PCCM 105: Part 3 on the KPD

 Hello once again!

We're continuing our 105th virtual ops between John's New York Central Train Layout, Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R., and my own Kings Port Division. 

 Extra 6533 dispatched from John's Terminal Yard runs through Selkirk while train BA-4 heads out on the former Boston and Albany line.

 An hour and a half later Extra 6533 arrives at West Mill.

The train is too long to enter West Mill Yard and stretches the length of the town.

GP9m #7270 will be used to pull the cars off in 3 blocks for the yard.

Watch the #7270 bring Extra #6533's cars into the yard.  Our local railfan videographer captured the repetitive action as three blocks were removed separately.  This video might be for diehard fans only.  :)

The #7270 sets out the bay window caboose for the U Boats to pick up and return lite to Selkirk.

SW9 #8951 prepares to deliver six grain cars to nearby Empire Grain.    Everyone's attention, however, is interrupted by the passing of a Kings Port & Western Transfer from Mayfield for Williams Yard in Kings Port.  The train is a string of old cattle cars that are being mothballed.  There was once a busy meat packing business in the Mayfield region that these cars served daily but those days are gone.

The power for this ghost train, the road's last aging C Liner, isn't too far from retirement and the blowtorch itself!

The West Mill guys watch the old wooden slatted cars creak by...

After the dust settles its time to get back to work!

Watch #8951 work hard to make the delivery to Empire Grain

The next train to be dispatched from West Mill is a transfer to the KP&W's Mayfield Yard.  This train will haul the six empty coal hoppers from Empire Power Authority back to the LV coal connection.   It will also bring a pair of KP&W cement hoppers.

The train will be powered by GP38-2 #8150 running long end forward.

Watch the 8150 roll into the yard to get into position for the backup move its train will make to leave West Mill for Mayfield Yard.  SW9 #8951 builds the train for the GP38-2.

After being assembled the transfer is cleared to leave the yard limits and proceed to Mayfield where once again LV power is waiting to take empty hoppers to its coal mine region.

The final train of the series is a Southbound Local to deliver six empty PS2 hoppers to Tri Mount Cement.  Those cars will ride along with several empty boxcars dropped off during the West Mill crew's lunch break by a passing WV-2.   (we missed it!) The string of non-player boxcars is for Half Moon Wholesale Lumber.

The PS2s and boxcars will travel south behind a pair of GP20s.

 Watch the Southbound Local leave West Mill.  The PS2s are then set out at Tri Mount Cement.

That concludes the action in this series on the KPD!  Thanks for following along!

PCCM 105: Part 2 on the PD

Hello again! 

We're continuing our one weekend/three layout Penn Central Car Movement virtual ops between John's New York Central Train Layout, Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R., and my own Kings Port Division. 

Its Saturday morning and time for the special weekly Spring and Summer runs of a vintage Doodlebug up the Catskill Branch to Bloomberg! This popular day trip brings out the railfans of West Mill!  A crowd is gathering at the commuter station.

Looks like 1/87th scale Emory is here to photo-document the run!

 Watch the Doodlebug leave West Mill in the video below:

Later in the afternoon a couple of the  Old Heads at West Mill are spending the end their shift talking about "the good ol' days".  

 Their conversation about better times is interrupted by the arrival of WV-2 with six empty coal hoppers from Neal's APRR.

 The hoppers are separated from the rest of the train to be set out at West Mill.

WV-2's consist shoves the hoppers onto a nearby siding before continuing on to Selkirk

After the WV-2 leaves West Mill, the yard's SW9 switcher goes out to grab the empty hoppers.

...and brings them into the yard.

The hoppers will be transferred to the KP&W's Mayfield Yard where they will later be forwarded to the Lehigh Valley and its coal connection.  GP38-2 #8045 and GP7 #5689 have been assigned to the Mayfield Transfer and await their manifest of cars.

Switcher #8951 supplies the cars by shoving them into the waiting consist.

The six empty hoppers are in front of the non-player bulkhead flatcars.

The #8951 tacks on a bay window caboose still wearing its NYC heritage to finish off the Mayfield Transfer.

