Pier 16 Grain Silos Mocked Up

Greetings All,

Earlier in July I once again contemplated the unscenicked portion of the Terminal Yard extension project. This project has been about two years in the making and indecision has ruled the final process.

The last leg of the extension was envisioned to have a coal fired Empire City Power Authority power plant facade next to Bruce Electric Equipment and a Pier 16 Grain Silos complex at the end of the benchwork.   

In order to try and jump start the project with the Pier 16 Grain Silos I swapped locations with the proposed and not yet built Empire City Power Authority power plant and started to mock it up.

The mocked up silos and head houses are in place in the former site of the E.C.P.A. I'm imagining there is a pier on the other side of this structure to allow for import and export by sea as well as rail.

For the silos I used these powdered drink containers that I started saving fifteen years ago until they changed the shape.

I drew straight lines on white construction type paper and wrapped it around the upside down containers. I secured the paper with masking tape and used the container caps at the top. 

I liked this overall look. The silos have two tracks each with a capacity of six covered hoppers. 

In PCCM 62 the Pier 16 Grain Silos got their first exposure as EBRR and APRR covered hoppers were sent there as part of their routing cycles. Bruce Electric Equipment (B.E.E.) occupies the corner and is the end of the scenicked portion of the layout. 

The EBRR & APRR covered hoppers were spotted to await their next PCCM load. Indecision then struck again. As much as I liked the look I felt the structure did not convey the bulk I was looking for to convey a series of grain silos that are served by rail and ship. 

So with that I moved the mocked up grain silos back to their original location. This meant some more mocking up with thoughts of My Cousin Vinnie and the addition of more silos. 

I built the base out of foam core board and painted it rattle can gray primer. The Pier 16 Grain Silos have two tracks. The loading / unloading track has an eight car capacity. The entire complex is 68'' long.

The base has been trimmed and a small cement walk was added.

The track under the base can be used for staging but must be kept open to allow for access to the Empire City Power Authority.

 The Pier 16 Grain Silos are back in place for the umpteenth time.

Sprues from the parts box and bits of black wire were glued to the cement walkway to simulate unloading equipment. 

The LV switcher is working the Empire City Power Authority. The engine will pull the cars completely under the grain silo base to allow for the turnout to be thrown to shove the cars into the ECPA. 

I'm also thinking this length of track can be used as a staging track for a short train or simulate a short train heading off layout on a running track to other industries or RR connections.

Staging a train here may work out but it would need to be out of the tunnel before I can switch the E.C.P.A. Note the insulated rail joiners that isolate this track.

Here's the Pier 16 Grain Silos in all their mocked up glory. A little more work to do but I like it so far. 

 The APRR & EBRR covered hoppers are ready for loading.

The Pier 16 Grain Silos are now operational.

Thanks for reading!

See ya soon!

P.C.C.M. 62 / NYCTL Part 6

Greetings All,

Welcome back to the P.C.C.M. 62 series!!

It's time to close out the NYCTL's inbound freight portion. So grab a comfortable chair, a drink of your choice and maybe a snack as we get the final virtual ops freight cars from Sir Neal's APRR and PC Ralph's KPD delivered.

Train EC-1 with a trio of ex New Haven EMDs prepares to depart Terminal Yard for the Empire Belt RRs North Side Yard in Empire City. The New Haven fantasy engines are factory painted Athearn BB units and are some of my favorites.

EC-1 heads thru Bedford NY. 

 PC N5G caboose #18417 brings up the markers.

Bedford Towerman 1/87th scale John B checks out the latest NH power rolling past. 

EC-1 pulls into the EBRR's North Side Yard and 1/87th scale PC Ralph is out to inspect the train as it arrives.

EC-1 has reclaimed its caboose and 1/87th scale engineer Big Mike and conductor trainee Robert R bring the latest scuttlebutt from Terminal Yard including the reason for the profusion of New Haven engines being run on the NYCTL in PCCM 62.

EC-1 heads back to Terminal Yard caboose lite. Congratulations to 1/87th scale conductor trainee Robert R for completing his first PCCM! Word is he's enjoyed working these transfer runs with Big Mike and should be ready for more challenging assignments in future PCCMs.

With EC-1 out of the way 1/87th scale PC Ralph will get to work with the Afternoon Industrial Job.

Today's AIJ,  powered by a GP30-FB1-GP30 consist, crosses over to the industry track under the watchful eyes of 1/87th scale senior engineer Sir Neal. The five freight cars on track #3 will be interchanged here later with the LIRR. 
1/87th scale PC Ralph brings the AIJ across the Empire City viaduct on the west side of town. I'm imagining the ALco FB1s are newly returned to the EBRR from a short term lease to another RR.

