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.
Thanks for reading and watching!!!
To: Terminal Yard
ReplyDeleteTo: West Mill
From: Rock Ridge Yard
Acknowledgement _ Extra 3175 arriving Terminal Yard from Rock Ridge via Selkirk.
Rock Ridge Yard Out!
The crews at Terminal Yard and the Pier 16 Grain Silos will have their hands full. Thanks for servicing the engines for their departure back to Rock Ridge.
10-4 Rock Ridge!!!
DeleteA most interesting and entertaining ops John! I really like the view from alongside the cargill grain elevator. Mentioning the Great Grain Robbery of 1972 reminds me of all the Southbound loaded grain trains I have seen over the decades on the Illinois Central. These grain trains terminated at a big grain terminal in Destrehan, Louisinana. It can be seen on satellite imagery, just look for the Interstate 310 bridge and look North and South. That's where you will see the transload facilties as well as the barges and ships. This is where the ships depart for locations around the world, most notably of course, the former Soviet Union. The grain transloading and storage facilities are amazing in size, especially driving along the levee of the river and seeing the huge ships towering above on the other side.
ReplyDeleteThank you Robert R!! I did a google search for the silos and all I can say is Wow!. Those grain terminals are HUGE!! I'm imagining the other side of the pier 16 silos looks something like that. Thanks for the info. Very cool you were able to see these trains in action.
DeleteWow!!! That's a lot of grain going out of Pier 16. Enjoyed how the trains from Rock Ridge and West Mill converged in a seamless stream of trains. I really like your "emergency" grain cars filling in the gap. Really well done PCCM!
ReplyDeleteThanks ATJOE !!!
Delete