Roll Out The Barrels!!

Greetings All,

I recently added fifty 50 gallon barrels or drums to my layout thanks to this blog entry from the Model Railroad Luddite. I modified the procedure slightly and was quite happy with the results.

I started with this 50 pack of crimp sleeve connectors that I bought at a local home improvement store for under $5.00.

I put about 15 of the these sleeves on a wood skewer and sprayed them with rattle can paint. I'll be painting the insides with burnt umber using a Q Tip and sealing one end using Elmer's Glue. 

Here's some of the new barrels laying trackside. Note the red barrel with the closed top. I dripped in some Elmers from the bottom with the sleeve sitting on the way paper. After the glue dried I painted the top with a brush and hobby paint from a craft store. 

 Discarded barrels at the engine terminal

 Some full and empty red barrels near the car shop

 A red barrel used as a trash can near the sand platform steps.

High quality barrels manufactured by Kings Port Steel wear the distinctive black with white center stripes. These are the preferred shipping container of Drywell Inks.

Another shipment of new barrels from Kings Port Steel. I CAed four barrels to a thin piece of cardstock to represent a palletized load. They can be stacked easily in a freight car or elsewhere.

For the KP Steel barrels I rattle can painted the crimps white. I let that dry for several days and used some painters tape I cut with a straight edge to mask the centers and then rattle can painted the crimps black.

Here's a fresh delivery from Kings Port Steel to Drywell Inks in P.C.C.M. 58

1/87th scale PC Ralph is on hand at the Terminal Yard Engine Shop watching the forklift driver stack barrels of lube oil from the Gulf River Facility in Kings Port NY

The Black & White Kings Port Steel barrels of this project compare in size very favorably with the red D.P.M. barrels that came with the Drywell Inks building kit.

All in all the project was economical, straight forward, and a pretty easy way to add 50 HO scale barrels to the layout. I plan to paint and add additional barrels around the layout as the year progresses.

Thanks to the Model Railroad Luddite for inspiring this project.

Thanks for reading!!!

See Ya Soon!!!

The 2059 Project

Greetings All,

Welcome to my 2059 Project

The scope of this project was to take a trio of surplus TYCO C430s and convert them into one usable non powered free rolling unit to be numbered 2059 that I could place into a four unit Alco C424 & C425 consist. 

In PCCM 59E  I included Penn Central Alco C430 #2059 in the four unit Alco lash up assigned to PC Train BP-41. 

I mentioned that New York Central RR fans would know the significance of the 2059. For the record 1:1 PC Ralph did email the correct answer. So what is the significance you ask? 

Here is the answer from an article in the New York Central Historical Society 4th quarter 1977 Headlight magazine

Which brings us to the year 1967, the last full year before the Penn Central merger. During that year EMD delivered 55 GP-40's, GE 60 U30B's, and Alco 10 C-430's, all on a trade-in basis, which further decimated the ranks of the first generation road fleet. Ironically, the Alco C-430's, the Central's first Alcos in five years, were also the last pre-merger units delivered, presaging the end in the coming year of the New York Central as an independent railroad and of Alco as a locomotive builder.  
Charles M . Smith 
Mechanical Engineer - Locomotive
New York Central System 1963-1968 

So my theory is that the NYC Alco C430s being the last premerger units delivered and the 2059 being the highest road number that the 2059 would be the last NYC locomotive delivered. I could be wrong on this but not have been able to confirm the theory further either way.

My 2059 project came about when John Bruce sent me the Penn Central Alco C630 #6324 shell and 1:1 Sir Neal sent me a couple of boxes of old TYCO, Mantua and IHC engines to help me get the 6324 onto my roster.  A couple of TYCO / Mantua C430s like this CB&Q C430 were a pleasant surprise for future projects.

Age had taken its toll on some of the units. The TYCO C430s have been around since 1966! 

So what exactly is an Alco Century C430? The Century C430 was a four axle 3,000 horsepower diesel locomotive that rode on Alco's new Hi Adhesion trucks. It offered an incredible tractive effort of 68,220 lbs but it was too little to late for the iconic locomotive builder with the Class 1s 'standardizing' their fleets with EMD and GE products. Here is the 2059 talking things over with the 6324.

One of the compromises of this project was the TYCO trucks do not resemble the Hi Adhesion trucks that came on the prototype. In fact the trucks are the same as the trucks TYCO used on their C630s. The fuel tanks, air tanks and horns were different as well. But I gotta admit from normal viewing distance it doesn't bother me at all.

The 2059 in it's prototypically sparse PC paint job brings out the NYCTL train men and 1/87th scale Alco Joe is thanking Sir Neal for making this project possible. This all Alco lash up is now one of my favorites featuring C424 #2415 (The one and only) C430 #2059 and C425s #2417 and #2422. The three powered units are smooth running Atlas/Kato yellow box units.

