Welcome to my Blog. The scope of this blog is to record the trials and tribulations of building and maintaining an HO scale layout, the trains and all of the ancillary projects that go with it. In 2017 New York Central subsidiary short line Empire Belt Railroad came into existence. The New York Central / Penn Central and Empire Belt are now the major railroads featured.
Empire Belt GP30s
The EBRR GP30s round a curve on the Empire City Belt Line.
This New York Central Water Street Freight House is a Walthers kit that I added to the lower level of Empire City a long time ago originally intended for Pacemaker, Express and other Less than Car Load freight has seen limited action at best.
As my model railroad operations continue to expand both in the Penn Central Car Movements virtual ops and my own actual ops I've been looking for ways to increase local freight traffic using existing sidings and structures if possible.
In the Morning Sun Publishing book Michigan Central Trackside with Emery Gulash by Geoffrey H. Doughty the author reports the following on a page 59 April 1963 photo of NYC Train "The Wolverine" passing the Dearborn Freight House with the caption reading in part "By this time the freight house was leased to a local appliance dealer as the RR sold off its properties in order to make better use of real estate and lessen the tax and liability burden".
With this in mind I took another look at the Water Street Freight House and thought if I leased it to an Appliance Dealer it could fit into both the PCCM virtual ops and my own operations.
The first thing I needed to do was to upgrade the scene and get rid of the golf course grass between the tracks if this area was going to be shown in the PCCMs.
The freight house / appliance dealer has a three 40' car siding with an open platform to the left that was some type of dock.
Golf course removed, ballast added. Additional crates added to open loading dock along with a delivery truck.
Pacemaker and Express cars can still be loaded and unloaded at the improved freight house scene for 1950s operations.
Moving the scene into the PCCM era KP&W and PC trailers load/ unload at the "appliance dealer" along with a pair of Hi Cube boxcars from Peerless Appliance from PC Ralph's Kings Port Division for possible future PCCM car movements.
APRR/EBRR Hi Cubes or TP&W RBLs could also be sent to the appliance dealer from a shipper or for a consignee on or with a connection to Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR.
The newly established Water Street Job works the appliance dealer siding shoving in a pair of Hi Cube boxcars from the Whirlpool Factory in Marion, Ohio and a CB&Q boxcar from the Frigidaire Factory in Des Moines, Iowa.
Across the street the old REA building has been temporarily removed accommodate a TOFC/COFC Ramp known as the REA Ramp. Old RR names die slowly.
A trio of 20' containers on a 75' flatcar are shoved into the ramp for unloading. A PC tractor and 20' chassis await the first container on the vintage TYCO Piggyback Loader and Unloader.
Both the REA Ramp and Appliance Dealer will make their PCCM debuts in PCCM #91 which begins Friday, April 1st.
I finally addressed the bare area under the High Line that lays between Empire City Station and RA Rower. The area features a reverse loop tunnel entrance and uneven lighting due to the overhead High Line.
I cut out some black foam core board to fit between the tracks and placed some yellow heavy equipment on top of it. The colorful shrubbery at right is going to be removed as part of the project.
The bright colors of the machinery are easily spotted in the uneven lighting. The bridges cross the Empire City canal a favorite body dumping spot for the local mobsters.
I've added a fence made from small dowels and nylon screen to protect the people and vehicles from falling or being pushed into the canal. Tan cardstock has been cut and pasted over the black foam core to simulate concrete and lighten the area.
Scrap tires, light color vehicles and scribed expansion joints show potential.
Gravel and ballast replace the colorful shrubbery for a more railroad looking scene. A black top roadway has also been added.
Growing up in a big city my urban scenes need fences which were a big part of city life. The area in front of the tunnel is now totally protected.
Empire City Bridge & Highway District 57 has taken possession of the newly created lot. I think this is a good fit for this site. Highway signs are stored to the left and easily seen in the darker area.
The entrance with sliding gates has been set back to allow safe ingress and egress. Can't have the work truck get hit by an express train while the driver fumbles with his keys to unlock and open the gate!
Scrap tires picked up from various illegal dump sites and roadways are stored here awaiting pickup from a city garbage truck. A signal and the switch tender shanty have been glued in place to complement the scene.
A municipal road crew works on some drainage issues in the foreground. A couple of the District 57 guys stroll thru their lot which now includes orange highway barrels and road closure barricades.
A billboard has been placed on the other side of the reverse curve tracks. Various crates are stacked inside the fence on the right.
A head on view from the edge of the layout.
While this project is certainly no award winner in the scenery department it does provide a decent backdrop to photograph the trains that will be rolling by.
Another IHC passenger car project has been completed and today I proudly present;
Passenger Train Spotlight 2-2022
IHC Long Island Railroad Heavyweights
Prototype Information:
The Long Island RR was chartered in 1834 and is now the nation's busiest commuter railroad running to and from Penn Station in Manhattan and Flatbush Ave in Brooklyn toQueens, Nassau and Suffolk counties.
The Pennsylvania RR bought a controlling interest in the Long Island RR in 1910 as part of it's expansion plans to enter Manhattan via a tunnel under the Hudson River and a second tunnel under the East River to Queens NY for turning and servicing their passenger trains. They would become Pennsylvania Station and Sunnyside Yard.
