Arbor Day in Empire City

 Greetings All,

Today is the 150th Arbor Day and the 50th anniversary of the

 Arbor  Day Foundation. 

This is the perfect day to present a recent project of adding trees to Empire City using a plant called Sedum and the moving and replanting of some smaller trees on the layout.

The first area to be worked was the Empire City rail fan pavilion. These small skinny trees get lost in the scene and this is one area that is immediately visible when entering the train room. Checkout those new signs!

The Empire City rail fan pavilion with food carts and seating saw five small pine trees were removed.

Four larger trees were added.

To install the trees I drilled a small hole and inserted a dowel that tightly fit into it. The dried sedum tree has a hollow stalk that fits snugly over the dowel. Easy on and easy off for maintenance or future replacement.

The dried sedum stalks make a nice tree with a high canopy and that doesn't block the views and enhances the skyline.

 

Several more sedum trees replaced much smaller pine trees on Main Street.

Four of the smaller trees were replanted in the park below. 

What's a park without trees! Hey what's that guy doing in the corner!!

New larger trees at the corner of the Belvedere Hotel and in front of Lee Beverage Distributors.

Trees added around the West Side Curve and Walsh Steel Wool Products. I paid close attention to the tree planting locations so they would not interfere with operations and track maintenance.

A couple of trees added to his area of the west side adds some depth and visual interest. I need to get back to work on that building to the right!

Three rescued trees are replanted near Empire Produce.

1:87 PC Ralph will have it made in the shade with this new tree!

I grow the sedum plants in my yard and have been using them for years as trees on the layout. I originally used a grass flock and white glue to coat the "leaf  structure" but found over time the flock started falling off.

A few years ago I started to use rattle can spray paint on the tree tops to both secure the "leaves" and give them color. So far this is working pretty good. I plan to pick up a couple of rattle cans with different shades of green to give the trees some variety.

I did try using red and orange and yellow for a Fall scene but didn't like the way it looked.

This is an inexpensive way to add tees to your layout using perennial plants that look good, return each year and can be split into additional plants.

Thanks for reading!!

See you soon!!!

Penn Central Car Movements #92 / Weekend Coal Op Part 2

 Greetings All,

Welcome back to Penn Central Car Movements #92

PCCM 92 , our one weekend virtual coal op with empty coal trains coming to the NYCTL from 1:1 Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR and PC Ralph's Kings Port Division continues today with loaded coal trains heading back to the APRR and KPD layouts.

Extra 4348 prepares to depart Terminal Yard for Selkirk with loaded coal hoppers consigned to the Bow, NH Power Plant.

Extra 4348 heads for Selkirk.

Extra 4348 gets a highball at Bedford Tower. Next stop Selkirk!!!

Back at Terminal Yard Kar Knocker inspects Extra 6533 arriving with empty hoppers from the Kings Port Division's West Mill Yard 

The 6533 has cut from the train and rolls into the engine terminal.

Kar Knocker is ready to inspect the train and the yard engines are ready to pull the caboose.

After the empty hoppers pass their inspection they get a local coal service caboose and are readied to depart for Hudson Coal. 

Once again the ex PRR SD9s get the call for a mine run. The engines are enjoying a carbon cleaning and are showcasing their six axle pulling power.

Empty hopper train MR-3 departs Terminal Yard.

The first stop is to pull four loaded PC PS2 covered hoppers from T&R Gravel. They are loaded with locomotive sand for the APRR's Richmond Hill Engine Terminal.

The PS2 hoppers are shoved into Hudson Coal.

The loaded hoppers get pulled from Hudson Coal.

The SD9s show their strength pulling a long cut from Hudson Coal.

The empties are spotted and the coal cycle continues.

Loaded hopper train MR-4 builds up the air and prepares to head back to Terminal Yard.

The MR-4 heads back to Terminal Yard.

Train MR-4 brings the loaded hoppers into Terminal Yard and over the weigh in motion scale.

The Terminal Yard yardmaster is out to talk things over with Kar Knocker and Big Mike. Upon completion of the car inspection he wants the entire consist of MR-4 coupled up to the ballast hoppers on track #4 in the background and readied for departure.

With the car inspection complete Big Mike couples up to the PC PS hopper as Kar Knocker looks on.

The coal hoppers are coupled onto the ballast hoppers in track #4.

Two GP40s get the call to power the train.

The engines couple up with GP40 3175 leading.

Extra 3175 departs Terminal Yard.

Extra 3175 gets a highball at Bedford Tower. Next stop Selkirk!!!

This wraps up the NYCTL's PCCM 92 participation and the op is turned back over to the Kings Port Division and Atlantic Pacific RR.

Be sure to catch the action on 1:1 Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR and PC Ralph's Kings Port Division!!

Thanks for reading and watching!!!

See you tomorrow!!!

