P.C.C.M. Pelude #3

Hi all!

One last post prior to the Saturday dispatch of a train to Selkirk.

Twin RSD12s are assigned to the Kings Port Turn which will pick up cars between West Mill and Kings Port that will be added to the P.C.C.M. 50 kick off!

Pulling forward of the yard lead...

...backed up and now coupled onto a short train of cars for KP Steel and the GULF facility on the river.

The Turn, now designated as WK-1, is told to hold at the Yard entrance.  The engineer intentionally stops on the grade crossing to protect motorists who don't know a second train is coming.

Twenty minutes later an Eastbound unit coal train glides by powered by an F7A-B-B-A consist.

The WM towerman gives a wave after providing the usual roll-by inspection.

The Turn's locos make a quick move to pick up TP&W 627 loaded with packaging for Heileman Brewery

A second car from Canton with a similar load for Freihoefers Bakery was pulled yesterday.

After the car is pulled from Canton Box, the Turn gets underway and is later seen rolling through Upper Kings Port station and Marion.

The train arrives at Kings Port and KP Steel.

The train's brakeman uncouples the locos and TP&W car from the gondolas that will be set out at KP Steel.  First order of business is the pick ups. 

Three gons and two "Bread Box Trough" cars loaded with steel coils are pulled from KP Steel's holding yard. One is headed to Republic Steel, two are for Ford Motor Co., and one is for Shapeless Steel near Rock Ridge.

The train returns to the gons to be set out

....and places the empties at KP Steel

The set-outs completed the Turn reconnects and heads toward the Williams Yard interchange track with the KP&W.

The KP&W set out these four cars for the Penn Central yesterday. 

 The RSD12s run around their train in order to push it back into the interchange to pick up the two covered hoppers from Blue Ribbon Flour (destined for Ronzoni) and the two empty TOFCs.

"There's one of them cabooses"...as Mike Bednar might disparagingly refer to the transfer hack noted for Spartan amenities.

The train is shoved into the cut on the interchange.

...and the cars are pulled out.

Another loco consist runaround followed by placement of the caboose on the next track for later pick up

the last of the Turn's cars roll by the caboose

...the caboose coupled up, and the Turn is ready to head back to West Mill as KW-2

Next stop is the GULF facility which will receive one tanker.

The train reaches the north side of West Mill and picks up a covered hopper from GERN (for GERN's facility in Colorado) and a gon of shredded metal for Ball Container.

All pick-ups competed, the train heads into West Mill Yard.

West Mill yard is looking pretty full in anticipation of Saturday's dispatch of a train to Selkirk.  

Stay tuned!!

P.C.C.M. 50 Prelude #2

Hello everyone,

This is another installment of action that occurred prior to the big launch of P.C.C.M. 50 on Saturday.  Those cars that will be dispatched from West Mill to Selkirk had to come from somewhere!

We dive into the action right away as a local dispatched from the Kings Port & Western's Mayfield Yard is at work pulling cars from Cavendish Foods, ACME Auto Part, and Peerless Appliance.

This Penn Central Covered hopper is loaded with brewing and distillation remnants that will be used as cattle feed at the Union Stockyards in Colorado.

ACME Auto Parts has five loaded cars for the Ford Motor Company. 

The local moves on to Peerless Appliance to pick up two KP&W boxcars loaded with washing machines.

 A RDG boxcar and NYC gon remain at Peerless Appliance as the local returns to Mayfield.   The cars the local picked up will be forwarded to West Mill.

The next day, farther down the KP&W's mainline to Salamanca NY, work is done at Corning Glass.

SD9 #897 seems to get around on the KP&W as it pulls a pair of B&M RBLs and an NYC Hi Cube loaded with bottles for Heileman's Brewery.  OK...I forgot to switch out locos for this series of pics!

Cars are also pulled from International Paper.   These three PC cars are loaded with cardboard container material for Tropicana. 

The cars from Corning and International Paper are later forwarded to Binghamton and placed on a train headed for West Mill.

