NYC ALCOs lead Train DCN-2

Greetings All,

The last virtual ops of the year for me is under way. This is the 24th installment of the Penn Central Car Movement Series between my New York Central Train Layout and Ralph V's Kings Port Division http://kingsportdivision.blogspot.com/
All told there have been 25 virtual ops sessions since February 1st. #25 is a unit coal coal train that originated at Hudson Coal on my layout and is consigned to Kings Port Steel, that recently reopened after a 1/87th scale labor strike, on Ralph's layout. 

With the N.Y.C.T.L. getting ready for it's annual Holiday Display running the last train from Selkirk for the 2016 year has arrived in grand style. Let's check the action;

ALCO NYC cigar band FA-FB-FB-FA lash up leads Train DCN-2 (Dewitt to Empire City) over the Cornelius Vanderbilt Memorial Bridge. DCN-2 left Dewitt at 4:30 PM. Stopped at Selkirk at 9:00 PM, where it received a block of cars from West Mill. DCN-2 left Selkirk at 9:30 PM and is due at Terminal Yard at 5:00 AM.  

The four ALCO'S have the train  well in hand. Block 1, which originated at West Mill on the Kings Port Division can be seen stretching across the High Line.

Empty covered hoppers, three NYC 50' double door boxcars and a 60' Auto Parts car roll over the REA Terminal and the NYC Water Street Freight Terminal. 

More Auto Parts cars destined for the Bedford Park Ford Plant, some 40' boxcars, empty T.O.F.C. flats and an IC 40ft boxcar round out block #1 from West Mill

Block 2 is pure Railway Express Agency. High value loads shipped at higher prices make this block of cars a high priority.  

There are few places in the world in 1969 to see a true ALCO FA-FB-FB-FA lash up. One can travel to the Boston area to see the ALCO's run on a regular basis out of Dover Street on Trains BL-1/LB-2 (Boston- Lowell) or one can travel to Empire City NY to catch matched ALCO's in service.  

The four unit set cruises into Terminal Yard right on time

DCN-2 has yarded the train on track #8. Below an Athearn BB Chessie System switcher is working Terminal Yard as part of the Holiday Display running. The crew has pulled block 2 off the train and will drop it on track 7.

The switch crew has pulled the two empty T.O.F.C. cars from block 1 and is shoving them into track 9 where they will be loaded with highway trailers.

The ALCO's idle away on track 8 while the empty T.O.F.C. cars from Williams Yard get shoved to their loading spot on track 9. 

With the talks of work stoppages and labor strikes in the past the 1/87th scale engineers and trainmen of the N.Y.C.T.L. admire the ALCOs.  

The switch crew is back to work cutting and blocking the cars from DCN-2 

The Bedford Park block is pulled from Track 8 to allow the locomotives to escape. Careful attention to detail and blocking of the cars at West Mill have made today's yard work very easy for the Terminal Yard Crew. Sharp eyes will catch the US Army GP-9 and Amtrak GE Dash 8 in the background! 

A corporeal line up of N.Y.C.T.L. engines. Amtrak and US Army units have been temporarily removed.

ALCO NYC FA-FB-FB-FA lash ups are in the foreground. A Proto 2000 E8A and P-2000 GP20 numbered into the PC await assignment

Thanks for reading!