P.C.C.C.M. 64 / NYCTL Part 1

Greetings All,

Welcome to our 64th Penn Central Car Movements Series!

This will be a four layout virtual op with the NYCTL interchanging freight cars with Sir Neal's APRR, PC Ralph's KPD and Brian's (ATJOE1972) RCR layouts.

The action on the NYCTL this series will be mostly concentrated in the three rail yards which actually mimics the 1:1 Penn Central. I'll be throwing in some PC tidbits as we go.

We open the action with the boys at Bedford Park Yard firing up their Alco S-2 switcher. Penn Central Tidbit #1*: When the PC opened for business it was a ''yard heavy'' railroad burdened by an overabundance of terminals.

Their first assignment is at American Hardware to pull this PRR boxcar loaded with bulk hardware that will go to Barton Mfg in Denver, CO via Brian's RCR layout. Penn Central Tidbit #2*: The Penn Central operated proportionally far more trains made up of individual carloads than any other railroad.

The BPY switch crew's next assignment is to pull two AP and one PRR 86' empty boxcars from the Ford Plant that will be heading to IDEAL Auto Parts in Rock Ridge NJ on Sir Neal's APRR.

The BPY crew claims their caboose. They will depart the Bedford Park Yard limits as Train BP-12. Penn Central Tidbit #3*: Serving Auto Plants of Detroit was hectic and expensive for the PC with the need for right away cars or shutdown cars. Often a crew would have to dig a car out of an arriving train, from a yard track or await it's repair in a shop and then speed it to an auto plant.

1/87th scale Bedford Tower operator John B gives BP-12 a wave as they pass the tower heading towards Terminal Yard.

The Alco S2 is cruising along with BP-12 heading thru Bedford.

Much to my surprise the switcher easily hauled the four boxcars and caboose up the grade to Terminal Yard.

BP-12 has arrived at Terminal Yard.

The Terminal Yard crew wastes no time in pulling the empty 86' boxcars and loaded 40' boxcar from BP-12. 

They will be added to the seven empty PCCM cars that were left in Terminal Yard at the end of PCCM 63.

Next we turn our attention to the Empire Belt RR's North Side Yard. North Side Yard at the end of PCCM 63 had eleven cars ready for departure on track #3 and four cars ready for delivery to Empire City Industries on track #1. 

Fast forward to PCCM 64 the EBRR Alco FAs have returned from a short term lease to be used as transfer train power. The EBRR trainmen are planning their car movements with 1/87th scale senior engineer Sir Neal running the Morning Industrial Job with Conductor John. 1/87th scale PC Ralph gets the Alco consist for the EB-2 transfer run to Terminal Yard. Lucky...

1/87th scale Sir Neal is at the throttle of the EBRR GP9m shoving east on the industrial track with conductor John protecting the move from his caboose platform. 

The MIJ is at Ralph's Grocery Warehouse pulling a trio of APRR 57' Reefers loaded with packaged food products for C&P Restaurant Supply in Rock Ridge NJ. The Pizza Land restaurant kit was a gift from our late friend Engineer Ed who was a huge fan of  all things trains, virtual ops, riding his motorcycle and good pizza.

With the AP reefers out of the way three similar looking EBRR 57' reefers loaded with food from C&P Restaurant Supply are spotted at Ralph's Grocery Warehouse.

Next move is to spot PC gondola #288673 at Gervais Pipe for it's next PCCM load.

The morning industrial switch work is done and the MIJ is back at North Side Yard. The guys make their plan to add the three loaded AP 57' reefers to the EB-2 transfer train going to Terminal Yard.

The three loaded AP 57' reefers are added to the rear of transfer train EB-2.

EB-2 has coupled up to its caboose and after an air test will proceed to the Penn Central's Terminal Yard.

We'll cut it here for today with 1/87th scale PC Ralph easing out the slack as he notches up the Alcos for their run to Terminal Yard.

We'll close it out tomorrow highlighting the Penn Central's Terminal Yard switch crew, adding in a few more Penn Central tidbits and the dispatch of our outbound train.   

Be sure to follow the action on 

Sir Neal's APRR, 

PC Ralph's KPD 

and Brian's RCR layouts!!

*Penn Central Tidbits 1&2 from the Joseph R Daughen & Peter Binzen book ''Wreck of the Penn Central" page 210.

* Penn Central Tidbit #3 from the Peter E. Lynch book 

"Penn Central Railroad Color History" page 104.

Thanks for reading!!!

See ya tomorrow!!