At the same time a transfer run from Mayfield arrives at West Mill setting up a KP&W meet!

The transfer run with an ALCO consist from Mayfield holds....

...as  Extra #110 from Binghamton, powered by a pair of F7As, approaches from the south side of town. 

Extra #110 passes by the waiting Mayfield Transfer.

Shortly after the caboose passes by Extra #110 will push its cars into West Mill Yard.

Once Extra #110 has cleared the Mayfield Transfer takes the main to eventually enter West Mill Yard and drop off its cars as well.

West Mill Yard is filling up in anticipation of the dispatch of the train to Selkirk!

I'll post one more prelude installment featuring the Penn Central bringing cars to West Mill prior to Saturday's big event!

Thanks for taking a look!

P.C.C.M. 50: Prelude #1

Hi all,

Our group of virtual ops enthusiasts or "virtual opsaholics" as John R. described himself (see his first post about the upcoming series)....
https://newyorkcentrallayout.blogspot.com/2018/09/pccm-50a-prelude-1.html 

 ...is about to participate in our 50th Penn Central Car Movement Series!  We figure this is a huge deal and plan to celebrate with our most ambitious virtual ops car forwarding so far.   As John noted in his blog, " all involved will launch their portions of the series on Saturday September 29th, 2018. The focus on that date will be the dispatching of trains from each layout in the direction of Perlman Yard at Selkirk NY. 

Some of us are posting preludes to photo-document the arrival and sorting of cars at our respective yards that will eventually be dispatched to Selkirk.   

On the Kings Port Division the Penn Central receives cars from the freelanced Kings Port & Western R.R. which today is running the Bloomberg Turn A.K.A. the "Mountain Run" to pick up cars from local industries to be set out at West Mill Yard.

A pair of KP&W Geeps at West Mill get the call to power the Mountain Run. 

 The Geeps in place at the head end, the Turn leaves West Mill with cars for Agway and other Bloomberg business.  Meanwhile a trio of big 6 axle GE Penn Central U Boats is preparing to run light to Selkirk in response to a power shortage at Pearlman Yard. 

While the Bloomberg Turn takes the KP&W's Mountain Branch, a KP&W RDC is seen approaching the commuter station.  

After arriving at Bloomberg the Turn works an industrial area that includes Zenith TV (left in the foreground) and Quality Fabrications.

Two cars are pulled from Quality Fab.  

The string of cars backs up on the foreground track to pick up an RI boxcar from Zenith.

Crossing several streets, the Turn approaches Van Winkle Canning and Woodstock Hills Natural Soda.

Backing its cut of cars toward Van Winkle Canning it picks up an Atlantic Pacific RR RBL boxcar and a Triangle Pacific car.

After pulling the cars beyond the turnout the cars are backed into the spur next to Woodstock Hills...

...to pick up a 40 foot Illinois Central boxcar.   This completes the pick ups from Bloomberg.

The Turn heads back to West Mill....

.....but needs to pause at a red indication before being able to access the Penn Central mainline.  

The cause for the delay?  Its a PC work train hurrying out to deal with a minor derailment on the River Line south of West Mill.

Its an all GP9 show as the consists pass each other!

Once the Big Hook goes by the Bloomberg Turn receives permission to take the main and enter West Mill Yard.

The cars are backed into West Mill's ladder tracks.

The job done, the Turn's power is cut and heads for servicing.

That's it for now.  More cars will be gathered at West Mill by both the KP&W and Penn Central in upcoming installments.

Thanks for taking a look!

Lots of Penn Central Trains at Kings Port

Hi everyone.

Just a quick post about four trains I set up for continuous running on my layout in anticipation of friends visiting during a Labor Day weekend bar-B-Q we held.  

I arranged the trains to be ready in case folks asked to see the layout.  Non-modelers enjoy watching trains roll by more than observing switching moves.  As it turned out we spent lots of time outside during a beautiful late Summer day and never went down to the basement,.  Still, I thought I'd film the trains in action for this short video.

Thanks for taking a look!