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!