First & Forty And A Trip Down Memory Lane

Greetings all!

First & Forty!!! What do we have in the playbook for first & forty? Nothing, but it's OK as the first & forty relates to trains not football. With the recent Intermodal Op in the books and the layout changed over to more 'modern' rolling stock and motive power I had the opportunity to run some long boxed up engines that belong to my two sons and enjoy a trip down memory lane.

Two of those engines are my eldest son's first and fortieth diesel engines which is where today's title comes from. How he ended up with so many diesel engines when he was still in his teens can only be speculated on😊

Here it is Numero Uno. An Athearn BB AC4400 bought at least 20 years ago at the Strasburg Train Shop in Strasburg PA when my son was about five years old. He saw it and wouldn't stop talking about it. Maybe because we were staying in a Union Pacific caboose at the Red Caboose Motel? So I surprised him with it later that day. I also surprised him with a BB UP caboose to go with it. 

After the UP engine both my boys got into a Conrail state of mind probably after we visited Northlandz in Flemington NJ and spent a second weekend staying in a Conrail caboose at the Red Caboose Motel. The CR F7A was my youngest son's first engine. The Conrail Quality GP20 is the older guys engine. I still have the letter to Santa that has him asking for it. These are both from Mantua and flywheel equipped.

That year Santa also came up with some CR rolling stock and cabooses to go with the engines. Each boy received 1 CR box car.

They also received a CR covered hopper and a CR caboose. These cars were from IHC 

Maybe the following year they each received a ConCor Conrail flat. Pipe loads courtesy of a friends cigar tubes.

With the flat cars came also came Concor Conrail gondolas. Chooch scrap metal loads were added later. I'm happy to report that all engines ran extremely well out of the box. You know there was a time when running this F7A and GP20 just didn't look right but in the last few years this consist hs grown on me.

Here's number 40, a BB white face BN SD40-2. I think this one came from ebay. He wrote on the box 40th engine so that's how I remember it.

After that he convinced me at a train show that he needed this ex BN HLCX SD40-2 to go with the SD40-2 above. His argument was obviously good seeing he brought it home! This might have been the last train show we went to.

This set of Athearn BB engines could only run together in harmony when the boys were not around. The BNSF GP38-2 belongs to one and the NS GP50 the other. Neither would have tolerated their engine not in the lead. A run from Terminal Yard to North Side Yard and back would give both the opportunity to lead but which engine would be better, faster and stronger etc is a debate that would have raged on for both legs of the trip. 

It was really nice to pull these engines out, enjoy running them and also enjoy the memories they brought back. I'm hoping both sons will be home for Christmas so all three of us can once again convene in the train room. Maybe Santa will place a train under the tree for each of them to get them in the right mood.😉

Thanks for reading!!!

Intermodal Ops #1E Part 2

Greetings All,

Welcome back to the conclusion of our first five layout intermodal virtual op! 

Be sure to check out the blog posts from the participants

Ralph's K.P.D. layout 
John B's L.F.& N.W. layout

Brian's R.C.R. layout
 Neal's A.P.R.R. layout 

We open up with Train Q160A that originated in Bedford Park IL as Train Q160 and was split at Syracuse NY with cars for Empire City being sent on as Q160A while the remainder of Q160 continued to Port Newark NJ and the Reynolds Intermodal Yard in Rock Ridge NJ on Neal's A.P.R.R.

Q160A, powered by a pair of Conrail B23-7s, comes thru the west side of Empire City.

Q160A with double stacks in tow heads across the Empire City viaduct.

Q160A hits the High Line as it heads towards Bedford NY and Terminal Yard.

Q160A passes Bedford Station and Heileman Brewery. That CR 57' reefer is unique as it was the only GPS guided reefer of it's time. The car was later donated to the Danbury Museum

 The Stack Train makes it's way thru Bedford NY

Q160A arrives at Terminal Yard thru the newly added tunnel portal and where the ACI scanner still stands as a sentry to record arrivals and departures. 

The B23-7s bring the train towards the intermodal tracks and Q160As run is over.

 The next train coming thru Empire City is Conrail Train TV-8 (Chicago - Terminal Yard) behind a trio of EMD products.

TV-8 is on the EC viaduct where we get a look at the BN GP38-2 that has run thru from Rennick Intermodal Yard in Denver Co.

TV-8's spine cars are mostly loaded with trailers from the west coast .

An A.T.S.F. Fuel Foiler 10 pack straight out of California brings up the rear of TV-8 as we catch the train rolling thru Bedford NY towards Terminal Yard.

TV-8 is entering another new tunnel portal to access Terminal Yard. Both portals are courtesy of John B who sent me a 'project box' about a week ago. Thanks John!!!

 TV-8 arrives at Terminal Yard and pulls into track #2.

The last train of the day is this NYSW train running to Terminal Yard on trackage rights. This trio of B40-8s are one of my favorite lashups and I had to get them into the mix. Old Empire Belt cabooses sit stored in the background and await an uncertain fate in these modern times.

Coming thru the west side we catch a trio of T.O.F.C. cars from Williams Yard towards the rear of the NYSW train.

The B40-8s hit the High Line and head towards Bedford NY.

NYSW B40-8s roll thru Bedford NY towards Terminal Yard as an Amtrak train behind a B40-8CW leads a passenger train towards Empire City Station on track #1  

 At the T&R Gravel curve.

The NYSW train arrives at Terminal Yard on track#3 

The NYSW train is now officially in the yard and that concludes today's intermodal ops. 

The last move of the day is the dispatch of Train EC-1 (Terminal Yard to Empire City Northside Yard) behind an NS GP50 and BNSF GP38-2.  

That wraps up Intermodal Ops #1E !!!!

