Empty Coal Hopper Train UKP-2 Arrives At Hudson Coal

Greetings All,

Penn Central Train UKP-2, a unit train of empty coal hoppers left West Mill on Ralph's Kings Port Division yesterday headed for Terminal Yard and Hudson Coal here on the N.Y.C.T.L. Check out the dispatching of UKP-2 and enjoy all the action leading up to this blog entry. You'll be glad you did!
http://kingsportdivision.blogspot.com/2017/07/unit-train-meet.html

Penn Central U28C #6533 and U30C #6538 bring train UKP-2 thru Empire City and head onto the High Line.

The U Boats and their string of empty hoppers make their way thru Bedford NY as they head towards Terminal Yard.

1/87th scale PC Ralph is back on his regular assignment working out of  Bedford Park Yard. He's giving train UKP-2 a rolling inspection and no doubt admiring the freelance hoppers from two layouts in 1/87th scale revenue service while he waits for the track to clear so he can work the Ford Plant.

1/87th scale Sir Neal is manning the front platform on E.B.R.R. #7278 and watches UKP-2 arrive at Terminal Yard while his train, EC-3, is building up air pressure. 

UKP-2 rolls thru Terminal Yard on track 8 and goes over the soon to be added Weigh in Motion scale. Looks like 1/87th scale PC Ralph has been busy at the Bedford Park Ford Plant judging by those auto racks with new automobiles. 

The Terminal Yard switcher has pulled the caboose off UKP-2 and heads towards the caboose servicing track. Behind teh coal hoppers, on track #7 is a block of freight cars destined for the Atlantic Pacific RR and the Kings Port Division.

Today's Coal Job gets some big power, a pair of SD9s still in PRR paint.

The engines couple up to the empty hoppers. UKP-2 is off the sheet and the train is now known as the Coal Job.

The Terminal Yard switcher tacks on the familiar Coal Job caboose. 

The Coal Job has left Terminal Yard and passes the loaded to the gills Hudson Coal.

The SD9s have dropped the empties on track #3 and are running around the hoppers on track#2

The big SD9s enter Hudson Coal. Note the crew has left their caboose just short of the switch into Hudson Coal and not with the empty hoppers. 

The SD9s pull the third of three tracks of loaded hoppers from Hudson Coal. The crew will back up and couple up to their caboose before heading out to get the empties.

The caboose has been placed on the main just shy of the switch. The SD9 will shove the empties back and gently couple on to the caboose and use it to protect the shove move around the curve leading back to Hudson Coal.

The Coal Job spots it final cut.

The Coal Job crew has reclaimed their caboose and after running caboose light on track #3 to Bedford Tower they have crossed over to track #2 and are now shoving the caboose to couple on to the loaded hoppers waiting on track #2.

 The caboose is tacked onto the end of the train.

The SD9s have run around on track #3 and have backed up to the loaded hoppers on track #2 where the train currently sits building air pressure. Meanwhile the Dispatcher has cleared Extra 2161 West, a steel products train, to proceed thru Bedford NY and enter Terminal Yard.

An over sized girder in the P&LE drop end mill gondola has a pair of empty flatcars for spacers followed by an E.B.R.R. caboose.

With Extra 2161 West reported as in the yard the dispatcher gives the Coal Job permission to proceed to Terminal Yard track#8

The Coal Job climbs the grade behind Hudson Coal towards Terminal Yard.

 The Coal Job arrives at Terminal Yard and heads towards track#8.

 A slow roll thru the weigh in motion scales on track 8

After the weighing is complete the loaded coal hoppers from Hudson Coal will be blocked on a another track and made ready for dispatching to their next consignee 

That closes out UKP-2 and today's Coal Job.

Thanks for reading!!!

Dispatch of Empty Grain Train JWM-1

Greetings All,

We're back at it! Empty grain hoppers are needed at Empire Grain in West Mill NY on Ralph's Kings Port Division layout;
http://kingsportdivision.blogspot.com/ and an empty grain hopper request has been forwarded to Terminal Yard. The N.Y.C.T.L. will be sending 15 empties in a unit empty grain train. The train will be identified as JWM-1 following Penn Central practices of using the letter J to signify an empty grain train and with two letters identifying the destination. Odd numbers are used for empties with the numbers starting at 1 each month. 

Let's get to it!

We'll pick up the action at Empire City Cargill where the Empire Belt Railroad is pulling a block of empty grain hoppers. The small lettering on the covered hopper below the Penn Central states 'Grain Loading Only'

E.B.R.R. 7278 and 7279 were recently released from the N.Y.C.T.L. shop and approved for service after being tested extensively by 1/87th scale Sir Neal, the N.Y.C.T.L.'s senior engineer.

While the E.B.R.R is busy with the grain hoppers the L.I.R.R. has arrived at North Side Yard for their daily interchange of freight cars. 

The interchange completed the L.I.R.R. heads out of North Side Yard towards the Hohman Ave tower. The E.B.R.R. holds on the industrial lead until the Long Island train clears.

