Hello!
'Tis the season for our annual Holiday Coal Run! The moves will involve empty coal hoppers being sent from Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R. and my Kings Port Division to John's New York Central Train Layout for loading at his Hudson Coal. The loaded hoppers will be forwarded to consignees to the North...some very North!
The action on the Kings Port Division begins at West Mill Yard where SD9 # 6922 is fired up to work the recently arrived car float carrying empty hoppers from the Con Ed plant over in Port Owen.
While #6922 is started up to work the carfloat we can see the unit train of empty hoppers Neal's APRR dispatched from Rock Ridge Yard to Selkirk rolling by in the background. SW9 #8951 photo bombs the scene while moving a caboose.
Watch the carfloat unloading action in the video below:
After the carfloat's empties are set on Track #3 the sound of First Generation Geeps can be heard from the South end of town. Its the Cement Job returning from Tri Mount Cement with more empty hoppers!
Watch the Cement Job arrive and back the empty hoppers into West Mill Yard, next to the carfloat string that was set out earlier.
West Mill is beginning to fill up with empty hoppers!
After the West Mill crew removed the Cement Job's caboose it readied the two tracks full of hoppers for pick up by a scheduled unit coal train (URN-1A) which will be arriving soon.
Watch URN-1A arrive headed by pooled PC/B&O F7A power.
West Mill is a crew change and engine service stop for this train before it continues over the "Selkirk Hurdle" on its way to Terminal Yard on John's layout. The original crew steps off....
...and a West Mill crewman uncouples the consist for the hostler to bring the units into the locomotive service pad.
Watch the F unit consist leave the train for service in the video below:
The B&O units are occasionally seen at West Mill on run-through trains like URN-1A. Local railfans always enjoy seeing foreign roads make an appearance here. The LV and KP&W are more commonly seen at West Mill.
While URN-1A's power is being serviced, West Mill's RSD12 #6869 is assigned the task of adding the empty hoppers from Con Ed and Tri Mount Cement to the train for Terminal Yard. Watch it work in the video below:
The string of hoppers has been pulled beyond WM Tower and the entrance to West Mill Yard. The portly West Mill switchman bending the iron to align the switch for the mainline contemplates starting a routine of having Grape Nuts for breakfast tomorrow. Darned billboard advertising! You see it every day and it gets in your head!
Watch the hoppers get the shove on the mainline to join the rest of URN-1A in the video below:
RSD12 #6869 leaves the hoppers and returns to the yard.
The PC/B&O lashup is sanded, fueled, and ready to go. Watch the West Mill hostler bring it back to the head end of URN-1A.
The new crew boards the lead unit to take URN-1A to Selkirk and Terminal Yard. Connections are checked by West Mill crewmen and the air is pumped up. The dispatcher in the Kings Port Tower several miles away gives URN-1A permission to depart West Mill.
Watch URN-1A leave West Mill in the video below:
An hour and a half later the train reaches Selkirk Yard.
Watch URN-1A roll through Selkirk on its way to Terminal Yard in the video below:
That concludes the first installment of this special coal op from the Kings Port Division. Check Neal's and John's blogs for more action! Come back here on Sunday to see the hoppers that will be loaded at Hudson Coal on John's layout make their way to northern consignees!
To: West Mill / Rock Ridge
ReplyDeleteFrom: Terminal Yard
Acknowledge AP hopper train passing West Mill Yard en route to Selkirk.
Acknowledge SD9 6922 unloading empty coal hoppers from Port Owen Con Ed Plant off the West Mill Car Float.
Acknowledge Cement Job returning to West Mill with empty coal hoppers from Tri Mount Cement.
Acknowledge Empty coal hopper train URN-1A arriving at West Mill with PC & B&O pooled power.
Acknowledge URN-1A crew change and power serviced at West Mill.
Acknowledge RSD12 6869 adding empty hoppers from Tri Mount and Con Ed to the URN-1A hopper consist.
Acknowledge PC & B&O pooled power coupled back onto the URN-1A.
Acknowledge unit hopper train URN-1A departing West Mill for Selkirk.
Acknowledge unit hopper train passing thru Perlman Yard and heading towards Terminal Yard.
Terminal Yard out...
Great start to the Holiday Coal Op Ralph!!! West Mill was again the center of it all marshalling the empty hoppers and adding them to Train URN-1A. I've always liked the PC-B&O pooled power consist and it looked great in this edition of our Holiday Coal Op. Nice special effects with the 6922 smoking it up and the 8951 photobombing the AP train. The West Mill Yard crew did a bang up job coordinating the train movements and adding the local empty hoppers to URN-1A. The run thru Selkirk was nicely done with the foreground cars nicely placed and movements well choregraphed. Well Done!!!
Thanks John! I look forward to these occasional all-coal ops!
ReplyDeleteTo: West Mill
ReplyDeleteTo: Terminal Yard
From: Rock Ridge
Acknowledgement: AP coal train passing West Mill to Selkirk
Acknowledgement: Engine 6922 working car float pulling empty coal card from Port Owen
Acknowledgement: Train Cement Job returns to West Mill with more empty hoppers
Acknowledgement: Train URN-1A arrives at West Mill with empty hoppers
Acknowledgement: B&O power serviced at West Mill
Acknowledgement: Train URN-1A departs West Mill for Terminal Yard
Rock Ridge Yard Out!
Nice start to our PCCM 97. Starting the action at the car float always gets my attention as many railroads don’t have that type of action. The crew at West Mill had their hands full with all of those empty coal hoppers. As always, they get the job done.