P.C.C.M. 83: Part 2 on the KPD

 Hello again,

John's New York Central Train Layout, Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R., and my own Kings Port Division are in the early parts of this 83rd virtual ops series, preparing to dispatch trains to each other's layouts.  Cars have been coming into West Mill from various locations to be forwarded to the N.Y.C.T.L. and the A.P.R.R.  We'll follow more action at West Mill but first let's go over to the Kings Port & Western's Williams Yard where other cars to be forwarded to John's and Neal's layouts are gathering.

Extra #1805 originating at East Deerfield, Mass headed by a pooled power PC/B&M consist arrives at the KP&W's Williams Yard.

Included in the manifest are three B&M RBLs loaded with TV cabinets for Zenith TV in Bloomberg from Yankee Veneer.

...and a Swift reefer from its home plant loaded with frozen meat for Ralph's Grocery Warehouse.

Meanwhile, not far away in Kings Port, KP Steel's industrial loco #2 prepares to set some cars out on the interchange with the Penn Central.

#2 pushes gons KP&W # 2140 and MCRR #350623 loaded with steel slabs for Mid Island Steel...

...along with two coil coaches loaded with steel coils for Ford on John's layout.

We'll catch up with these cars later when West Mill dispatches its first of two trains to Selkirk that will continue to Terminal Yard.  That train will pick up the four cars on the interchange.

Let's go back to West Mill.  Yard switcher #8951 is busy as usual assembling a three car cut for the A.P.R.R. that will be set on a siding for the next train to Weehawken where they will be picked up for the run to Rock Ridge Yard on Neal's layout.

The 50 foot Hoschton Railway Co. car was picked up from Canton Box loaded with cartons for Freihoefers.   Those soft chocolate chip cookies come in boxes you know! 

It is shoved into KP&W boxcar #15638 carrying bricks from Port Owen Brick Co. for American Hardware Rock Ridge, and Empire Belt drop end mill gon #509823 loaded with steel coils for Shapeless Steel.   This completes the short A.P.R.R. cut.

Watch #8951 pull the cut from the yard and set it on a siding for pick up by the next Extra to Weehawken, due in three hours, in the video below:

Switcher #8951 returns to the yard to build a train for Terminal Yard. Three NYC double door boxcars are moved out of the way as part of the process.

Watch as the expected train for Weehawken, Extra # 7675 powered by a GP38/F7B lashup, arrives and picks up the three cars for the APRR while the switcher continues its work.

Extra #7675 is ready to go and gets permission to proceed to Weehawken with the three cars for the A.P.R.R. in tow. Watch the train leave while #8951 keeps plugging away moving auto parts cars at West Mill in the video below.

After Extra #7675 leaves, the yard switcher finishes assembling the train for Selkirk.  Power called to haul it out of West Mill is SD35 #6017 and GP38-2 #8046.

The road crew boards after the hostler couples the locomotives to the train, now designated as Extra #8046. 

Watch the Extra leave West Mill in the video below:

The Selkirk-bound train reaches Kings Port later in the afternoon

Remember that the four cars set out for Extra 8046 include the two coil cars for Ford and the gons of steel slabs for Mid Island Steel. 

Extra 8046 is composed of a block of cars for Bedford Park on John's layout and another block for his LIRR interchange at North Side Yard.  In order to neatly preserve the two blocks the train's conductor would like to place the four pick ups behind the PRR auto parts car and the flat in front of the pole load seen below.

One hitch realized a bit too late:  The EL car right behind the locomotives should be part of the second block for the LIRR instead of being in front of the Bedford Park block!   The yard and train crews should have caught that!  (So should the 1:1 scale modeler!)

After a few self-administered palm to head slaps in the cab the guys figure out the plan.  EL #73510 is pulled along to grab the two coil coaches for Ford and the Bedford Park block.  

The coil coaches are then moved to the head end of the Bedford Park block with the auto parts cars.

EL 73510 is then coupled to the two gons for the LIRR block.

The entire Bedford block is then pulled forward and coupled to the EL car.

Once the Bedford Block is coupled in front of these LIRR-bound cars they are all shoved back toward the rest of the train composed  of the rest of the cars for the LIRR. 

The train is now properly configured for hopefully easy work at Selkirk and Terminal Yard.

The Bedford Park Block ends with the PRR 86 footer in the far right side of the photo...

...while the LIRR Block begins with our troublesome friend, EL #73510.

After checking all connections (and triple checking the paperwork!)  Extra 8046 heads out of Kings Port, north to Selkirk!

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Check back  tomorrow to watch West Mill dispatch the second train for Terminal Yard with additional pick ups in Kings Port!