PCCM 107: Part 2 on the KPD

Hello again! 

We're continuing our 107th Penn Central Car Movements series (PCCM) between John's New York Central Train Layout , Neal's  Atlantic Pacific RR , and my own Kings Port Division.  

If you've been following the action on Neal's APRR (and I really encourage you to do so!) his crews in Rock Ridge Yard nicely handled trains sent by the Penn Central with cars for Ford in Louisville, KY via Potomac Yard and for Nabisco via Morristown, PA.   After the cars for Nabisco were loaded the APRR managed a quick turnaround forwarding them back north toward my West Mill Yard, Selkirk, and John's Terminal Yard. 

We're at West Mill where the prospect of a lot of railroad action this morning has attracted the Kings Port Railfan Society in their trusty VW bug.  They managed to obtain permission to be on the property to observe the proceedings but are still under the watchful eye of the West Mill Yard Bull.

 The first train of the morning is a "non-player" Southbound Local with empty PS2 hoppers and loaded coal cars for Tri Mount Cement.  The throaty rumble of the pair of RSD12s shakes the ground as the consist goes by.  

Shortly after the dust settles the railfans look over to the junction with the Mountain Branch to see the return of the Bloomberg Turn with cars from the Catskill industrial park. 

The Bloomberg Turn has been tied down but Kings Port Railfan Society members TC, Chooch, Benny, and Easy know not to leave quite yet!  A friend of theirs in the Yard Tower alerted them about the imminent arrival of WV-2 from Weehawken.  Red signals confirm the approach of another train.

WV-2 arrives with a GP38/ U33C consist that rattles the VW's windows as it rolls by!  The four orange KP&W cars are loaded with Nabisco products that will be forwarded to their consignee via the KP&W's Mayfield Yard.   They will be set out here at West Mill and later transferred by the Penn Central to Mayfield.

The four KP&W cars are cut from the train...so many cookies inside!

...and the PC power sets them out at West Mill...

The two units then return to their train.

After everything is coupled up and the air pressure is good the train receives clearance to proceed to Selkirk.

The three PC RBLs behind the locomotives are also carrying Nabisco products.  They will be forwarded to East Deerfield, MA via Mechanicville.  First they will be dropped off at Selkirk Yard to go over the hump and then be sorted into a transfer for the B&M.

WV-2 is seen arriving at Selkirk.  A train coming off the former B&A line also arrives with a classic F7A/GP9B/F7A consist

Later in the afternoon the PC RBLs full of Nabisco crackers find themselves tacked onto a transfer run to Rotterdam Jct on Train NY-20.  They can be seen in the background behind GP40 #3007.

At Rotterdam Jct. NY-20 is taken over by a B&M crew for the run to Mechanicville seen below.   Mechanicville is the western terminal of the B&M and interchanges with the Delaware & Hudson here. 

 

 The train passes by the Delaware & Hudson's XO Tower.

The RBLs will be added to the next B&M MW-2 (Mechanicville to Worcester) scheduled to leave at 8 PM.   The cars will be set out at East Deerfield after the train arrives at 11PM.  From there a local will take them the next day to a nearby grocery warehouse.

Meanwhile back at West Mill the four KP&W cars also loaded with Nabisco products have been put on a transfer run to the KP&W's Mayfield Yard.  They will run to Mayfield behind a first generation Penn Central GP7/F7B lashup.  Guys fishing on the dock along the Hudson River seem indifferent to the train action behind them.  Years later after the PC no longer exists they might regret not having paid more attention to scenes like this!

The orange KP&W cars can be seen way in the distance at the rear of the train.

West Mill's trusty switcher #8951 tacks on the usual transfer caboose with the usual crabby brakeman, Fingers O'Malley.

The transfer backs out of West Mill Yard.  The Kings Port Railfan Society is still there catching this latest action.

After leaving the yard limits the engineer of  PC GP7 #5688 confers with WM Tower.  We need to get that guy a train order hoop!

 The Transfer receives permission to leave West Mill and later arrives in Mayfield.

The four orange KP&W cars will be put on a local for delivery to Mayfield Wholesale Foods.

That concludes the KPD's involvement in this series!  Thanks for following along!

PCCM 107: Part 1 on the KPD

 Hello Virtual Ops fans!

We're back again with another Penn Central Car Movement series (PCCM) between John's New York Central Train Layout , Neal's  Atlantic Pacific RR , and my own Kings Port Division.   This time around we're focusing on interchange traffic as cars from John's layout and mine will be dispatched to Neal's to be forwarded to destinations "beyond his basement".

