HO Scale Shippers Appreciation Day

 Greetings All,

HO Scale Shippers Appreciation Day

This past week my freelanced HO scale Empire Belt railroad celebrated its six year anniversary with a shippers appreciation day at North Side Yard in Empire City, NY. Shippers, friends and family were invited to join in the festivities.

The Empire Belt At A Glance

The freelanced 1:87 scale Empire Belt Railroad is a New York Central and later Penn Central subsidiary short line switching railroad inspired in part by the Indiana Harbor Belt and Belt Railway of Chicago. The EBRR works out of North Side Yard serving rail customers in its namesake Empire City, NY. The railroad connects with the nationwide rail system via the New York Central / Penn Central Terminal Yard with two trains a day delivering freight traffic between the PC and EBRR. 

Long Island Interchange

The Empire Belt North Side Yard also serves as an interchange point for freight traffic with the Long Island RR. The LIRR makes a daily transfer run to and from Fresh Pond delivering and picking up freight cars for their next movements. The EBRR then moves the cars delivered to North Side Yard to either local industries or to Terminal Yard for further movements to NYC/PC served industries or placement in trains heading off layout to Selkirk or Cedar Hill Yard in New Haven, CT. 

Lets Have Some Fun!!

As we modelers know sometimes model railroading can be a serious hobby so lets take a fun look at this special day designed to assure current and potential 1:87 shippers that the Empire Belt has the resources to move their products safely and efficiently. 

The day opened up with food carts and an ice cream truck for all attendees to enjoy. The EBRR trainmen hosted the event interacting with the guests, answering questions and showcasing the EBRR. 

Easy & Chooch from the Kings Port Railway Society snagged the last parking spot and race towards the food carts. Free food and railfanning is well worth the drive from Kings Port!

The EBRR engineers gave a tour of the various motive power owned and available to promptly move a shippers freight. Below 1:87 Senior Engineer Sir Neal gives a talk about this pair of EMD GP18s.

A fan favorite is the EBRR 6502 painted in New Haven colors. 1:87 Emery is at his familiar perch recording the event for yet another Green Reptile video. The 6502 is one of three SDP40s on the EBRR roster.

Another fan favorite is the Alco ABBA consist. Empire City is one of the last places a railfan can find a true Alco ABBA lash up.

Visitors check out the vintage power. Conductor John and a local shipper compare the time, a gentleman tips his hat to a lady as Easy and Chooch run to the other end of the consist.

PC Ralph and brakeman Rocky offer insights into these vintage units that can be found working as an ABBA set or split among the other EBRR units as needed. Feedback from the railfans is they prefer the ABBA set. Shippers and consignees didn't really care as long as their products were moved efficiently.

PC Ralph shows off the EBRR GP30s to a skeptical Big Mike. Looks they'll slip coming out of the roundhouse replies Big Mike who is not a fan of the GP30 or General Electric locomotives.

Conductor John greets visitors for the EBRR caboose tour. The Empire Belt trailer is strategically placed to let shippers and consignees know the EBRR has the resources to move all kinds of freight.

Brakeman Rocky answers questions and our friends from the KPRS get ready to explore the cabooses.

PC Ralph and Brakeman Rocky introduce the EBRR U23Cs which are technically the newest EBRR locomotives built and delivered in November, 1970. A gravelly voice from the crowd can be heard to say "they should have stuck to toasters!" Wonder who that was?

The Empire Belt trainmen gathered up some of their freight cars to showcase samples of their available fleet to current and potential customers. Need an express shipment sent out, we can handle it.

50' and 40' plug door boxcars in great condition to keep loads dry and secure.

Special "cereal and flour only" plug door boxcars for bagged flour and cereal in bags or boxes. 

57' Mechanical Reefers to handle temperature sensitive shipments.

50' boxcar with outside braces and large doors for forklifts to easily enter and exit. A 40' insulated boxcar used in potato service from the ex NH Harlem River Yard and the Long Island RR Fresh Pond Yard. 

40' dry van trailers for less than car load traffic that can move quickly in Penn Central TrailVan trains via interchange with the PC at Terminal Yard. 

Coal hoppers leased to nearby Hudson Coal for regional travel. Flatcars for all type of loads like this lumber shipment from Neal's Lumber and Hardware.

A bulkhead flatcar for loads needing protection, open and covered gondolas available to move various types of loads.

Different types of covered hoppers to serve Empire City Cargill and Red Wing Milling in the background.

Specialty per diem cars include 50' and 60' boxcars in auto parts pool service between the Bedford Park Ford Plant and ACME Auto Parts in Mayfield, NY and IDEAL Auto Parts in Rock Ridge, NJ

86' auto parts boxcars also in pool service between the Bedford Park Ford Plant and IDEAL Auto Parts in Rock Ridge, NJ.

Another 86' rolling warehouse in pool service Bedford Park Ford Plant pool service.

The tour of motive power and rolling stock has been completed and the attendees have been herded back to the food carts area. 

The EBRR has leased several ex NYC and PRR coaches powered by two EBRR SDP40s to give the attendees a ride around Empire City.

Last but not least to close out the day was a caboose ride behind the EBRR GP30s. Hope they don't slip!

See the EBRR on Parade!!

Final Comments

For six years the Empire Belt has provided a good place for locomotives that needed a home like the SDP40s, a wide array of locomotive and rolling stock paint projects and much enjoyment in running model railroad freight operations.

Right now the I believe the EBRR has reached its motive power limit but who knows what will come down the pike in the future. I like to sometimes take the EBRR past April 1st, 1976 into the early Conrail era so maybe a patch out locomotive or two and some freight cars will show up at North Side Yard if in fact the EBRR is folded into Conrail. Or it might remain independent as a spun off short  line. We shall see.

Thanks for reading and watching!!!

See you soon!!