Saturday, March 23, 2024

PCCM 104: Part 2 on the KPD

 Hello again!

This is the second installment of a short virtual ops between Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R.  and my Kings Port Division.  So far, empty cars were dispatched from Rock Ridge Yard to the Penn Central's yard at West Mill.   They were then forwarded to the Kings Port & Western R.R, via transfers to Williams Yard and Mayfield Yard.

The transfer to Mayfield consisted of a string of empty hoppers that was then forwarded to the Lehigh Valley to be loaded with coal.   Here at Mayfield we can see an LV coal train returning with the now loaded hoppers that will be sent to Neal's RMO Electric Co..


The LV consist uncouples from the train and goes to service. 

It is then replaced by a KP&W RS3 that will take the hoppers to West Mill. 

 After the transfer to West Mill arrives the hoppers are backed into the yard. 


The transfer's power heads back to Mayfield caboose light.


Shifting our attention to  King Port we see a KP&W S12 hauling some cars from KP Steel to Williams Yard.   The PCCM cars at KP Steel are the two Penn Central corrugated gondolas loaded with steel coils for Neal's Shapeless Steel.


After the gons arrive at Williams Yard they are coupled onto a transfer run being assembled for the Penn Central's West Mill Yard. The transfer is dispatched to West Mill behind a KP&W GP9.


At West Mill the gons are added to the string of loaded coal hoppers that recently came from Mayfield.    The whole cut will be set out on a siding for the next VW-1 to pick up on its way to Weehawken.  



   SW9 #8951 works hard to place the cut on the siding.

 The cut of hoppers and gondolas waits for VW-1 to pick them up.


An hour later VW-1 arrives at West Mill headsed by an F7A-B-A!


VW-1 picks up the cut of cars and prepares to continue on its journey to Weehawken. The train stretches the length of West Mill.



After a crewman finishes walking the train and checking connections VW-1 heads out of West Mill.   PCCM cars on this train will be forwarded from Weehawken to Neal's Rock Ridge Yard.


That concludes the action for this series on the Kings Port Division!  Check in on Neal's blog to see what happens next after the cars arrive at Rock Ridge!


Thursday, March 21, 2024

PCCM 104 A Call for Coal and More!

 Hello,

We're running a shorter two layout virtual op this time between Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R.  and my Kings Port Division while John is temporarily away.   Even with just the two of us participating there is a lot of rail action to follow!

As always at the beginning of our Penn Central Car Movement series, things seem quiet at West Mill Yard... but not for long!


The quiet is broken by the sound of a Leslie S-3L airhorn at the south end of town as train WV-2 from Weehawken to Selkirk arrives. The WV-2 is headed by an F7A-B-A consist first dispatched from Rock Ridge Yard.

The train's caboose is cut so the block at the end of the train can be set out at West Mill.


The train pulls ahead so it can shove the cut for West Mill into the yard.


The cut of empty hoppers and gondolas is backed into the yard....


 After the cut for West Mill is set out WV-2 continues on to Selkirk.


Shortly after the dust clears from WV-2's departure a Bloomberg Turn returns to West Mill with cars from industries in the Catskills.  All of these non-player cars will soon be added to a transfer to the KP&W's Williams Yard.

After the Bloomberg Turn cars arrive West Mill's switcher #8951 gets to work assembling a transfer run to the KP&W's Williams Yard in Kings Port.  The two PC corrugated gondolas are the PCCM cars on this train.  They will be forwarded by the KP&W to KP Steel.

The transfer will be powered by  a pair of GP20s.


Connections are checked and the air is pumped up.   The train receives clearance to leave West Mill Yard and proceeds to Kings Port.


A Williams Yard crew works on assembling today's Steel Job for KP Steel which will include the two PC corrugated gons


The Steel Job will be powered by KP&S RS3 #566.


The Steel Job is dispatched to KP Steel where the gondolas will be loaded with steel coils for Shapeless Steel in Rock Ridge.


Returning out attention to the Penn Central yard at West Mill crews have prepared a transfer for the KP&W's Mayfield Yard.  These empty coal hoppers will be forwarded by the KP&W to the Lehigh Valley and its coal mine connections.


Mayfield Yard waits for the transfer from West Mill.  The Lehigh Valley regularly interchanges with the Kings Port & Western here.  A pair of LV locomotives is standing by to run another string of empty hoppers to coal country.


The transfer to Mayfield is dispatched from West Mill


That's it for today! Come back tomorrow as the hoppers and gons return loaded for Neal's Rock Ridge Yard.

Sunday, February 18, 2024

PCCM 013: Part 6 on the KPD

 Hello again!

Freight cars from John's New York Central Train Layout, and Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R. are being forwarded to their consignees by crews at the Penn Central's West Mill Yard and the KPW's Williams Yard.

Yesterday at West Mill Yard a Morton Salt covered hopper loaded with salt for Cavendish Foods was set out for the next KP&W transfer run from Williams Yard to pick up on its way to Mayfield.

We see the KP&W transfer getting ready to leave Williams Yard in Kings Port headed by SD9 #896.

 
 
 
PCCM cars on the transfer include black EBRR gondola #509823 for Amalgamated Container seen above and the three empty 60 foot auto parts boxcars for ACME Auto Parts seen below.

 The transfer to Mayfield is now rolling and seen crossing Ulster Ave

.and later passing WM Tower in West Mill.

