PCCM 100: Part 4 on the KPD

 Hello virtual ops fans!

We're starting the "inbound" portion of our 100th Penn Central Car Movement series!  This milestone op includes John's New York Central Train Layout , Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R., my own Kings Port Division, and a special welcome back to Brian's Ralson Creek R.R.!

John dispatched PC train SK-5 to Selkirk with cars for my layout.   Unfortunately our railfan camera man just missed catching the multi- unit power John assigned to this freight but he did manage to film all of the cars on the train as it rolled into Perlman Yard.

Watch SK-5 arrive and come to a stop at Selkirk while a BM-10 transfer to Mechanicvlle via Rotterdam Jct. departs with three PCCM 60 foot auto parts cars at the front of the train.  These cars were forwarded to Selkirk from Mayfield's ACME Auto Parts for the Ford Motor Co. in Somerville, MA. 

The auto parts cars will later be seen at Mechanicville waiting to be put on a train to New England.

Back at Selkirk, Hew Haven boxcar #36116 loaded with aluminum cans from American Can in Deering Jct., Maine has been added to the tail end of the train.  

Watch the new assigned power for the train, now designated VKW-3, roll past its cars and then take the train out of Selkirk.  It will stop at Kings Port before terminating at West Mill.

One of the local hot spots in Kings Port for observing train action is Ulster Ave.  We're waiting here for the arrival of VKW-3 from Selkirk.   Watch the train arrive, stop to uncouple a cut of cars from the train, and then pull ahead to set them out at the Kings Port & Western's Williams Yard.

A PC crewman protects the shove as the cut of cars for Williams Yard is backed through the Ulster Ave crossing.  The Kings Port Railfan society has shown up in time again and decide to observe the action from the comfort of their VW bug.

Join the KPRS guys in watching the move toward Williams Yard. 

The SD35/ GP38-2 lashup grabbed the NH boxcar as a safety buffer to avoid coupling up to three tank cars, a violation of hazardous materials handling procedures.  Always carry your pocket manual to check on such circumstances and regulations!

VKW-3 will set out those three tankers at the Gulf loading rack. 

A brakeman is in position to  align the switch to the Gulf siding.

 Watch the set out at Gulf in the video below:

 The consist reunites with its train after making the set out at Gulf

After checking couplers and pumping up the air VKW-3 proceeds to West Mill.   It meets a Transfer to Williams Yard dispatched from West Mill.

The crewman protecting the crossing finally boards VKW-3 which stopped for him just a little up the line.

Uh oh!  It looks like deferred maintenance has caught up with the Penn Central at Kings Port as the Williams Yard Transfer is on the ground!  The nearby tower and station are evacuated but fortunately no fires erupt from that tank car and no injuries are recorded.  The bad news is that the line between Selkirk and Weehawken is now blocked.

Emergency vehicles arrive on the scene...

While the local police and fire department assess the damage and contact rail authorities regarding clean up, train VKW-3 arrives south of the accident at West Mill.
 

 The train is quickly broken up and the six coal hoppers for the Port Owen Con Ed power plant are placed on the car float.

Switcher #8951 begins work sorting cars into trains.

While this work is going on we see a Wreck Train from Weehawken pass by on its way to Kings Port to deal with the derailed transfer run to Williams Yard

The Wreck Train arrives at the scene in Kings Port.

Meanwhile at West Mill two cars have been sorted for a Bloomberg Turn.  The NYC Pacemaker is loaded with drums of Drywell Ink for Catskill Mountain Press while the NH boxcar is going to Van Winkle Canning with new cans from American Can in Deering Jct. Maine.

PC #360063 is loaded with bulk cardboard from Terminal Warehouse for Canton Box Co. just outside the yard.

PC boxcar #77047 is a problem.  It should have been set out at Williams Yard as part of the cut for Hedberg Aggregates.  Yard master Cappy Foster has a spirited discussion about the misdirected car with today's foreman and a crewman.