Penn Central Car Movements #92 / Weekend Coal Op Part 1

 Greetings All,

Welcome to Penn Central Car Movements #92

PCCM 92 will be a one weekend virtual coal op with empty coal trains coming to the NYCTL from 1:1 Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR and PC Ralph's Kings Port Division in part 1. Loaded coal trains will then head back to their respective layouts in part 2.

The coal op starts on the NYCTL with Penn Central Train Extra 3175 bringing empty coal hoppers and PS2 hoppers from the Atlantic Pacific RR's Rock Ridge Yard thru Empire City.

Extra 3175 slows at Bedford Tower to pick up orders.

PC Train Extra 3175 rolls thru Bedford NY.

The 3175 arrives at Terminal Yard.

The GP40s have cut from the train and head into the engine terminal.

Kar Knocker is ready to inspect the train and Big Mike working the yard job has coupled up his U23Cs to NYC mineral service caboose #21667.

The caboose is shoved into the caboose track for servicing.

After the train is inspected Big Mike shoves the entire consist into a yard track. The four empty PS 2 hoppers are going to T&R Gravel for locomotive sand and the empty open hoppers are going to Hudson Coal for loading.

Alco Joe is called for Train MR-1 and Wet Willie's streak of providing him Alcos comes to an end. Today's MR-1 will be powered by a pair of SD9s no longer needed as yard power with the return of the U23Cs from Selkirk. In the background Big Mike takes a break from working with empty auto boxcars that will be heading to Selkirk.

Train MR-1 departs Terminal Yard.

The MR-1 pulls four PS2 hoppers past T&R Gravel. The four loaded APRR ballast hoppers will be pulled and forwarded to the APRRs Maintenance of Way Department.

The empty PS2s are spotted for loading. 

The ballast hoppers are temporarily shoved into Hudson Coal.

The MR-1 starts pulling the loaded hoppers from Hudson Coal.

Train MR-1 makes the long pull from Hudson Coal and exchanges loads for empties.

The empties are spotted.

The loaded hopper train, now MR-2, is back together and departs for Terminal Yard.

Train MR-2 comes back into Terminal Yard over the weigh in motion scale as Kar Knocker looks on.

We'll cut it here today with Big Mike building an outbound coal train with the NYC jade caboose and another outbound train with the NYC mineral service caboose.

We'll pick it up tomorrow with the dispatch of Coal Extra 4348 to Selkirk followed by the dispatch of Extra 3175 towards Selkirk, Weehawken and the APRR's Rock Ridge Yard.

Be sure to catch the action on 1:1 Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR and PC Ralph's Kings Port Division!!

Thanks for reading and watching!!!

See you tomorrow!!!

1:1 ATJOE1972 visits the NYCTL!

 Greetings All,

The New York Central Layout recently enjoyed a visit from noted model railroader and youtuber ATJOE1972 when he was in the Atlanta area for a professional conference. Blog readers should recognize this name and the 1:87 moniker Alco Joe that he goes by when in NYCTL train service.

Also in town for the weekend was my son Robert and his family which added to the fun and train consists.

I met ATJOE1972 thru this blog and have exchanged countless emails and quips with him over the years. When he inquired about visiting I immediately said yes. I'm very happy to say that we had a very enjoyable weekend running trains and visiting area attractions.

1:1 scale ATJOE1972 arrived on Friday evening bearing gifts like this very nice CB&Q sign.

And this really nice Penn Central sign.

On an unseasonably cold Saturday ATJOE, Robert and I took a trip to the Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth, Georgia.

After visiting the museum and eating lunch we then went to Trainmaster Models in Auburn, Georgia. You know we found stuff we needed!!

After our day out we returned to the NYCTL for an afternoon of running trains. ATJOE checks out a Trainmaster and two SD9s.

ATJOE1972 poses with the three CSX Pride in Service locomotives at Terminal Yard. With my son Robert in town these three units are a must on the layout.

BINO diesels are also a must!

Early Sunday morning the weather returned to normal and ATJOE set up on the Norfolk Southern mainline to catch the Amtrak Crescent as it headed west thru Duluth, GA towards Atlanta.

All told we spent three days running various trains on the layout focusing on ATJOE's and my son Robert's favorite locomotives. Here is a small sample from the weekend.

The CB&Q and PC signs are now proudly displayed and  prominently placed to be easily spotted when entering the train room.

On Monday morning ATJOE was back on the Norfolk Southern mainline this time at Suwanee, GA where he again caught the Amtrak Crescent this time with a rare engine in the consist. 

The entire family enjoyed ATJOE1972's visit and he is welcome back anytime. We had a lot of fun and I hope we can do it again.

Here's a part 1 ATJOE's video from his visit to the layout.

Thanks for the visit ATJOE!!!

Thanks for reading and watching!!!

See you soon!!!