Scrounged Highway Overpasses

 Greetings All,

Scrounge: To obtain free layout materials before they go into the dumpster and would require a Dumpster Dive.😊

A recent home improvement project offered the opportunity to scrounge some vinyl pieces that looked like decent sized HO scale roadways.

The scrounged vinyl protective packing for new windows from the home improvement project.

Here's the first overpass spanning the aisle between Empire City and Bedford dropped in place.

The overpass was spray painted with rattle can gray primer and four inch "Play Tape" was cut to fit and used for the roadway.

I prefer the two way traffic look here so my signs are correctly positioned. If I come across some yellow striping I'll add that to the center of the roadway over the dashed white stripes.

This sign was at the Brooklyn Queens border on the Belt Parkway.

The overpass or bridge is an easy drop in affair and is over 52" off the floor. It's an easy duck under but I'll take it down when operating this side of the layout. After so many years without it I'm afraid I'll forget it's there and crash into it! 

The second overpass has been installed spanning the Pier 16 Yard area of the layout. Entering the room the Pier 16 area is to the left and the overpass is a nice focal point.

I tried my hand at a little forced perspective and called upon my days working in the Bronx where the Manhattan approach to the George Washington Bridge went under the "Apartments" and was usually backed up all the way into the Bronx.

Rattle can gray primer, Play Tape, a printed sign and a highway gantry from a either a Hotwheels or Matchbox set complete the overpass.  

Atlas bridge piers are used to support the overpass. I added some foam core strips to raise the height of the overpass to allow for Auto Rack and Double Stack Container clearance.

I like the way the trains look coming under the overpass as they enter and exit the Pier 16 yard and Pier 16 Grain Silos. 

Benny, Chooch, Easy and TC from the Kings Port Railfan Society enjoy the view from their VW bug as they head for home.

The Pier 16 yard area is now more defined as the overpass acts as a scene divider.

This was a nice easy project and I'm happy with the way these overpasses turned out.  

Thanks for reading!!

See ya soon!!

Penn Central Car Movements #78 / N.Y.C.T.L. Grain Train Ops Part 2

 Greetings All,

Welcome back to Penn Central Car Movements #78!!

P.C.C.M. #78, a one weekend three layout Grain Train virtual op with Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR and PC Ralph's Kings Port Division forwarding loaded grain cars to the Pier 16 Grain Silos for overseas export continues today. 

We pick up the action with the 16 Job pulling the grains cars from Rock Ridge Cargill out of the Pier 16 yard. They'll take the scenic route to the Pier 16 Silos by going down track #9 to the right and then back to the Silos on track #8E to the left.

The 16 Job shoves the cars from Rock Ridge along on Track #8E as a truck hostler prepares to spot a trailer on the T.O.F.C Ramp. The cars from Empire Grain wait on track #8A. 

The Rock Ridge boys are shoved into Pier 16 Silos track #1 for unloading.

A few hours later the 16 Job couples up to a block of the Empire Grain Hoppers.

Grain Hoppers from Empire Grain get shoved to the Pier 16 Silos. Empty Grain Hoppers get pulled for return to Rock Ridge Cargill.

Empty grain hoppers and caboose #26043 going back to Rock Ridge Cargill are shoved into Track #4.

The head end of the Rock Ridge Cargill train includes AP emergency grain car #2794. RS-1s 9921 (ex PRR 5621) and 9909 (ex NYC 8109) were renumbered according to the 1966 pre merger agreement renumbering plan. 

The 16 Job couples up to another block of Empire Grain hoppers.

The 16 Job spots the Empire Grain hoppers at the Pier 16 Silos

The Grain Hoppers keep rolling in and the 16 Job's RS-1s are getting quite a workout.

Now empty, the Empire Grain hoppers are pulled from the silos.

The 16 Job brings a block of empty grain cars going back to Empire Grain to Terminal Yard.

Another block of Empire Grain empties are shoved into Track #1.

Fast forward several hours and we find Extra 7675 going to Rock Ridge Yard easing out of Track #4. Extra 6533 sitting on track #1 going to West Mill will follow shortly.

Extra 7675 rolls thru Bedford

Next stop Rock Ridge!!

Another train of inbound grain hoppers arrives at Terminal Yard. Extra 6533 will depart as soon as the yard lead is clear.

Extra 6533 heads out of Terminal Yard.

Extra 6533 rolls thru Bedford

Next stop West Mill!!

This concludes the NYCTL's portion of the Grain Train Ops.

Be sure to follow the action on Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR and

PC Ralph's Kings Port Division.

Thanks for reading and watching!!!

See ya soon!!

Penn Central Car Movements #78 / NYCTL Grain Train Ops Part 1

Greetings All,

Welcome to Penn Central Car Movements #78!!