A special thanks to John B, Brian, Ralph and Neal for their participation and a shout out to John B for inspiring this. 

 Thanks for reading!!!!!

Intermodal Ops #1E

Greetings All,

Welcome to our first Intermodal Virtual Op! The participating model railroads have dispatched various intermodal trains from their respective layouts. Next Saturday we'll try to match up some of the trains, trailers and containers in play to have them arrive on our layouts.

Lets get started:

To:     West Mill / Rock Ridge / Galesburg / Zenith Yards 
From: Terminal Yard 
Dispatch of 1964 N.Y.C. Train SV-1 (NY Terminal Yard to Chicago Englewood Yard)

A lightning striped NYC F7 A-B-A set couples up to Super Van Train SV-1 at Terminal Yard and departs for Chicago.

By 1969 the  New York Central Super Van Trains are now Penn Central Trail Van Trains and the Penn Central is operating 34 solid Trail Van T.O.F.C. / C.O.F.C. trains plus 10 C.O.F.C. mail trains system wide every day between 48 Terminals in 16 states.

This 1974 shot from the Terminal Yard loading tracks shows the overhead crane getting into position to lift the E.B.R.R. 40' trailer onto the 50' flatcar.   

T.O.F.C. 50' flats can often be found in service between Terminal Yard and Williams Yard in Kings Port NY

To:     Williams / Reynolds / Rennick / Zenith Yards 
From: Terminal Yard 
Dispatch of 1974 PC Train TV 7A (NY Terminal Yard to Chicago Englewood Yard)

A GP38-F7B-FP7 lash up leads TV7-A out of Terminal Yard.

Most days the end block of TV-7A is pulled off at Selkirk for the Kings Port Division. 

TV-7A rolling thru Bedford NY will connect at Selkirk with TV-7 out of Cedar Hill Yard and then head west. Next stop Selkirk! 

Fast forward to the Conrail era at Terminal Yard and the overhead crane is busy loading the newly manufactured Impack Spine Cars. 

 An ATSF 10 Pack Fuel Foiler comes thru the yard.

A 5 car set of ITEL Impack cars rounds out the 15 car train. A trio of SD45s are the power.

To:     Williams / Reynolds / Rennick / Zenith Yards 
From: Terminal Yard
Dispatch of Conrail Train TV-7A (Terminal Yard to Chicago)

TV-7A leaves Terminal Yard behind an ex EL bicentennial SD45, a CR SD45 and ex PC SD45.

The ATSF 10 Pack Fuel Foilers are possibly heading all the way back to California.

TV-7A has no trouble climbing the slight grade to the High Line with 10,800 HP available from the SD45s 

TV-7A rolls thru Empire City. Next Stop Selkirk!

It's around 1991? at Terminal Yard judging by the Conrail Quality logo on the CR SW1500 as the Yard Job pulls an intermodal train from the T.O.F.C. / C.O.F.C. loading tracks.

A five unit set of recently built Conrail all purpose spine cars leads 5 unit sets of BN and SP Impack cars for todays TV-7A. 

To:     Williams / Reynolds / Rennick / Zenith Yards 
From: Terminal Yard

Dispatch of 1991 Conrail Train TV-7A (Terminal Yard to Chicago) 

One year old GE C40-8W #6062 and two year old C40-8 #6044 are today's TV-7A power.

TV-7A heads out of Terminal Yard while the yard job waits on track 1.

The five unit BN and SP Impack cars are heading west.

TV-7A passing Hudson Coal. Next Stop Selkirk!

It's about 2010 and a loaded double stack train is pulled from the loading track towards the Terminal Yard departure tracks.

A five unit set of APC 125 ton 48' well cars for CSX Train Q163A are being pulled from departure track 2 to head back to the loading / unloading tracks to reposition the 20' tank container which is placed in the wrong direction. (Actually I just noticed this and changed the narrative😊)
A second loaded five car set of Gunderson Maxi III cars for Q163A is shoved into track 2. This train looks to have containers for  Zenith Yard in Los Angeles CA and Reynolds Yard in NJ 

The yard job shoves a pair of single double stack cars into track 2 that will round out Q163A. Looks like Terminal Yard is one of the Conrail Shared Assets operations that came into being after the CSX and NS split Conrail in 1999.

To:     Williams / Reynolds / Rennick / Zenith Yards 
From: Terminal Yard 
Dispatch of CSX Train Q163A (Terminal Yard to Chicago via Syracuse NY)

1/87th super senior engineer Sir Neal Himself and Conductor John prepare to depart for Syracuse with Q163A. In all the years of the N.Y.C.T.L. this is the first time 1/87th scale Sir Neal and Conductor John will ride together in a locomotive!  

Q163A departs Terminal Yard behind CSX C40-8W #7664and UP AC-4400 #6839. Around this time CSX and UP partnered in a coast to coast container train operation called UMAX.

Q163A rolls thru Bedford NY and meets New York and Atlantic GP38-2s 261 & 271 with a local freight. The 271 features a 9/11 memorial paint job.

Q163A passes Bedford Tower and senior tower operator John B. in his 46th year of service! You know John B. likes the look of that container configuration!

Double stacks roll thru Empire City as Q163A heads north. The Empire Belt looks to be part of the Shared Assets or maybe they're just leasing a pair of CR GP40-2s. 

Q163A heads over the EC Viaduct. Next Stop Syracuse!!

That wraps up my portion of Intermodal Ops #1! Be sure to follow the action on...
John Bruce's L.F. &N.W. Layout
Brian's Ralston Creek Layout
Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR Layout and
Ralph's Kings Port Division Layout

Check back on November 24th for the 

conclusion of Intermodal Ops #1

Thanks for reading!!!