 
 The transfer arrives at West Mill and stops next to the Morton Salt covered hopper that it will pick up and take to Mayfield.
 
 The pick up is made....
...the car is added to the transfer...
 
...and the train is on its way to Mayfield after getting the green!

After arriving at Mayfield the cars are put on a local. It drops three empty 60 foot cars at ACME Auto Parts that will be loaded for Ford

Empire Belt gon #509823 is set out at Amalgamated Container Co. 

...and the Morton Salt car is delivered to Cavendish Foods.
 
West Mill Yard is also working hard to complete the deliveries of all cars sent its way in this series.  A cut of cars for Port Owen is about to be loaded on the car float for its journey across the river while a short Northbound Local is ready to head out to serve Canton Box Co. and GERN Industries in West Mill, and the Gulf facility on the edge of Kings Port.

A stretch of nonplayer coal hoppers for Con Ed in Port Owen is included in the car float cut. Not yet seen is NH boxcar #36116 loaded with City pallets and empty KP&W boxcar #15638, both for the Port Owen Brick Co.

 Watch the car float cut and the short North Local on the move!


The car float is now loaded with boxcars for cars for Port Owen Brick Co. and hoppers for the Con Ed. power plant

After casting off the float will arrive at Port Owen 45 minutes later.  

SD9 #6925 pulls the cars off the float.


After being pulled from the car float the empty KP&W boxcar #15638 and NH boxcar #36116, loaded with City Pallets, is set out at Port Owen Brick Co. The coal hoppers are taken further down the line to the Con Ed plant.


The hoppers include PCCM cars KP&W #233 & 234...

...and a string of nonplayer hoppers.


While the car float was being loaded at West Mill the Northbound Local set out empty TP&W #627 at Canton Box Co.  Rookie brakeman Tommy Falcone is in the transfer caboose and wonders why Fingers O'Malley is always so bent out of shape about having to ride in it.


Next the local placed empty boxcar PC 104478 at GERN Industries

The Northbound Local's last job is to take empty GM&O boxcar #21129 to Gulf where it will also pick up cars for West Mill Yard.


The one car local arrives at Kings Port and sets out the GM&O car.

It then pulls several cars from Gulf including a number of tankers and an empty NYC boxcar that makes a convenient buffer between the tankers and the crew.  Safety First!  Tommy has been reading his Hazardous Materials Rule Book!

 

 Watch the Northbound Local return to West Mill with the cars from Gulf.

After reaching West Mill Yard the cars from Gulf are tied down

 A little later TPFX #5510 (the first "virtual ops" car exchanged between the KPD and the N.Y.C.T.L. nine years ago!) is tacked onto the front of the Gulf cut.  These cars are all going to be picked up by the next VW-1 which will take them to Weehawken to be forwarded to points beyond.

While we wait for the VW-1 lets head back to the KP&W's Williams Yard where a local of their own is being prepared to serve Reynolds Beverage Distributors and Blue Ribbon Flour in Kings Port. The HRC boxcar is loaded with Schaefer beer for Reynold's while...

...the P&LE boxcar is empty, the Cargill covered hopper is full of wheat flour, and the LV NIRX #41000 box car is loaded with printed cartons from Berk Enterprises, all for Blue Ribbon Flour


In addition to the local train, a run up the Marion Branch from Williams Yard to Hedberg Aggregates is also about ready to go.  These loaded hoppers from Hudson Coal will help power operations at the plant.  The specially outfitted caboose for the Hedberg Run can be seen behind the local's caboose #0383.   Its been provided with a horn and lights for cabin-first running as the train's locomotive shoves the hoppers uphill from behind in this operation.

Watch the local head out to Reynold's Beverage Distributors while the Hedberg Run is pulled to the far north end of the yard where the switch to the Marion Branch is located.  It will then back up the Marion Branch to Hedberg Aggregates.  Both are later seen near Ulster Ave.

The Hedberg Run continues upgrade until it reaches Marion, the highest elevation of the Kings Port Division.  The caboose is set aside and the coal hoppers are set out at Hedberg Aggregates.


Returning our attention to Kings Port the Williams Yard Local is setting the rest of its cars out at Blue Ribbon Flour. 

The cars are being shoved under the bridge to the lower level loading dock.


After the Yard Job is completed SW9 #24 and its caboose head back to Williams Yard.  They are seen crossing Ulster Ave. again.

Later in the day the yard prepares a Steel Job to deliver empty and loaded gondolas to KP Steel.  The loaded cars are filled with scrap metal from Gershow Recycling for the Basic Oxygen Furnace.


The Steel job is pulled by S12 #34 which has been getting more work at Williams Yard lately after some much needed maintenance. The gons are delivered as loads on one track and empties on another.


Back at West Mill we await the final run of the day and for this series.  The red TPFX #5510 boxcar is scheduled to head back to Triangle Pacific in British Columbia.  It will be picked up by VW-1 from Selkirk to Weehawken where it will be forwarded farther west.    The NYC boxcar and Gulf tankers will also be picked up by the VW-1.

West Mill's switcher takes the cars to a siding along the mainline while the Bloomberg Turn's GP38-2 returns caboose lite.   The VW-1 then arrives.


After making the pick up VW-1 continues on its way to Weehawken.  The red Triangle Pacific car stands out as the train rolls into the tunnel on the south end of town.

 

Forwarding the TPFX car was the last official PCCM operation on the King Port Division for this series!  Thanks for following along!