P.C.C.M. 37B: WV-2 picks up the cut for Terminal Yard

Red signals indicate the coming of PC Train WV-2 (Weehawken to Selkirk) at the south end of town.   Led by a trio of EMD GP38-2s, the train slows as it passes West Mill Yard and the cut of cars it will pick up from the ready track.

The 60 foot TOC/PC auto parts car on the right is at the rear of the Terminal Yard cut to be picked up by WV-2.

The head end of WV-2 rolls by more of the Terminal Yard cut.

WV-2 stops and a cut is made one car behind the Lehigh Valley car seen below. The front part of the train will then pull ahead and back up to pull the cars bound for Terminal Yard waiting on the ready track.

The three unit consist approaches WM Tower with its shortened number of cars...

...and makes the backup move to couple onto the cut for Terminal Yard.

Before going any further,  GE U33C #6554 notches up to leave the engine tracks and slowly moves to join the GP38-2 consist.  This unit has been assigned to mineral and ore service but was not included in the consist for the recently dispatched empty unit coal train UKP-2 for Hudson Coal.  Since it will be needed for future loaded unit trains it is being sent to Terminal Yard to join sister U- Boats already awaiting assignment there.   

Coupling up to form a four unit consist.

The power backs up the train to couple onto the rest of the original WV-2 cars left behind and will run with the Terminal Yard block in the middle of the train.

Pulling forward after receiving permission to proceed, the Terminal Yard cut seen crossing the streets near WM Tower includes  BAR #5526 for Shaws Grocery Distributors and P&E #3638 for Pilgrim State Hospital...

...and  P&LE drop end mill gondola #40331 with its girder load (for a New York DOT bridge project) and spacer cars...

...as well as two empty TOFCs.

Two B&M RBL cars #109 and 110 for Superior Furniture in West Empire City.

A block of cars for East Side Empire City: PC #229046 for Ralph's Grocery Warehouse, PC #77047 with bags of aggregate for Neal's Lumber and Hardware, and two steel coil cars for Gervais Pipe and Fittings.

Cars blocked for the Bedford and Bedford Park area:  TPFX #5510 and PC #160502 for University Milling, and NYC covered hopper #892010 for Hostess Wonder Bread... 

...and three 60 foot auto parts cars for Ford Motor Co. which end the Terminal Yard cut.

The rest of WV-2 follows behind...

Now that WV-2 is beyond the yard limits, the crew of the NYC switcher gets to work moving covered hoppers (recently received from unit grain train JWM-1) over to Empire Grain.

That wraps up the Kings Port Division's role in P.C.C.M. #37.   

Follow the subsequent action soon on John's New York Central Train Layout blog!   
http://newyorkcentrallayout.blogspot.com/ 

P.C.C.M. #37: Cars for Terminal Yard assembled at West Mill

Hello everyone!   Time to initiate the next Penn Central Car Movement  series (P.C.C.M. #37) between the Kings Port Division and John's New York Central Train Layout.    The yard crew at West Mill gets things started by assembling a cut of cars that will be picked up by Penn Central train WV-2 (Weehawken to Selkirk) for eventual forwarding to Terminal Yard at Empire City.

Faithful SD9 #6922 gets the assignment to pull cars from West Mill Yard for the cut for Terminal Yard.

The first move involves pulling three 60 foot auto parts cars for Ford Motor Co.  The three 60 footers (TOC/PC #350562, KP&W #50335, and NYC #53051) are then set out on the ready track for pick up by WV-2.

The three 60 footers on the ready track in the background, SD9 #6922 pulls PC 50 ft boxcar #229046 loaded with cake mix for Ralph's Grocery Warehouse, and 40 ft. PC boxcar #77047 full of bagged aggregate for Neal's Lumber and Hardware.

The two boxcars are moved over to the next track and pushed into two KP&W steel coil cars for Gervais Pipe and Fittings.

The two PC boxcars and the coil cars are shifted to track #2 to pick up NYC covered hopper #892010 loaded with flour for Hostess Wonder Bread.  A  depressed well flat car is in between the cars but will be set aside later.

