2021 The Year in Review

Greetings All,

As we close out the year 2021 it's time to take a look back to review the various purchases, modeling projects, virtual operations and actual model railroad operations that took place on the layout.  

Purchasing Department Report:

There was a flurry of purchases in December with most units needed to protect future NYCTL passenger schedules and a pair of units mostly for parts sources.

December 2021: Four Life-Like Proto 2000 PA locomotives needed for IHC Passenger Trains being upgraded for 2022 and in freight service. LV #609 still in the box and not shown.

December 2021: Walthers Trainline FB1 and an FA1. Power chassis needed for a NYC FB1 to combat another zinc rot plagued locomotive. Shell to the project box.

August 2021: Frateschi New Haven FA1 locomotives #0425 and #0401 for use in a Penn Central FA project.

Summer 2021. Bachmann Spectrum New Haven H16-44 #1611. The price was right and this four unit consist looks and runs great! BTW, did you know the NH used the H16-44s in both passenger and freight service? They did! 

Summer 2021: Scale Trains CSX Pride in Service Locomotives, #1776 and #911. Had to have them!!

Summer 2021: New Haven EF4s 300 and 306. Yeah, I know there is no catenary on the layout. But these are beautiful locomotives and I couldn't resist!

May 2021: Penn Central Flexi Van car with PC Trailers. The PC  inaugurated the first coast to coast unit mail train in 1968. 

 

May 2021: Scale Trains CSX Pride in Service Locomotive #3194. A must have! I opted for the red & blue ditch lights.

March 2021: Undecorated Atlas yellow box FP7 later to become Penn Central FP7 #4369 for use in the Penn Central Car Movements virtual operations.

January 2021: Proto 2000 NYC cigar band E8As #4064 and #4090. Units needed to bridge the mid to late 1960s gap between lightning stripes and the Penn Central era. 

2021 Paint and Modeling Projects:

October 2021: Locomotive renumbering project Several NYC and PRR models received their new PC merger numbers. Below NYC

GP20 formerly #6103 is now #2103.

 
October 2021: APRR-NYCTL TP&W RBL Paint Project for use in Penn Central Car Movements virtual operations.

October 2021: ex New Haven H16-44 #5169 paint project.

August 2021: Penn Central ex New Haven RR FA1-FB1-FA1 Project. A three part project starting here.

August 2021: A joint APRR-EBRR coal hopper paint project for the Penn Central Car Movements.

June 2021: A joint APRR-EBRR six car Hi Cube Boxcar Project for use in Penn Central Car Movements virtual operations.

May 2021: Baggage Carts and Layout Odds and Ends were added.

April 2021: A close enough Erie Lackawanna Caboose paint and decal project.

 
March 2021: Penn Central E8A #4300 Paint Project.

 

March 2021: Penn Central FP7 #4369 Paint Project now in use in the Penn Central Car Movements virtual operations.

February 2021: Southern Pacific Double Stack 125 Service Paint Project.

January 2021: First decal project of the year. New York Central RDC Safety Stripe Project

This RDC has gone from ho hum to wow! The RDC has been featured numerous times photobombing the Penn Central Car Movements virtual operations. 

Virtual Operations

2021 was another banner year for our three layout virtual operations called the Penn Central Car Movements. The NYCTL participated in a total of ten PCCMs with PC Ralph's Kings Port Division and Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR starting with PCCM #80 in January 2021. 

The PCCM year closed out 2021 in December with our three layout annual Holiday Coal Operations.

 Car Card and Waybill Operations

In 2021 I continued updating my car cards so that all rolling stock on the layout with the exception of single coal hoppers, non revenue equipment and passenger cars have a corresponding car card. Waybills have been prepared for many of the cars but that is still a work in progress.

Other fun layout operations included simulating waterfront operations with a new subway car delivery inspired by the book Waterfront Railroads of New York Harbor Part 2 which was a gift from PC Ralph.

A simulating waterfront movements part 2 was inspired by the book Waterfront Railroads of New York Harbor which is also a gift from PC Ralph.

NYCTL Shop Report

The workbench saw it's share of repairs and upgrades this year to keep the trains operating smoothly and reliably.