The AIJ is now shoving back on the west side industry lead. 

TP&W 40' boxcar #627 loaded with new 55 gallon barrels from Amalgamated Container Corp or ACCO is spotted at Drywell Inks.

The NYC Pacemaker car loaded with sewing machine and wire twister parts from Quality Fabrications is spotted at Moore & Co.

The work on the west side complete the AIJ heads across the High Line to work the east side industries. As always 1/87th scale PC Ralph gives the fans in the rail fanning pavilion a nice horn show.

The AIJ is working the Gervais Pipe / Ralph's Grocery Warehouse siding and pulling out cars from both industries.

Now being spotted at Ralph's Grocery Warehouse are patriotic BAR 40' boxcar #5226 loaded with packaged meals and spirits from Cavendish Fine Foods and EL 40' boxcar #73510 loaded with food products from International Multi Foods. 

A pair of Evans Breadbox trough coil coaches loaded with steel coils from Kings Port Steel are spotted at Gervais Pipe & Fitting.

The AIJ is now over at Neal's Lumber & Hardware pulling out a 50' EBRR boxcar under the supervision of 1/87th scale Sir Neal.

This pair of EBRR 40' boxcars loaded with bulk hardware and plumbing supplies from American Hardware Supply in Rock Ridge NJ are spotted at Neal's Lumber & Hardware. These cars are making their first PCCM revenue run and reflect the older brown and newer jade green EBRR color schemes.

EBRR 50' RBL #358160 pulled from Neal's Lumber is loaded with wood paneling for Mike's Lumber in Rock Ridge NJ. 1/87th scale Sir Neal himself is out to tell PC Ralph to hold the AIJ on the industry track as the LIRR Transfer Freight for North Side Yard is coming thru Bedford right now.

And there it is! The LIRR's daily freight transfer to and from North Side Yard is rolling thru Bedford towards Empire City.

LIRR C-91 brings up the markers behind a pair of virtual ops cars. PC 40' boxcar #104478 is loaded with Rheingold Beer from their Bushwick Brewery for Reynolds Beverage in Kings Port NY and the P&LE gon is loaded with scrap from Gershow Recycling for Sal's Salvage in West Mill NY 

The LIRR arrives at North Side Yard. The cars going to the LIRR are on the left and include PC Gondola #288673 loaded with two containers from ACCO for West Chemical in Long Island City.

LIRR 1556 couples up to the empty Corning covered hopper making it's first PCCM run heading to West Hills Silica Sand Mining in Huntington NY for loading and eventual return to Corning Glass in Corning NY.   

The LIRR leaves North Side Yard with five loaded cars. The conductor is very hopeful that he will not be delivering the PC gondola with the tanks to West Chemical whose siding was known as the "stink track"! See end of post for more. 

The LIRR crosses the High Line and heads out of town. The three 50' NYC double door boxcars are loaded with TVs from Zenith in Bloomberg NY and headed for B Gertz in Jamaica NY.

The EBRR trainmen have set up their yard and late afternoon moves. 1/87th scale senior engineer Sir Neal will be running afternoon transfer train EB-4 to Terminal Yard.

EB-4 comes out of the yard onto the westside with EBRR #358160, PC #104478 and a P&LE gondola of scrap. The three will be heading to the APRR & KPD respectively in a future PCCM.

EB-4 rolls into Terminal Yard. Maybe the trainmaster will get his wish and get those NH engines out of his hair for awhile.

1/87th scale Sir Neal has brought his engines to the fuel rack where he gives Wet Willie some words of encouragement. He may have even offered him a spot at the APRR's Richmond Hill Engine Terminal. Or maybe it was the joint KPD / KP&W terminal!

A look at Terminal Yard track #6 shows a loaded gon, three loaded box cars and nine loaded coal hoppers ready for dispatch off the NYCTL to the APRR and KPD in a future PCCM. And with that we close out the NYCTL's PCCM 62 portions.

Be sure to check out the action on 

Sir Neal's APRR and PC Ralph's KPD.

West Chemical Stink Track

West Chemical made CN disinfectant cleaner (Motto: ''You can't spell clean without CN'') CN was an iodine-containing product sort of like betadine lotion, but it was made with industrial-grade ingredients instead of pharmaceutical-grade. As a result it smelled of iodine with a strong overtone of dead fish. Stink track indeed!

Albert Waltien.