Meanwhile, over at Mayfield a set of Lehigh Valley power waits for more empty coal hoppers to take to the mines.   The string of empties behind the locomotives will run with the six hoppers coming from West Mill.

A D&H freight is also seen arriving at Mayfield.   As bridge lines the KP&W and the Delaware & Hudson are often more competitors than collaborators but they sometimes find it beneficial to work in cooperation with each other.

Returning our attention to West Mill the Penn Central transfer backs out of the yard for the run to Mayfield.

The empty hoppers from Neal's APRR will soon be on their way on the LV.    That concludes this installment!   Come back tomorrow as John's Terminal Yard dispatches a train to the Kings Port Division.

PCCM 105: Part 1 on the KPD

 Greetings virtual ops fans!

We're back with a three layout Penn Central Car Movement virtual ops between John's New York Central Train Layout, Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R., and my own Kings Port Division.  This time we're focusing on the theme of hoppers; open hoppers for coal and covered hoppers for grain and cement that will travel between our three layouts.

West Mill yard is currently empty this morning and ready for the sequence of trains and car movements in this series!

Its not long before we hear a horn blast from the South Local returning to West Mill.  The train had been dispatched earlier this morning to serve Tri Mount Cement and Half Moon Wholesale Lumber.  Its bringing cars from both industries back to West Mill.

Watch the South Local arrive in the video below.   The boxcars and bulkhead flats from Half Moon are non-player cars while the cement hoppers are loaded for Lombo Concrete served by the LIRR connection on John's layout.

Grain hoppers come to our attention next as the yard's SW9 switcher #8951 pulls a string of six cars from Empire Grain.   These will be forwarded to Pier 16 near John's Terminal Yard.

A crewman checks connections between the covered hoppers before they are pulled from the grain complex.

SW9# 8951 receives instructions from WM tower before making its move.

Watch the action at Empire Grain in the video below:

The #8951 is instructed to hold the covered hoppers on the siding because of an approaching Kings Port & Western transfer run from Mayfield Yard.  

The turnout on the main is realigned to allow the KP&W transfer to pass by on its way to West Mill Yard.

Watch the KP&W transfer from Mayfield roll by while the covered hoppers wait to access the mainline.  Once the transfer has cleared the main and enters the yard limits the SW9 gives the grain cars the shove!

 After the KP&W RS3 and F7A return caboose lite to Mayfield, SW9 #8951 brings the grain cars into West Mill Yard.

Now that all of the cars scheduled to be forwarded to the N.Y.C.T.L. are at West Mill Yard the #8951 gets to work blocking them according to orders from Terminal Yard.

Six covered cement hoppers for Lombo Concrete will be placed at the rear of the train.

The six grain cars for Pier 16 will make up the first block followed by the six coal hoppers for the Empire Power Authority.

An NYC bay window caboose is tacked onto the end of the blocks of cars.

Power for the run over the "Selkirk Hurdle" to Terminal Yard will be U28C #6533 and U33C #6554.  Watch the pair of six axle GE units couple to the train and pull it out of West Mill in the video below:

 The train designated as Extra 6533 is later seen running through Selkirk on it way to Terminal Yard, closely followed by the arrival of train EV-4 from Enola.

Meanwhile, demand for cement has been high this last quarter and Tri Mount Cement is working three shifts to meet customer orders. A second shipment of loaded cars arrives at West Mill.  Six of these will be forwarded to Neal's APRR for transfer to their connection with the M&E.

The cement job is brought to West Mill by the newest motive power addition to the Kings Port Division GP9m #7270    

This second cement job of the day drops off six cars at the siding for the VW-1 to pick up later.  They will be heading to Neal's APRR which will forward them to the M&E.

 The rest of the cars are pushed into West Mill Yard.  These non-player cars will presumably be delivered to other consignees.

The West Mill gang takes a look at the latest power addition to the Kings Port Division, GP9m #7270.  The engineer getting off the unit reports that it ran very well.

The six cement cars for Neal's APRR to forward to the M&E are picked up for their trip south to Weehawken by train VW-1. 

After arriving at Weehawken they will be sorted into a train to Rock Ridge Yard.   That's it for today but check back tomorrow for more virtual ops action!