P.C.C.M. #78 will be a one weekend three layout Grain Train virtual op with Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR and PC Ralph's Kings Port Division forwarding loaded grain cars to the Pier 16 Grain Silos for overseas export. Those empties will then be sent back to the originating railroads.

This may sound familiar to those who remember the "Great Grain Robbery" of 1972 when the US sold Russia ten million short tons of grain at subsidized prices which caused global grain prices to soar. But don't focus on that, this grain is for European export.

We open up at the Empire City Cargill facility with the Empire Belt RR pulling out a string of loaded grain hoppers.

The grain cars from Cargill are coupled onto the caboose and EBRR Train EB-2 is ready to head out to the Pier 16 Grain Silos.

EBRR Train EB-2 passes Bedford Station

Train EB-2 arrives at Terminal Yard and we see APRR emergency grain car #2735 make it's virtual ops debut.

Train EB-2 heads past Terminal Warehouse & Cold Storage where the train will be spotted. 

The caboose is reclaimed and the EBRR engines will head back to Empire City caboose light.

The EBRR has to wait on the Bedford Secondary for Extra 3175 

Extra 3175 rumbles thru Bedford with a string of loaded grain cars from the large Rock Ridge NJ Cargill complex served by the Atlantic Pacific Railroad.

APRR emergency grain car #2794 makes it's virtual ops debut and PC caboose #26043 brings up the markers.

Extra 3175 rolls into Terminal Yard on Track #1.

After cutting off from the train the 3175 and 7675 head into the engine terminal.

Hot on the heels of Extra 3175 is Extra 2822. 

Extra 2822 arrives in Terminal Yard with grain hoppers from several Catskill Mountain grain producers and the massive Empire Grain complex in West Mill that is served by the PC Kings Port Division.

Extra 2822 heads down track 8.

Extra 2822's power has cut off and heads into the engine terminal.

With 2822's power now in the clear the Terminal Yard yard job shoves the grain cars from Rock Ridge Cargill towards Pier 16.

The cars from Rock Ridge are in the Pier 16 Yard and the yard job heads back to Terminal Yard as we see two Alco RS-1s working the Pier 16 Grain Silos.

On the return the yard job pulls the caboose from Extra 2822's train.

Now we turn our attention to the Pier 16 Job (16 Job) as they shuffle loads and empties to and from the silos.

The 16 Job brings a string of empties to Terminal Yard.

We'll cut it here today with the empties shoved into Track #1 to await departure.

We'll pick it up tomorrow starting with the 16 Job pulling the string of loaded Rock Ridge Cargill grain cars out of the Pier 16 Yard.

Tomorrow we'll get the cars from both Rock Ridge and West Mill unloaded at Pier 16 and sent back to their respective RRs.

Be sure to follow the action on Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR and

PC Ralph's Kings Port Division.

Thanks for reading and watching!!!

See ya tomorrow!!

Emergency Grain Cars

 Greetings All,

In April 2018 Model Railroader had an article on Emergency Grain Cars that used used old stock cars for transporting grain. In the April 2018 Cody's Workshop episode 26 Cody Grivno supplied some prototypical information and described his process for converting the cars.

The emergency grain cars were used in the early 1970s and perfect for the PC era. Here is a photo of BN ex NP 82814 seen at Fort Worth, Texas in December 1973. The cars may have been for online use only.

I had three colorful stock cars from Bachmann in my purgatory box for years and thought they might enjoy a second life. Here is newly painted AP 2794 ready for grain service.

Under the spotlight you can easily see the cardstock placed behind the slats. The project was pretty simple. The colorful cars were painted with rattle can gloss black. The custom made AP decals fit the cars perfectly. Putting the load limit etc data on the slats under the road numbers wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

AP 2735 has been weathered with Doc O'Brien's Weathering Powders to reflect the cars age and somewhat decrepit condition.

I just don't like the feel of the powders on my fingers so the 2735 and the two 2794s received a shot of Testor's Dullcote that toned down their weathering. All three cars received Intermountain metal wheels, and body mounted Kadee #5 couplers.

One AP 2794 and the 2735 will remain with the NYCTL for service between the Pier 16 Silos and Empire City Cargill. 

One AP 2794 has been forwarded to Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR for use in the virtual ops. Look for it in this unit grain train out of Rock Ridge Yard in our upcoming P.C.C.M. 78.

When not in virtual ops usage my AP 2794 and AP 2735 will be run between the Empire City Cargill and Pier 16 Grain Silos as a two for one service which is what I believe the BN did with their cars.

I'm pleased with the project as it gives me two distinctive emergency grain cars that are prototypical for the period I mostly run on the layout. This project also gave the three cars a second life getting them out of the purgatory box.

Sir Neal has the option of ordering more emergency grain cars for his layout to service the large Rock Ridge Cargill Facility. The APRR however is set in the present and I believe Sir Neal has more covered hoppers than most 1:1 railroads😉. But the offer is there...

Thanks for reading!!

See ya soon!!