The string is moved back to the next track to pick up PC #160502 and TPFX #5510, both empty for University Milling.

Cars are set out on the ready track

The rest of the string couples up after discarding the depressed well flat car

The next work is to pick up to B&M RBL cars from Corning Glass carefully loaded with glass sheets for Superior Furniture.

The two B&M cars join the cut on the ready track.

The next work brings out Yardmaster Cappy Foster who wants to observe the movement of a large bridge girder load on a drop end mill gondola with two spacer flat cars. 

Two empty TOFCs are coupled to the end of the girder load consist.

The girder load and TOFCs are set out on the ready track.

#6922 runs back into the yard for the last move, picking up P&E #3638  loaded with packaged meals for Pilgrim State Hospital and BAR #5526 also loaded with packaged meals for Shaw's Grocery Warehouse in Wells Maine.

Cars for WV-2 are now ready to go!

Next Up: WV-2 arrives for the pick up.

Intra-layout car movments preparing for virtual ops.

Hello all!

John's New York Central Train Layout and my Kings Port Division are preparing for another Penn Central  Car Movement (P.C.C.M.) series.   This will be the 37th time we've engaged in our "virtual ops" of representing sending cars to each other's layout by photographing identical cars on our own.    Over the last two years we've purchased or created over 40 matching cars we can use in the virtual ops.  Developing an operations scheme for them has led us to get more organized.  

Over successive P.C.C.M.s we learned that we'd like to increase the number of operations options for the cars instead of always sending a particular car back and forth between just two consignees.  We came up with what we call the Rail traffic Management Form which lists each of the cars we own in common and creates cycles of car movements for each  These range from two to six destinations per car.

Here is one page of the Rail Traffic Management form.

Take a look at NYC boxcar #80755 underlined on the sheet above.  It has five cycles of operations.   The first is loading barrels of ink at Drywell Inks on the New York Central Train Layout.   It was then sent to my layout where it was spotted at Canton Box Co. where the drums of ink were unloaded for printing on boxes.

The next cycle involves reloading the car with new boxes for Quality Fabrications, a machine shop that does subcontracted work. This involved a transfer to the Kings Port & Western and movement along its Mountain Branch.

After the boxes are unloaded, Quality Fabrications employees will load the car with parts for Reliable Machine on the New York Central Train Layout.   After that it will return to Drywell Inks for more barrels of ink....

This is just one example of how the Rail Traffic Management form works to help us plan operations.  In addition to providing greater variety, the car movement cycles also free us from the "what car should I send him and to where?" conversations in our heads.

Here are a two more examples of intra-layout moves on the Kings Port Division that are set ups for eventual car movements to the New York Central Train Layout

BAR car #5526 is being picked up from Cavendish foods and Spirits with a load to send now to the N.Y.C.T.L. for forwarding to Shaws Grocery Distributor in Wells Maine.  Covered hopper TDLX #7241 (Cargill), however, is being forwarded to Empire Grain, a Kings Port Division industry near West Mill Yard.

The car is spotted later at Empire Grain.  From here it will be sent to Cargill on the N.Y.C.T.L.

One more:  Illinois Central boxcar #30130 was unloaded at Reynolds Beverage Distributors

It was then forwarded empty to Cavendish foods and Spirits to be loaded with packaged meals for Pilgrim Stage Hospital which is accessed via the N.Y.C.T.L. to a connection with the Long Island Railroad.  

Most of the cars pictured above will not be forwarded to Terminal Yard on the N.Y.C.T.L. in the immediately upcoming P.C.C.M. series.  But, they will be featured in the next one I am responsible for initiating, after John's next P.C.C.M. series.  Cars for the upcoming P.C.C.M. #37 are already waiting at West Mill Yard to be assembled into a train, having arrived earlier at West Mill either as part of a Penn Central or Kings Port & Western locals.

Next up:  P.C.C.M. 37 gets underway with cars for Terminal Yard being picked up by Penn Central Train WV-2.

Thanks for taking a look!