Usually my part in these series begins at West Mill Yard but today we're starting off by enjoying a warm sunny day in Mechanicville, NY where the sky is as blue as the GP18m #1754 seen pushing cars around the yard.

While the 1754 works the yard, B&M train BM-7 from Boston stops at Mechanicville with four APRR cars loaded with auto supplies for Ford in Louisville, KY (via Potomac Yard) and three PC RBLs empty for Nabisco (via Morrisville, PA). 

The train holds for Delaware & Hudson transfer PB-100 from Binghamton.

Watch video of all of this action below:

 A few non-PCCM cars are added to to BM-7 which then receives clearance to continue to Rotterdam Jct.   

The cars destined for Neal's Rock Ridge Yard and beyond will be cut at Rotterdam Jct. and interchanged with the Penn Central.   From there they will be forwarded to Selkirk on Train BM-17.

BM-17 arrives at Selkirk! 

The train will be humped and sorted.  The Hoschton Railway Co. car (the late Engineer Ed's freelanced line)  is loaded with auto parts from Buffalo and will be added to a train heading toward West Mill.

Selkirk crews assemble a train that includes the Hoschton car, the four APRR cars, and the three Penn Central RBLs.

It is dispatched from Selkirk as VW-1 to Weehawken with a stop at West Mill to pick up more cars for Rock Ridge Yard.  Watch VW-1 leave Selkirk while train EV-4 from Enola arrives.

We'll leave Selkirk for now and head over to the KP&W's Mayfield Yard where switcher #22 is building a transfer run to West Mill with cars loaded with auto parts from ACME Auto Parts.  The auto parts cars are destined for the Ford plant in Louisville, KY....

...along with four orange KP&W cars that are empty for Nabisco. 

Watch #22 finish assembling the train and then make way for a pair of F7As to couple to the head end of the train.   The Mayfield Transfer to West Mill then departs Mayfield Yard.

The KP&W transfer later arrives at West Mill....

 ...and sets out its cars on the main siding at the yard.  

The KP&W F units return to Mayfield caboose lite.

The VW-1 which we saw earlier dispatched from Selkirk arrives at West Mill.

The  U33C/ GP38 consist is cut to pick up the cars left by the KP&W ....

The string of cars is picked up by VW-1

 VW-1's brakeman walks the train, checking connections.

Once the air is up and clearance is given by the Dispatcher in Kings Port, VW-1 continues its journey to Weehawken where its cars will be forwarded to Neal's Rock Ridge Yard.

That's it for today!  Check Neal's blog to see what happens next!

PCCM 106 Feed the Furnace Part 3 on the KPD

Hello once again! 

We're wrapping up this one weekend series focusing on steel industry moves between John's New York Central Train Layout, Neal's Atlantic Pacific Railroad, and my own Kings Port Division.

After PC FP7s #4348 and 4369 arrived at the Kings Port & Western's Williams Yard they picked up a long string of gondolas loaded with steel coils, slabs, and one large steel girder load.   

The train designated as Extra 4348 leaves Williams Yard and travels north to Selkirk.  The train is seen passing through Selkirk in the video below on its way to John's Terminal Yard.

Back at Williams Yard a transfer run to West Mill is being prepared with cars for Neal's Rock Ridge Yard. The train will include the three PCCM cars (two PC corrugated gons #567123 & 567104 along with Empire Belt #509823).....

...and some non-player gons all loaded with steel coils for Shapeless Steel.

Watch Williams Yard's SW9 switcher #22 assemble the transfer to West Mill before a pair of GP9s couple up to it and run it out of Kings Port.

The transfer arrives at West Mill.

While the Kings Port & Western transfer comes to a stop in the background some West Mill crewmen check out a couple of Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic cars.  These new visitors to the yard are recent gifts from John.

The yard's SW9 pulls the KP&W caboose from the transfer train.

A string of gondolas loaded with steel coils for Shapeless Steel is removed from the transfer...

...and is set out for the next VW-1 to Weehawken to pick up

The rest of the cars are pulled from the KP&W consist that is idling away in anticipation of returning to Williams Yard

Once the transfer run's cars have been pulled away the KP&W GP9s can head back to Williams Yard.

Meanwhile the gons for Shapeless Steel await pick up by VW-1

VW-1 arrives an hour later and picks up the cars for Rock Ridge.

After making the pick up VW-1 is cleared for Weehawken where the gs will be forwarded to Neal's APRR.

That concludes out one weekend steel op!  Thanks for following along!  Check out the action on John's N.Y.C.T.L. and Neal's APR!