P.C.C.M. #50 part 6: The KP&W wraps it up!

Hey everyone!

Its been a long series with multiple posts between the five layouts involved in our current virtual operations but we've seen a lot of excellent car forwarding, scenery, and rolling stock among them!

Track the action:

John R.'s New York Central Train Layout

Neal's Atlantic Pacific R.R.

John B.'s Los Feliz & North Western

Brian's Ralston Creek Railroad

The remaining car forwarding on my Kings Port Division has been turned over to the Kings Port & Western at West Mill Yard where it interchanges with the Penn Central.

Here is a video of a train dispatched up the Mountain Branch:

Here is a video of the second train, a transfer run to Mayfield Yard:

That completes my involvement in P.C.C.M. #50!  Thanks for following along!

P.C.C.M. #50H part 5

Greetings railfans!

We're finishing up the run of Penn Central's  Kings Port Turn, which in the last installment was seen heading toward Williams Yard.  

This installment covers the set outs at Williams Yard, the KP&W's involvement with some of them, and the Turn's return trip to West Mill.

I learned that I exceeded the video upload limit so I've split the film into two parts.

Here's the first one!

And here is the second!

Thanks for following along!
One more installment to come as the KP&W delivers four cars

P.C.C.M. #50 Part 4: The Kings Port Turn continues its work

Hello again!

This is my fourth installment of the P.C.C.M. 50 series which has certainly generated a LOT of railroad action across five layouts!

Here on the Kings Port Division we're still following the Kings Port Turn as it delivers cars that were forwarded to West Mill Yard.    

Today the action focuses on KP Steel in the video below:

More to come!

P.C.C.M. #50H: Part 3 (The Kings Port Turn)

Hi gang!

We are continuing the delivery of cars forwarded to West Mill in this current landmark 50th virtual ops series between five layouts! 
In this installment we begin following the Kings Port Turn out of West Mill.

As usual the power for this train is a pair of reliable ALCO RSD-12s.  They only stalled out and created a smoke show once so far on the Kings Port Division!

Industries served will include the Kings Port Team Track for LaRoche Cycle, Reynolds Beverage Distributors, Booms Ready Mix, KP Steel, Battaglia Brothers Warehouse, Blue Ribbon Flour, the Hudson Valley Coop, and Hedberg Aggregates.

The following video will focus on the first three set outs.   There is no narration today as my voice was somewhat scratchy (hope to not be catching a cold!) but I've provided captions.

Thanks for following along!

P,C.C.M. 50H part 2

Hi gang!

Now that cars have arrived at West Mill from Selkirk and points beyond, its time to forward them to their consignees.   Yardmaster Cappy Foster has received a call from the Division Superintendent to be sure to deliver the depressed well flat with the Caterpillar loader to Sal's Salvage ASAP.   This has Cappy fuming, partly because he doesn't need some Brass Hat telling him how to do his job, and also because he knows Sal is a shady character with connections who probably greased the Soop's palm to get his loader moved right away.  "Figures he's in Sal's pocket", Cappy grouses.

Here's a photo of the loader passing Sal's Salvage as it came in on VW-1 the other day.  Sal probably got on the horn ten seconds later to encourage its swift delivery.

Here is a video of the delivery!

That's one car down!  More to come!   

P.C.C.M. 50H: The Train from Selkirk Arrives at West Mill

Hi all!

Welcome to the second half of the landmark P.C.C.M. 50 series!   As we continue our virtual ops involving five layouts we find ourselves again on the Kings Port Division.   The other day our hapless heroes,  the Kings Port Railfan Society, caught wind of a Wreck Train being dispatched from Terminal Yard and hoped to catch it at this grade crossing in West Mill.  

 See how John R. dispatched this Wreck Train on the New York Central Train Layout:
https://newyorkcentrallayout.blogspot.com/2018/10/terminal-yard-wreck-train-heads-to.html

Club members Benny, Chooch, Easy, and T.C. confer with a crewman who is protecting the crossing for the imminent arrival of the Wreck Train.    He's seen some foamers in his time but these guys are something else....

Arrggh!  While trying to avoid getting stung after stepping on a mud wasp nest near the entrance to Sal's Salvage, Benny stumbled into the Society's camera tripod just as Chooch was lining up video of the passing Wreck Train!   This single image of one of the big hooks is all they take away from the outing...that and Benny's sore foot.

Oh well.  The good news is the wrecker later cleared a derailment on the line south of Weehawken so trains from Rock Ridge can resume heading northbound.   See the first train dispatched from Rock Ridge toward Selkirk on Neal's layout:
http://atlanticpacificrailroad.blogspot.com/2018/10/pccm-50f-tracks-to-from-rock-ridge-are.html

The Kings Port Railfan Society missed this one too.  They were in their car debating whether to drive Benny to the hospital or to just grab some pie at Dave's Diner in Kings Port.

Meanwhile, since its Saturday the Kings Port & Western Railroad is not running trains from West Mill up its branch lines.  This gives the Catskill Mountain Railfan Association (a much more organized railfan club!) the opportunity to run one of their fan trip excursions up the Mountain Branch to treat riders to some exquisite Catskill scenery.  Fans board the vintage PRR Doodle bug at the abandoned West Mill station.  The C.M.R.A. hopes to purchase and restore the station some day.

The fan trip gets underway in time to avoid interfering with PC Train VW-1, a long manifest to Weehawken that will stop at West Mill for set outs and pick ups. 

Things are quiet at Ulster Ave until a train blast heralds the approach of a short mixed freight from Kings Port to West Mill.  It has orders to stop at Ulster Ave and hold for VW-1 to over take it.

The freight stops over the grade crossing to protect motorists from the hotter VW-1

Five minutes later VW-1 plows through town and passes by the waiting train.