The Long Island or LIRR was later sold by the PRR to the State of New York in 1965 for sixty five million dollars. The LIRR of the late 1960s and early 1970s was far different from the LIRR of today.
Commuters on the LIRR of the late 60 s and early 70s were mostly a disgruntled lot as the LIRR started out on January 1st, 1968 by eliminating all checked baggage. 1968 and 1969 would be two years of labor unrest, equipment failures and shortages and commuter revolts.
In June of 1968 as RRs sought to get out of money losing passenger service the LIRR started purchasing lightweight Pullman and lounge cars from the PC (ex NYC, PRR), NH, B&O, KCS and others to replace heavyweight cars in East End Parlor Service.
Model Information:
This heavyweight eight car set is from International Hobby Corp and includes the following; Railway Post Office Car #743, Baggage Car #621
Combine #630, Coach #462
Diner #826, Sleeper #138
Sleeper #126 and Observation Car #2038. The cars are painted in a gray and orange scheme with "Dashing Dan" heralds proclaiming the LIRR is the route of the dashing commuter. All cars come with six wheel trucks.
The eight car set underwent upgrades that included the adding of weight (they had none), Intermountain 33" metal wheelsets and Kadee couplers as described in the working with AHM / IHC passenger cars post. Here is a sample photo of the metal wheels and Kadee coupler install.
An Atlas RS1 and RS2 get the call to power the train which would have been prototypical. The paint on the LIRR Alcos matches the passenger cars giving the train a nice uniform look.
The HWs make their first revenue run.
The Alco RS units bring the train into Terminal Yard to be turned and serviced.
The train is one track #1 and the engines are being cut off.
After the passengers have left the train the Alcos couple up to the observation car.
The train is pulled from Track #1 to be spotted on track #2.
Three passenger cars are shoved toward the engine terminal wye. I was pleasantly surprised that my coupler system allowed these cars to be shoved without derailing.
The cars are shoved thru one leg of the wye.
The three cars are pulled out of the other leg of the wye.
After pulling the three turned cars into track #1 the engines use the escape track to get back in front of the remaining five cars and shove it out of track #2.
Back at the engine terminal wye the baggage and RPO wait on a yard lead for their turn to go thru the wye. Being shoved into the wye are the combo, coach and diner.
The combo, coach and diner are reunited with the sleepers and observation car on track #1.
The baggage car and RPO get turned thru the wye.
The Alcos bring the head end cars back thru Terminal Yard.
The eight car train has been turned and is back together ready for it's next run. It might have been boring to follow the turning of the train but it was an enjoyable challenge for me as engine terminal wye was designed for locomotives. Getting the train turned with as few moves a possible wasn't as easy as it looked!
Getting the call for the run is leased PRR K-4 4-6-2 #3750! If it's Friday this must be the Cannonball!!! Or maybe a steam special? For the record the PRR 3750 was in fact leased to the LIRR!
The Cannonball makes its run to Empire City Station and beyond.
The 4-6-2 looks majestic bringing this train thru Empire City Station.
The Cannonball heads for the Montauk Line.
On another day a "Steam Special" from Empire City to Montauk and back has stopped on the return to the big city. Senior Engineer Sir Neal who is steam qualified runs the train with LIRR engineer Jimmy Alco as pilot engineer and PC Ralph firing the locomotive. Alco Joe and conductor Murray have brought a set of helper engines for the trip to Terminal Yard.
The locomotive is uncoupled from the passenger cars and senior engineer Sir Neal eases the 4-6-2 forward.
Sir Neal, Jimmy Alco and PC Ralph confirm with Alco Joe and conductor Murray that they are ready to depart. Would it have been faster and easier to couple the diesels to the front of the steamer? Absolutely! But senior engineer Sir Neal wasn't having it!
The "Steam Special" heads upgrade towards Terminal Yard as the Empire City Fire Department battles a blaze below.
Sir Neal and Alco Joe have the throttles wide open as they come up "the slide". The engineer in the 6102 got quite the surprise seeing the 3750 leading the passenger train.
The "Steam Special" comes into Terminal Yard. For the record the 4-6-2 was unable to get the eight car train up the grade to Terminal Yard and the RS-2s were in actual helper service.
The Steam Special in Action!
Additional Comments
While the Long Island RR did not have sleeper cars they did have HW parlor cars so I am imagining the observation and two sleepers are in fact HW parlor cars which the LIRR did have. One that caught my eye is ex EL HW "Virginia Dare" still in EL paint but lettered for the Long Island. The Montauk Cannonball did run with an observation car.
The discontinuance of checked baggage on January 1st 1968 did not mean the end of baggage cars on the LIRR. These cars were now used as bar cars and for bicycle extras.
It appears so far that the Long Island RR Heavyweight parlor cars wore a dark blue with a light blue window band like this LIRR #2047, the "Teckaitha".
Special thanks go out to 1:1 Sir Neal who procured both the LIRR passenger car set and the LIRR RS2 for me. Thank you very much Sir Neal!!!
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