I was originally planning on painting the engine as NYC 2059 with the NYC ovals on the cab sides and the numbers below that. Seeing how the front truck assembly locks into the shell right under the cab side where the numbers would need to go had me opt for the more utilitarian Penn Central 2059. 

So there it is an inexpensive project that pays homage to the last NYC engine albeit in PC paint. Bowser did produce the PC 2059 and other NYC and PC C430s in it's executive line with and without sound. I don't see myself paying the $199.99 price for the basic unit though.

The four unit Alco lash up was featured in this short video in PCCM 59

The ex NYC 2059 made it onto the Conrail roster as CR 2059 but it does not appear to have received a CR blue paint job. The 2059 was still on the roster in 1980 but it is in the Collinwood Deadline on 07-04-1980. It is reported on RR Pictures Archives that the 2059 was scrapped.

The ex NYC/PC C430s #2050, #2053, #2054 and #2056 were sold to the Livonia, Avon & Lakeville RR

The ex NYC/PC C430s #2050, #2053, #2054 may still be in service today on the Western NY & Pennsylvania RR. The #2056  may still survive today on the Western NY & Pennsylvania RR.

Thank you 1:1 Sir Neal!!!!

Thanks for reading!!!

P.C.C.M. 59F / The E.B.R.R. & L.I.R.R. Close It Out

Greetings All,

Welcome back to the PCCM 59 series!!!

We'll close out the NYCTL portions today with the EBRR & LIRR taking center stage.

We open up with Empire Belt train EB-2 from North Side Yard headed thru Bedford NY towards Terminal Yard.

EBRR 1/87th scale senior engineer Sir Neal has yarded EB-2 and has coupled up to the outbound cars going back to North Side Yard. The PC covered hopper and the LIRR block behind EBRR #6295 indicates some trouble as the LIRR cars are usually run to North Side Yard for pick up by the LIRR. 1/87th scale Kar Knocker is reporting trouble with one of the cars and Sir Neal has opted to leave the LIRR block for later pickup.  

Empire Belt train EC-3 leaves Terminal Yard with D&H boxcar #19123 from American Tool & Die on the LF&NW coupled up behind the engines.

1/87th scale Sir Neal brings EC-3 into North Side Yard as 1/87th scale PC Ralph and his trusty conductor brakeman look on.

With the LIRR block back at Terminal Yard we get a good view across North Side Yard of 1/87th scale PC Ralph and the EBRR Morning Industrial Job. The U30Cs leased to the PC have been returned to the EBRR after being bumped from Penn Central Mineral & Ore Service with the arrival of new Alco six axle Century units.

1/87th scale PC Ralph is running the MIJ onto the Empire City industrial track and is headed over to work the west side industries. 

The six axle U Boats are longer and not as nimble as the four axle units usually assigned to the switch work so 1/87th scale PC Ralph is using the string of freight cars as a handle to go under Superior Furniture and reach Reliable Machine Works. 

D&H 40' boxcar #19123 loaded with machine castings from American Tool & Die is now spotted at Reliable Machine Works.

Next the MIJ is working the Moore & Company / Neubaum's Tea Importers siding. The EBRR & PC trailers are being loaded with tea for the A&P Tea Company in Elmira NY. The MIJ is pulling outbound freight cars from the siding.

The MIJ has spotted LFNW  50' boxcar #160 loaded with outerwear from Zenith Knitting Mills at Moore & Co for distribution.

The MIJ is now working the midtown siding and pulling two empties from Empire Produce. 

BAR 40' boxcar #5226 loaded with Blueberries from the Circle B Farm in Caribou Maine gets spotted at Empire Produce.

The MIJ shoves back on the industry track towards the east side.

Next industry to be worked is Neal's Lumber & Hardware. 1/87th scale senior engineer Sir Neal has strolled over from the Empire Belt office to lend a hand with the exchange of freight cars.

The loaded Masonite All Door boxcar from the Masonite Plant in Ukiah CA is now spotted at Neal's Lumber & Hardware. 1/87th scale Sir Neal heads back to the office. Hey that's the wrong office!

The MIJ is now working the Gervais Pipe / Ralph's Grocery siding and coupling to PC gondola #288673 loaded with it's next PCCM load. 1/87th scale PC Ralph will then shove back and pull the two Swift reefers from the Ralph's Grocery siding.

Three PC 50' RBLs loaded with juice products from Tropicana in Rock Ridge NJ are now spotted at Ralph's Grocery Warehouse.

The MIJ returns to North Side Yard with a loaded HRC 50' RBL from Fisher Foods and a loaded RI 50' boxcar from the Ralph's Grocery Warehouse in Davenport Iowa. Both of these cars are consigned to the Empire City Ralph's Grocery Warehouse and are now considered constructively placed. They'll be delivered when called for.

