Continuing with Car Card Operations

 Greetings All,

Here's an update to my car card operations which continue to be tweaked and enhanced for further enjoyment. After an enjoyable six weeks of Holiday Train running I've just completed several solo op sessions to get back in the swing of things for the upcoming three layout P.C.C.M. #80. 

This is how the yard looked when it was time to start the op session. The yard engines on track #8 are coupled to the freight cars of inbound train EB-2 from North Side Yard which arrived yesterday. 

I scan the yard tracks and the car card boxes to remind myself where I left off and what needs to be done. I've taken to labeling as much as possible for this. If you've ever walked into a room and wondered why you were there you'll understand.   

A TV Train that occupied Track #3 in photo #1 is on it's way to Englewood Yard in Chicago and we'll see it later in the post.

I've broken the train to be classified in half to keep the movements and classifying a bit easier on the engines and rolling stock. Looking at the car card and waybill white LV boxcar 62082 is empty and going back to the LVRR at Sayre PA. 

LV 62082 is the last car of the cut and will be the first car classified.

An EL 50' boxcar heading off layout via Putnam Jct is shoved into track #4. As outbound cars are getting shoved into their respective tracks the tabs remind me which track is for what train. Track #8 holds the remainder of the train to be classified.

The second block of the train is now ready to be worked.

Cars for the Bedford Turn (BT-27) are classified in track #5. 

Once all the cars have been classified into their tracks some of the local trains like the Bedford Turn (BT-27) need to be blocked for delivery to their respective consignees. BT-27s consist has been pulled from track #5 to work on the blocking.

The BT-27 is blocked for departure and shoved back into Track #5.

Train BP-41 in track #3 is ready to go to Bedford Park. This transfer run does not usually get blocked as it's a yard to yard move and from here I have no idea what the situation is there. 

The car cards will be put in the #3 box. I've started using the bigger clips at the bottom of the car cards as this holds them nicely and allows me to flip thru the cards without having to separate them.

The freight cars that require movement to Pier 16 /12th Ave and yard limits industries sitting on track #7 need to be blocked before that movement takes place. 

The yard job has completed the necessary blocking and is ready to proceed to both Pier 16 Yard and Terminal Warehouse & Cold Storage located within the Terminal Yard yard limits.

1/87th scale union agreements now mandate a caboose for all shove moves to Pier 16 for crew safety. Management readily agreed to the request and as we know I have accumulated a lot of cabooses!

Four cars are left on siding #2 in the Pier 16 yard. The 16 job will deal with them in a future op session.

The caboose is coupled back on and the yard job heads back towards Terminal Yard to work Terminal Warehouse & Cold Storage.

P&E 50' boxcar #4682 has an empty waybill. It can be forwarded empty off layout back to the P&E or used to fulfill an "empty car request".

Using the "empty car request" this car will be loaded with general merchandise that needs to be delivered to All-City Storage at Bedford Park which is an on layout industry.

The work is done at Terminal Warehouse & Cold Storage and the yard job brings a string of five freight cars back to the yard.

At this point the crew's legs are getting tired so this will wait until the next time.

Time for a break and some railfanning!!! I'll man my chair and enjoy the TV Train running on the layout for awhile before calling it a day.

Speaking of railfanning here is my last Holiday Railfanning video

All told the yard operations took about two hours. One thing I've noticed is that using the car cards and waybills has upped the realism of my model train operations dramatically. With the practice ops under my belt I think I'm ready for the three layout P.C.C.M #80 that will commence this Friday, January 15th, 2021

Thanks for reading!!!

See ya Friday!!!