While Cappy & company continue their conversation a short Extra #1805 is seen arriving in the background.  These cars from Rock Ridge Yard forwarded to Weehawken would normally be placed on a WV-1 transfer to Selkik that would make an intermediate stop at West Mill.   The derailment at Kings Port foiled that plan so West Mill's cars were sent alone on the extra.

The Extra makes the usual back up move into West Mill Yard.

The last action for today has empty P&E #3638 added to the carfloat as an intra-layout move.  It will be forwarded to Port Owen Brick.

That concludes today's action on the Kings Port Division.   More to come tomorrow!

 

PCCM 100: Part 3 on the KPD

 Greetings once again!

We are well into our "outbound" parts of this current Penn Central Car Movement Series with Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R. , John's New York Central Train Layout, Brian's Ralston Creek R.R., and my own Kings Port Division.   

Yesterday several cars at West Mill Yard destined for John's N.Y.C.T.L. were ready to be assembled into a train for Selkirk.  Meanwhile another string of cars at Williams Yard is being assembled into a transfer run to West Mill.  Some of these will be forwarded to Neal's APRR.  

Lets look at the action at West Mill first.  The yard switcher couples the last car onto the front of the train for Selkirk which will be designated as WmV-6 (West Mill to Selkirk).

The rest of the train can be seen behind the State of Maine car

Watch the power for WmV-6 arrive, couple to the train,and take it out of town in the video below.  Note the rocking NYC double door boxcar, a testimony to the Penn Central's deferred maintenance!

While WmV-6 heads toward Kings Port on the way to Selkirk, the transfer from Williams Yard to West Mill gets its power, an F7A/GP9 set.  Watch the West Mill Transfer leave in the video below.  The gons with steel coils are the PCCM cars in this train.

The Kings Port Railfan Society has been talking to their friend and info source at KP Tower.  They learned about a possible meet between WmV-6 and the West Mill Transfer at Ulster Ave.! The guys speed over to the crossing and set up by Dave's Diner.

They got the straight scoop from the Tower and arrive in time to hear a horn concert as both trains cross Ulster Ave at the same time!

WmV-6 picks up PCCM cars for John's N.Y.C.T.L. at Williams Yard before continuing to Selkirk.

We'll see the train arrive at Selkirk later.  While WMV-6 is winding its way north, the KP&W's West Mill Transfer continues south and is later seen arriving at West Mill.

The West Mill Transfer is broken down and the loaded hoppers set on the carfloat for the Con Ed power plant in Port Owen.

The three gondolas of steel coils are added to a cut of cars for Neal's APRR that will be picked up by the next VW-1 from Selkirk to Weehawken.   Switcher #8951 handles the job.

Watch the action below:

A crewman aligns the switch for the cut to be set out next to the main for easy pick up by the next VW-1.

The cut is then shoved into place:

The cut for Neal's layout awaiting pick up by VW-1 stretches along West Mill Yard beginning with the Empire Belt gon loaded with steel coils for Shapeless Steel and ending with a KP&W boxcar loaded with bricks for Neal's Lumber and Hardware.

Meanwhile at Selkirk WMV-6 arrives with cars for John's layout just while a newly assembled southbound VW-1 slows to a stop waiting for clearance to leave the departure track for Weehawken.  PCCM cars on VW-1 include the Swift reefer loaded with frozen meat for C&P Restaurant Supply on Neal's APRR.

WmV-6 will be broken up and the cars humped at Selkirk.  Trains for Terminal Yard will also include three B&M RBLs from Habitant Soup for Ralph's Grocery Warehouse.  The blue RBLs cars were forwarded to Selkirk by the B&M via Mechanicville.   Other cars for Terminal Yard include the Rock Island and LV cars that came in on a freight from Buffalo's Frontier Yard.  RI #35062 is loaded with grocery products for Ralph's Grocery Warehouse.  LV #8274 is loaded with Delco batteries for Ford Motor Co.

More cars for Terminal Yard include the Triangle Pacific TPFX #5510 (the very first virtual ops car!) that was forwarded from Frontier Yard originally from Vancouver, British Columbia with lumber for University Millwork.  The Dresser Magcobar car loaded with Bentonite recently arrived at Selkirk on NY-4 from Chicago.