1/87th scale PC Ralph and his conductor check the paperwork for the cars brought back to North Side Yard and note that all cars except the HRC and RI cars are going to Terminal Yard.

1/87th scale PC Ralph runs EBRR Train EB-4 past Bedford Station as he makes his way to Terminal Yard.

The Yard Job has shoved the freight cars and caboose from EB-4 into Track #6 and is pulling out the LIRR block on Track #4.

1/87th scale PC Ralph gets the OK from Kar Knocker and the Yard Master that the faulty freight car is repaired and ready to go.

EC-3 leaves Terminal Yard with three covered hoppers for Ronzoni, two gons for Mid Island Steel and a large AC unit for Suffolk County Community College. Not shown is the buffer car between the flat car and caboose.

EC-3 returns to the friendly confines of North Side Yard. The Ralph Island and HRC boxcars consigned to Ralph's Grocery Warehouse await their call on track #1

The EBRR U Boats are on the Industrial Track as the LIRR transfer run arrives at North Side Yard. The EBRR trainmen are ready to greet and inspect the arriving LIRR train.

The LIRR has coupled onto their outbound cars and is pulling out of track #2. The large AC unit from Peerless Appliance and the two gons of slab steel are going out east to Suffolk County Community College and Mid Island Steel.

PC covered hopper loaded with wheat from Denver-Cargill, TLDX #7241 and NYC #892010 loaded with flour from Blue Ribbon Flour are all going to Ronzoni in Long Island City Queens.

The LIRR leaving North Side yard with a 40' boxcar buffer between the engines and the large AC on the depressed flat.

The LIRR heads back to Bliss Yard and that wraps up my portion of PCCM 59.

Put it in the books!

Don't forget to follow along with 

Ralph's Kings Port Division

Brian's Ralston Creek RR

John B's Los Feliz & North Western

and 

Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR

(outbound trains only) 

Thanks for reading!!

See Ya Soon!!

P.C.C.M. 59E / The Coal Job and BP-41 Get Called

Greetings All,

Welcome back to the PCCM 59 series!!

We open up today's episode with the Coal Job getting called and 1/87th scale Big Mike working in the yard.

The Coal Job is at Hudson Coal pulling loaded 70 ton hoppers

The 100 ton PC cars on track 2 get pulled out.

Last but not least the final pull of loaded 70 ton cars is underway.

The Coal Job is now occupying Main 2.

16'6'' down the line at Bedford Station the engines wait for a green signal to take the empties past the turnout to Main 3 in order to shove back to Hudson Coal.

Fifteen empties including six from Kings Port Steel are now ready for loading.

The Coal Job engines couple up to the loaded hoppers and prepare to head back to Terminal Yard

After being weighed the loaded hoppers are shoved into track #7 and are now ready for dispatch.

A little bit of PCCM 59 drama is at play here. 1/87th scale engine hostler Wet Willie in hot water with Alco Joe tries to make amends by having a four unit Alco consist ready from Alco Joe to use on train BP-41.

1/87th scale Big Mike checks out Alco C430 #2059 that is part of the four engine consist assigned to Alco Joe and BP-41. New York Central fans will know the significance of the 2059.

BP-41 heads out of Terminal Yard for the Bedford Park Ford Plant with auto parts from ACME Auto Parts in Mayfield NY.

Coil steel from Kings Port Steel and Celanese Chemicals from Celanese in Globeville Co.

BP-41 passes 1/87th scale John B. at Bedford Tower on its way to the Empire City reverse curve to turn it's train. Some empties can be seen waiting on the Bedford Park lead.

BP-41 comes thru the west side curve. 

The four Alcos pull BP-41 back towards Bedford Park over the Empire City viaduct. If you haven't guessed why the 2059 was singled out for NYC fans I'll be posting a follow up on this engine after PCCM 59 concludes. 

Work is underway at Bedford Park as BP-41 has shoved the coil cars and tank car towards Bedford Park Yard and is pulling out the empty 86' boxcars at left.

1/87th scale Alco Joe shoves the trio of loaded 60' boxcars from ACME into place. 

The Bedford Park Yard switcher gets to work on the BP-41 cars. In order to do so P&LE #35892 needed to be temporarily shoved away from American Hardware Supply

Two steel coil cars from Kings Port Steel are spotted on the Ford Steel track.

The loaded Celanese tank car out of Globeville, CO is spotted at the tank car track. 

The work done the P&LE boxcar is spotted back at American Hardware Supply.

We'll end it here today with BP-41 heading back to Terminal Yard.

Don't forget to follow along with 

Ralph's Kings Port Division

Brian's Ralston Creek RR

John B's Los Feliz & North Western

and 

Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR

(outbound trains only) 

We'll wrap up the NYCTL PCCM 59 portion tomorrow.

Thanks for reading and watching!!!!

See Ya Tomorrow!!!