Proto 2000 cracked gears and broken internal wires reared their ugly heads on this set of NYC GP20s.

A brand new Walthers Penn Central gondola needed coupler repair and upgrades right out of the box.

An older AHM GG1 was upgraded for better electrical pickup and performance.

An International Hobby Corp passenger car update and upgrade was started to get several sets of IHC cars running well. This is currently an ongoing project and I'll have more on this in 2022.

April 2021: Rolling stock and motive power upgraded with additional weight for better operation and reliability.

 

Odds and Ends

The NYCTL posted a total of ninety five blog entries and fifty five videos on my youtube channel for 2021. 

 

Summary

Looking back 2021 saw a good number of projects focused on upgrading the existing fleets of locomotives and freight cars. Work has begun on the passenger car fleet which is ongoing at this time and will be detailed in 2022. The purchasing department made a good number of capital investments adding some key locomotives.

I'll be posting a "What's New for 2022" post around New Years Day for readers to see what is planned for the layout in the new year.

Wishing everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Thanks for reading!!!!

See ya next year!!!

Empire City Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All!!!

Here is the final Holiday Series blog post for 2021.

Follow along today as the New York Central Railroad takes center stage at their home station and on their home rails as the trainmen of the NYCTL take their annual Holiday visit to Empire City Station for a day of railfanning.

The day starts early and stormy and a snow plow extra powered by an ABA set of EMD FTs has been called out to clear the tracks.

Visitors to Empire City took full advantage of the Empire City Subway System.

The NYCTL trainmen pose for their holiday photo as the very familiar photo bombing VW Bug belonging to the Kings Port Railway Society rolls by.

The guys are on the platform and enjoying a talk with the crew of the snowplow extra. 

Train #166 (Poughkeepsie - GCT) rolls into Empire Station.

Train #151 (GCT - Poughkeepsie) makes its station stop.

Train #45, the South Shore Express rolls into Empire City Station with plenty of head end traffic for Chicago, Buffalo, Syracuse and Cleveland.

A Mercury Train leaves Terminal Yard after being turned and serviced.

A pair of E8As bring Train #66 "The Commodore Vanderbilt" into Empire City Station.

Empire City Station is in full Holiday mode as east and west trains load and unload passengers.

A Holiday Steam Special heads towards Empire City Station.

The NYCTL trainmen watch the action as the E8s await new crews 

An Alco PA takes Train #175 (Albany-GCT) with express cars towards Terminal Yard to be serviced and turned.

Train #25 "The Twentieth Century Limited" has been turned and serviced and heads to Empire City Station to pick up it's passengers behind a trio of E8As.

Enjoy the trains!!!!

Thanks for reading and watching!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All.

Empire City Station Holiday Passenger Trains

 Greetings All,

Empire City Station continues to enjoy the hustle and bustle of rail passenger travel as the Holiday rush is in full swing. Here are some scenes from the Thanksgiving Day passenger trains calling at the station.

An Alco PA1 brings EL Train #8, The Atlantic Express, into Empire City Station with a headend TOFC car of stored mail.

Train #8 takes on REA shipments as a NYC switcher stands by to switch the train's headend.

A newly painted E7A brings B&O Train #12, the Metropolitan Special into Empire City.

A pair of Alco PA1s hustle NYC Train #19, the Lake Shore Limited, into Empire City Station.

Another pair of Alco PA1s bring B&O Train #4, the Diplomat into the station.

It's an Alco-haulics day in Empire City as a PA1-PB1 combo bring PRR Train #29, the Broadway Limited towards Empire City Station.

Another PA1 comes into Empire City with PRR Train #22, the Manhattan Limited.

Fairbanks-Morse Erie Builts pinch hit on PRR Train #48, The General.

Versatile GP7s have brought NYC Train # 81, The Genesee, into Empire City Station 

EMD E8A Demonstrator powers B&O Train #525, The Marylander.

NYC Train #916, the Berkshire Hills Express heads towards Empire City Station to pickup passengers going to resorts in the Berkshires. 

Enjoy the trains!!!

New York Central Passenger Trains at Empire City Station will be posted on Thursday as the NYCTL trainmen take their annual Holiday railfanning trip to the station.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to All!!! 

See ya Thursday!!!