Powered by an all EMD set of covered wagons, the lead is an F7A followed by to FP7s.

VW-1 rolls by.

The boys of the Kings Port Railfan Society decided Benny would live and opted for pie at Dave's.  While there they actually got some video coverage of the two trains at Ulster Ave.!  Unfortunately they ran out of film after the cut for West Mill rolled by and did not catch the entire train!

VW-1 arrives later at West Mill, passing WM tower.

Once again Sal Monella has ordered a Caterpillar loaner loader.   Its surprising that Caterpillar would take another risk on Sal since the location of an earlier loaner unit is still in dispute.  Rumors about Sal talking to a guy who knows a guy or making the proverbial unrefusable offer abound!    Sal eyes the loader on this depressed well flat car as it passes, anticipating its delivery very soon.

The end of the West Mill cut stops in front of WM Tower...

...while the consist at the head end is idling near the Yard Office

The West Mill block is cut from the rest of the train and pulled forward....

....to allow yard switcher SD9 #6925 room to pull the cars into West Mill Yard.

Coupling up behind three 38 foot hoppers of ore for KP Steel the SD9 pulls them....

...Sal's Caterpillar loader....

...and three loads of irrigation pipe for the Hudson Valley Coop.

Next up are rolls of paper and ink for Catskill Mountain Press

...and three boxcars of toys for Battaglia Bros Warehouse in anticipation of Holiday Season store stocking.

The two cars for Catskill Mt. Press are at the rear of this most recent move into the yard. 

The last move pulls the remaining cars for West Mill starting with this PC covered hopper of barley for Cavendish Foods and Spirits.

The last car is uncoupled from VW-1's lashup.

...and the string of cars for destinations such as Hedberg Aggregates, LaRoche Cycle, Booms Ready Mix, ACME Auto Parts, and Reynolds Beverage Distributors is pulled away... 

...and shoved into the yard.

This PC Hi Cube is bound for ACME Auto parts.

The set outs at West Mill completed, its time to tack cars onto VW-1 to be forwarded to Rock Ridge Yard, beyond Weehawken, starting with these two corrugated gons loaded with steel coils for Shapeless Steel.

PC 360063 is loaded with Packaging for Freihoefers Bakery

Two KP&W carloads of washing machines for Three Amigos Warehouse.

A.P.R.R. #60358 and TPFX #5510 loaded with canned vegetables for C&P Restaurant Supply

And finally,, three PC RBL cars loaded with cardboard container material for Tropicana.

The cut is pushed to couple up with VW-1's waiting power.

After the locos back up to reclaim the rest of their train to Weehawken that was cut beyond WM Tower, VW-1 gets underway and is last seen ducking into the tunnel on the south side of town.

Take a look at what else is happening in this series on four other layouts!

John R.'s:  https://newyorkcentrallayout.blogspot.com/2018/10/pccm-50g-arrival-of-trains-at-terminal.html?showComment=1538841670404#c5088503554221980171

Neal's:  http://atlanticpacificrailroad.blogspot.com/2018/10/pccm-50f-tracks-to-from-rock-ridge-are.html

Brian's: https://ralsontoncreekrailroad.blogspot.com/

John B.'s:  http://modelrrmisc.blogspot.com/2018/10/pccm-50c-union-pacific-extra-53-east.html

P.C.C.M. 50: Dispatching the train to Selkirk

Hello!

Today is the day all participants in P.C.C.M. 50 are simultaneously dispatching trains to Selkirk!
 
After all of the behind the scenes work of gathering cars at West Mill Yard, train WMV-1 is being assembled for dispatch to Selkirk.    Yard Switcher #8951 has been working over time to get this train set up.

The first block of cars set out on the ready track are for interchange with the L.I.R.R. to locations such as Pilgrim State Hospital, Ronzoni....

...and Republic Steel.

The second block will be sent west to Colorado.

Block 1 couples to block 2

The third block is a large order of auto parts and steel coils for Ford Motor Co. carried by seven cars.

As the switcher crew finishes setting out the Ford cut an agitated radio call comes from the tower   A clerical error led to the failure to include PC covered hopper 890658 in the block for Colorado!   Some extra moves are required to correct the problem.  (OK...I forgot to include the car!).

The remaining cars are for Empire City industries. Cars loaded with new bottles for Heileman Brewery...

...and packaging for Heilemans as well...

The last cut added to the train includes NYC #80755 for Reliable Machine and IC #30130 loaded with soda for Ralph's Grocery Warehouse....

...along with two empty TOFC's for Terminal Yard.

 Their work finished, the switcher crew ties down #8951 while in the background....

...another crew has boarded a four unit consist of a GP38 and GP38-2s to power the Selkirk Run. Some PC fans believe the GP38/GP38-2 is The Iconic Locomotive of the Penn Central.   Is it? Ask John R. about his research into that sometime!  

The consist leaves the loco servicing track and couples onto the head end of the train.   The fourth unit wears the rare Orange C mating worms logo.

WMV-1 is waiting for permission to proceed as all four units burble away next to WM tower.

Looking back toward the yard WMV-1 stretches the entire length of West Mill.

The train's caboose is near the tunnel at the South end of town.   Maybe the conductor has enough time for an ice cream run before the head end gets the green!

Also waiting is Train WWM-3, Weehawken to West Mill which is anticipating its turn to set cars out in the yard.   The short train is powered by a GP35 still in PRR livery and an F7B...a typical oddball PC consist.

WMV-1 gets the Green Indication and the engineer notches up the throttle to pull this long train out of West Mill.

That's it for now!   We'll be resuming the virtual ops next week as those trains heading to Selkirk and sorted and cars are forwarded to their destinations.