P.C.C.M. 69 Part 1: 4th Anniversary Special Op

Greetings railfans!  

John's New York Central Train Layout  and my Kings Port Division are are noting the fourth anniversary of the beginning of our Penn Central Car Movements (P.C.C.M.) "virtual ops" scheme in which we photograph and video identical trains so they appear to move from one layout to the next.  Its been a lot of fun, a motivator to improve our layouts, and a great way to learn more about freight car forwarding! 

This time around we'll be running a Unit Grain Train with loaded covered hoppers from Empire Grain on my layout being forwarded to John's Terminal Yard Pier 16 for loading on boats to the Soviet Union in 1972.    John informed me about this shipment known as the so called Great Grain Robbery in which the USA shipped millions of tons of grain to the Soviet Union at subsidized prices, leading to increased grain prices at home.    

You can see an informational link about the story here:  "Great Grain Robbery"

Politics and economics aside, we're moving a lot of grain cars in this series, as can be seen in the photos below.  West Mill has been steadily picking up strings of loaded cars from Empire Grain to prepare for a unit train to Terminal Yard.  Several grain cars are in the yard already.

West Mill Yard switcher #8951 goes out one more time to pull cars from the large Empire Grain complex.

SW9 #8951 pulls six more...

Watch the switcher grab six more grain cars in the video below:

All the cars headed for Terminal Yard are now sitting at West Mill..

...waiting to be assembled into a unit grain train.

Power for the heavy loaded grain train will be a three unit lashup consisting of U33C #6552, GP30 #2228, and U28C #6533

The crew gathers to confer prior to boarding the lead unit

Watch the power head out after waiting for a short passenger train  in the video below:

The three unit consist backs into West Mill Yard to couple up to the first string of grain cars.

The first string is pulled ahead so it can be backed into Track 2 to pick up the second string.

The brakeman throws the switch so the train can back into Track 2.

The yard crewman walks over to the next track to monitor the second pick up.

The power backs the first string into the second.

SW9 #8951 tacks a caboose at the end of the second string of covered hoppers to make this an official Grain Train, Extra #6552

Watch the train leave West Mill in the video below:

Watch Extra #6552 pass through Kings Port with grain on its way to the Soviet Union in the video below:

Be sure to check John's blog in the link at the top of the page to see the grain cars continue their journey toward the Soviet Union!

 Dasvidaniya comrades!