WV-2's power returns to its train the lead unit's crew gets a brief visit from the Trainmaster who advises them about the MOW work occurring at Kings Port.

The WV-2 receives permission to proceed to Kings Port.

WV-2 arrives at Kings Port and picks up the three cars on the interchange track. 

 The MOW work on the telegraph pole continues.  Watch out for ticks and snakes in those bushes guys!   The MOW job has not interfered with WV-2's pick ups.

WV-2 is cleared for Selkirk!   Cars for John are on the move!  When arriving at Selkirk WV-2 meets the consist that brought in train EV-4 from Enola earlier this morning as it heads to the engine service tracks.  The SD35/ GP20/ GP30 in the lashup are all still wearing their pre-merger Pennsey livery.

 

That concludes the "outbound" action on the KPD in this series.  Come back next week to follow the inbound car forwarding moves as cars from the APRR and the N.Y.C.T.L. arrive at West Mill!

 

PCCM 112: Part 1 on the KPD

 Hello virtual ops fans!

 We are launching our 112th 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.

This time we're starting the series at Mechanicville, NY where PCCM cars will be arriving on the system from New England.  D&H units idle near their road's XO Tower while we wait for the Boston & Maine's train BM-7 to arrive.

BM-7 rolls into Mechanicville behind a pair of G9s.  The PCCM cars on this train  are the three B&M RBLs loaded with Habitant Soup for ShopRite at Rock Ridge, and the first Swift reefer loaded with frozen meat for Cavendish Foods near Binghamton. 

The Geeps push the cars into the yard where they will soon be added to a transfer run to Selkirk.

After being assembled, the transfer run designated as BM-17 is dispatched to Selkirk with pooled power, closely followed by the dispatch of D&H train PB-99 to Binghamton.

After the PCCM cars from New England arrive at Selkirk they will be added to a VW-1 transfer to Weehawken that we'll follow later.   Right now we'll turn our attention to Binghamton where more PCCM cars are gathering.   

PCCM cars currently in the KP&W's CS Yard in Binghamton include three 60 foot auto parts cars for the Bedford Park Ford plant, PC #104478 loaded with 55 gallon drums for Dywell Ink, PC gon #288673 carrying containers for West Chemical from Amalgamated Container, two empty NYC double door boxcars for Zenith TVs, and PC boxcar #360063 loaded with Cavendish packaged foods for Ralph's Grocery Warehouse.

More arrive on the Lehigh Valley's daily Sayre Turn from Sayre, PA.  

The Sayre Turn brought in six loaded coal hoppers for RMO Electric at Rock Ridge . 

The KP&W's CS Yard is a busy interchange location with the LV and also the Erie Lakawanna whose own QD Yard is not far from CS Yard.

The EL's morning transfer to the KP&W is arriving at CS Yard with a pair of empty 38 foot hoppers for Hudson Coal, EBRR boxcar #360279 loaded with bulk paper for Marcal in Rock Ridge, and empty Corning Glass covered hopper NAHX #90404 heading to West Hills Silica.

The KP&W assembles a transfer run (BiWi-3) for Williams Yard in Kings Port.  The train powered by a KP&W F7A-B-A set will make an intermediate stop at West Mill to drop off some cars there.  It rolls out of Binghamton in the photos below.

Let's head over to the Penn Central's West Mill Yard where a long lull in the action after the dispatch of early morning South Local and a Bloomberg Turn is about to get busy.  We missed seeing these trains head out but are here in time to observe them return with PCCM cars.

Before the locals return the yard crew uses SD9 #6922 to pull cars off the car float that arrived this morning at 8 AM.   

Along with some non PCCM cars the float brought in these EL and KP&W boxcars from Port Owen Brick Company. The EL boxcar is loaded with bricks for Neal's Lumber and Hardware in Empire City while the KP&W boxcar is heading empty to International Paper Co. 

The Yard sent out switcher #8951with a transfer caboose to nearby Empire Grain to pick up NYC covered hopper #892010 loaded with grain for Quaker Oats.

The grain car is brought into the yard.

Its still pretty quiet with a lot of open yard tracks at West Mill right now.

Yardmaster Cappy Foster is prepared for those tracks to fill up soon  starting with the return of today's South Local with cars from Tri Mount Cement and Half Moon Wholesale Lumber Distributors.

The six cement hoppers are loaded for a customer near the Binghamton area and will be forwarded there by the KP&W when a transfer from Williams Yard in Kings Port makes a stop at West Mill later.  The two green MEC bulkhead flats carry lumber for City Pallet while the PTTX #91313 is loaded with lumber for University Milling, both industries on the N.Y.C.T.L.

Not long after the South Local arrived the Bloomberg Turn also came back with cars from the industrial park in the Catskills.

 The crew on GP38-2 #8150 takes a break while they wait at the red signal to access the man and enter West Mill Yard.   They are holding for the KP&W BiWi-3 which is about to arrive.

 The BiWi-3 from Binghamton arrives at West Mill.

The BiWi-3 drops off a number of cars that will later be picked up by VW-1 and WV-2 transfers between Weehawken and Selkirk to forward them to either John's N.Y.C.T.L. or Neal's APRR.    

 A string of cars for the APRR is set out on the siding next to the mainline.  It includes EBRR plug door boxcar #360279 loaded with bulk paper from International Paper Co. for Marcal.

....and six loaded coal hoppers from the LV Coal Connection for RMO Electric in Rock Ridge.  Four of the cars are extra "nonplayer cars"...

....while the PCCM roster cars include KP&W 233 &234.

The BiWi-3's F units also set out two empty NYC double door boxcars that will eventually delivered to Zenith TVs in Bloomberg.

 

 

The BiWi-3's power then sets out a cut of cars that will be forwarded to various industries on the N.Y.C.T.L. (Hudson Coal, West Hills Silica, Ralph's Grocery Warehouse, West Chemical, Drywell Ink, and Ford at Bedford Park).  The F unit consist then returns to its train and continues to Kings Port.  Shortly after the KP&W train leaves town the Penn Central's Bloomberg Turn receives permission to access the main and bring its cars into the yard.

 

West Mill Yard is now full of cars to be forwarded to the APRR and N.Y.C.T.L!    That's it for today!