You will see these cars on trains arriving at Terminal Yard in John's inbound installments next weekend!

While the crews at Selkirk break down WmV-6 the southbound VW-1 arrives at West Mill an hour and half later. It picks up the cars bound for Rock Ridge Yard.

After making the pickup VW-1 continues on to Weehawken.  The cut for the APRR that was just picked up is at the front while the Swift Reefer for the APRR can be seen farther back in the train.

That's the end of the "outbound" installments for this series on the Kings Port Division!  See you next weekend for the "inbounds"!

PCCM 100: Part 2 on the KPD

 Hello again!

We're working on our 100th virtual ops Penn Central Car Movements!   Right now we're in the "outbounds" part of of the series in which we gather cars to be assembled into trains that will be dispatched to each other's layouts.

Several cars arrived at West Mill yesterday and were sorted into two strings; one for Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R. , and one for John's New York Central Train Layout.

There are still more cars to come!  This morning they are arriving by boat instead of rail as the tugboat Robert H. brings in the carfloat from Port Owen.   The barge is carrying two empty PS-2 covered hoppers and a loaded boxcar from Port Owen Brick Co.  The rest of the cars are empty hoppers from Port Owen's Con Ed. power plant which will make up a future PCCM 101 move.

SD9 #6922 is fired up as usual for carfloat pull duty.

Watch the carfloat get carefully unloaded in the video below:

After the carfloat work is completed West Mill dispatches a short Kings Port Turn that will pick up cars from Canton Box Co.....

Blue Ribbon Flour....

Reynolds Beverage Distributors....

and the Gulf facility.

Watch the Turn leave and then complete its first move at Canton
Box Co., exchanging an empty HRC RBL for P&LE boxcar #35892 now loaded with boxes for Sunshine Biscuits.

 After picking up P&LE #35892 the Turn brings it back into the yard rather than carry it along the journey to Kings Port.

After the set out the Turn continues on its way with just the two empty PS-2 hoppers in tow.

It later arrives at Kings Port

PC boxcar #104478 is picked up empty at Reynolds Beverage Distributors.  It will be forwarded as an intra-layout move to Amalgamated Container Co.

The Turn moves to the other end of Kings Port to set out the two PS-2 hoppers on the interchange track with the KP&W.   Layout changes made at the end of last year have altered the routing for these cars to Hedberg Aggregates.  They will be dispatched from the KP&W's Williams Yard, but more on that later.

The Kings Port Turn's work continues as it moves to pick up empty P&E boxcar #3638 from Blue Ribbon Flour.  The car will be forwarded to Port Owen Brick Co.

After running around the freight cars the Turn makes a final move to pick up TP&W boxcar #627 from Gulf.  The car is loaded with drums of cutting oil for Walsh Steel Wool.

After that last pickup the Turn heads back to West Mill.

Before finishing for today let's take a look over at Williams Yard in Kings Port where we'll find PCCM cars for both the N.Y.C.T.L. and the APRR.  The APRR hopper #9416 is returning empty to Hudson Coal while the four TOFCs will be heading to Terminal Yard, both on John's layout

Williams Yard sent out a Yard Local to pick up cars at KP Steel along with the two PS-2 hoppers left on the interchange earlier.   Watch the string of cars come into Williams Yard below.

The yard's S12 switcher places the APPR hopper in front of the string of TOFCs for the N.Y.C.T.L.

It then tacks the newest PCCM car, PC gon #525702,  behind the TOFCs.  This gon loaded with coils is going to Mid Island Steel.

Two corrugated PC gons #576104 & 576123 are loaded with coils for Shapeless Steel on the APRR...

..as is Empire Belt RR gon #509823.

A nonplayer string of loaded coal hoppers is coupled to the three gons for the APRR.   This string of freight cars for Neal's layout will be dispatched as a transfer to West Mill soon. 

The string for the N.Y.C.T.L. will remain at Williams Yard waiting for a train from West Mill to Selkirk Yard to pick them up.

We'll follow that action in tomorrow's installment!