The above and more on West Chemical and the LIRR can be found here in the Long Island City section:

http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/freightsidings.htm

Thanks for reading!!

See ya soon!!

  

P.C.C.M. 62 / NYCTL Part 5

Greetings All,

Welcome back to the P.C.C.M. 62 series!!!

It's time to start moving the freight cars that came to the NYCTL from Sir Neal's APRR and PC Ralph's KPD to their respective destinations. Today the Terminal Yard dispatcher will send out the Coal Job and a combined Bedford / Bedford Park local that will run as BP-41. 

1/87th scale Alco Joe has been called for the Coal Job which is running early today. A New Haven GP9 and RS2 are today's power.

The Coal Job wastes no time arriving at Hudson Coal and grabbing the loaded coal hoppers. The NYC and PRR coal hoppers are consigned to Corning Glass in Corning NY on PC Ralph's KPD. 

This group of loaded coal hoppers is consigned to Kings Port Steel also on PC Ralph's KPD.

The loads are set out on Main 3. 1/87th scale Alco Joe has climbed into the RS2 to get some Alco time and is now shoving the empties back to Hudson Coal on Main 2.

Empties from RMO Electric in Rock Ridge NJ on Sir Neal's APRR are shoved in for loading.

The last empty is in place and the conductor / brakeman hops aboard the Alco RS2.

 The Coal Job is back together and ready to go.

 1/87th scale Alco Joe brings the Coal Job back into Terminal Yard.

and over the weigh in motion scales on track #8.

Next train out of Terminal Yard is the combined Bedford / Bedford Park local train BP-41. The early call for the Coal Job screwed up the Extra Board and Alco Joe who would normally get BP-41 was stuck with the grimy Coal Job and a another engineer got the BP41.

 BP-41 rolls into Bedford behind a pair of NH FM H16-44s.

First job is to pull the Bedford cars from the train and then grab the loaded cars at the Heileman Brewery.

BM 109 & BM 110 loaded with new bottles from Corning Glass are shoved into the Heileman Brewery siding.

The BP-41 crew is doing a little more car shuffling. The B&M boxcar at Berk Enterprises to the left needs to be pulled, the three cars at Hostess need to be moved and replaced and the two PC 50' boxcars in BP-41 need to get spotted at Berk where the B&M car currently sits. Hmm...

The cars from Hostess have been pulled out and coupled up to the two PC boxcars. The crew then shoves them back to Berk Enterprises to retrieve B&M RBL #105 loaded with printed packaging for Blue Ribbon Flour in Kings Port NY.

After coupling B&M #105 into BP-41 the PC boxcars were shoved back to Berk. Empty PC boxcar #360063 is now spotted at Berk for it's next PCCM load. PC boxcar #229046 loaded with bulk cardboard from International Paper is now also spotted at Berk Enterprises. The other cars have been spotted back at Hostess and BP-41 is ready to head out of town. Whew!

BP-41 gets a highball from Bedford Tower operator 1/87th scale John B as they head towards Vanderbilt Bridge and Empire City.

In an increasingly familiar move BP-41 heads thru the west side reverse curve. 

BP-41 is back at Bedford Tower where they drop the caboose and cut the rear four cars from the train on the Bedford Park lead.  

The Bedford Park Yard switcher is called into service for the four cars left on the Bedford Park lead. I think these guys have nothing else to do but clean that Alco S-4 and putter around their yard.

The BPY switcher has the four cars from BP-41 in tow as it heads into the tight confines of Bedford Park. 

Two Evans Breadbox Trough coil coaches loaded with steel coils from Kings Port Steel are shoved into the Ford Steel Track.

AP 40' boxcars #4182 and #4035 loaded with replenishment hardware and fittings from the regional American Hardware Supply in Rock Ridge NJ are spotted at the Bedford Park warehouse. 

The BPY Alco gets parked in an otherwise empty Bedford Park Yard. 😟I definitely need more freight traffic here!

Meanwhile BP-41 is shoving these three 60' boxcars loaded with auto parts towards the Bedford Park Ford Plant.

 BP-41 pulls out the three empty 86' auto parts cars. 

The three 60'ers, loaded with auto parts from ACME Auto Parts in Mayfield NY, are shoved into place at the Ford Plant.

BP-41 is back together and heading back to Terminal Yard.

We'll cut it here for today with BP-41 arriving back at Terminal Yard. Tomorrow we'll close out the NYCTL's portion with the EBRR and LIRR taking center stage. 

Be sure to follow the action on 

Sir Neal's APRR and PC Ralph's KPD.

Thanks for reading!!

See ya tomorrow!!!