The E.B.R.R. crew has left the empty grain hoppers on the main and pulls cars left by the L.I.R.R. that need to go to Terminal Yard like NYC 47063. The outbound train will be EC-4.

EC-4 heads thru Bedford NY. NYC 47063 is one of three 50' NYC double door boxcars that were loaded at Circle Wire and Cable in Maspeth Queens with wire and cables for IBM in Binghamton NY. 

EC-4's arrival at Terminal Yard is recorded by the ACI - Kar Trak reader.

The Terminal Yard switch crew has pulled the caboose from EC-4 and is now shoving the empty grain hoppers towards track 4 where JWM-1 is being put together. Hey, that looks to be 1/87th scale AT Joe working with the switch crew today.

The switcher pulls a cut of empty hoppers from a storage track and passes a block of cars for the A.P.R.R.

The switch crew shove into track 4 and add the cut to the cars brought in by EC-4.

With the final cars added the switch crew's work on this train is now complete.

Over at the engine terminal the power desk has assigned a trio of EMDs to JWM-1. PC GP40 #3007, a GP30 still in NYC paint and a GP30 still in PRR paint. Not an uncommon PC lash up at all!

After completing it's terminal air test JWM-1 departs Terminal Yard

JWM-1 makes it way thru Bedford NY on it's way to West Mill NY

  A NYC caboose brings up the markers

At Bedford Station JWM-1 meets Mail 10 heading to Terminal Yard

With Mail 10 clear JWM gets the green signal to crossover to track 2 for access to the Cornelius Vanderbilt Memorial Bridge and the High Line.

 The trio of EMDs ride the High Line

 Followed by the empty grain cars. Next stop West Mill NY!

Don't forget to follow the action on Ralph's Kings Port Division!

http://kingsportdivision.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading!!

1/87th scale Sir Neal Files his Report on the E.B.R.R. GP9ms

Greetings All,

The much anticipated report on the GP9ms from 1/87th scale Sir Neal has been received by Empire Belt Railroad management. Let's take a look at the report and follow along with Sir Neal as he works the GP9ms in and around Empire City.

Sir Neal's report;

As Senior Engineer on the N.Y.C.T.L., Sir 1/87^th Neal has successfully drilled Empire Belt Engines GP9m 7278 & 7279 in revenue runs on the railroad.

Clearances – passed

Slippage – passed

Wheel alignment – passed

Traction test – passed

Brake test – passed

Fuel capacity – confirmed to FRA standards

Engines were run in tandem and ran light to and from North Side Yard and then with loads to Terminal Yard and back.

GP9m 7278 and 7279 are now ready for revenue service on the N.Y.C.T.L.          

Sir Neal

Now we'll take a look at some of the train movements that 1/87th scale Sir Neal has based the aforementioned report on;

Last installment we ended with E.B.R.R caboose #1605 protecting the shove to the east side industries of Empire City.

The caboose has been dropped and the GP9ms have shoved their freight cars past Gervais Pipe to work Ralph's Grocery Warehouse.

With empties pulled loaded RBLs. (Reefer, bunker less) AP 60394, EBRR 358274 and EBRR 358279 are spotted for unloading at Ralph's Grocery Warehouse and Distribution Center. 

1/87th scale Sir Neal is notching up the throttle as he pulls APRR 50' RBL 60358 from Neal's Lumber and Hardware. The car is loaded with veneer paneling for Mike's Lumber on the APRR. 

One load out and two loads in as these two 40' boxcars are now spotted at Neal's Lumber and Hardware. Normally we don't spot more than one car at Neal's at a time due to clearance issues for the gates. With 1/87th scale Sir Neal running North Side Yard you can guarantee the cars will be picked before the close of business today! 

With the local industries serviced 1/87th scale Sir Neal does some housekeeping at North Side Yard getting this block of cars ready for interchange with the Long Island Railroad. That good looking orange 50' RBL is from the Hoschton Railway Company, The Crossroads of the South. This is 1:1 scale Engineer Ed's home road and he painted and lettered the car.

1/87th scale Sir Neal couples his GP9ms to the NYC GP20s and gets them ready for their return to Terminal Yard. 

Heading out of North Side Yard past Hohman Ave with 7279 in the lead. The train is now identified as EC-2 

This was good day to be a rail fan! The four unit consist rumbles thru Bedford NY towards Terminal Yard.

Heading up the grade behind Hudson Coal to Terminal Yard.

 Train EC-2 arrives at Terminal Yard.

The GP9ms have passed their test runs according to 1/87th scale Sir Neal's report and they are now in regular revenue service working out of North Side Yard.

Fans of the GP20s should not despair. They'll be back as relief power for North Side Yard and used in mainline symbol train service. They might even find a spot as power units for Terminal Yard once the expansion is completed.

Stay tuned for a quick turnaround. A unit train of empty covered hoppers will be dispatched tomorrow to Empire Grain on the Ralph's Kings Port Division. 

Thanks for reading!