New York Central Water Street Scene Upgraded

 Greetings All,

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. 

Thanks for reading!!!

See you soon!!!