Blog Roll

Saturday, October 28, 2023

Purgatory Box Rescues Part 2

 Greetings All,

Purgatory Box Rescues Part 2

My so called purgatory box has once again provided some freight cars that can be repainted and given a new life. Here is some more rolling stock that has been in the purgatory box for too long. Lets take a look:
Turtle Creek Central Auto Racks!
Modelers may remember the Turtle Creek Central story and decals from Model Railroader magazine. Using these decals I rattle can painted four garish Life-Like AT&SF 50' Auto Racks as TCC cars.
Two of the four TCC auto racks.
Here are two that have been de-racked. Color is fine, metal wheels and body mounted Kadee couplers were added. Cars run great but Turtle Creek Central Auto Racks no longer get any layout time.
The de-racked TCC flatcars carry loads of oversize pipe from Gervais Pipe & Fitting in Empire City or an off layout manufacturer towards Terminal Yard.
The TCC flatcars will work in this service and I can probably come up with additional loads once I settle on a new road name.
The Southern Railroad Pulpwood Cars
Next freight cars I felt in need of some cosmetic adjustments are a pair of pulpwood cars lettered for "The Southern Railroad" that are currently in PCCM service between my layout and Ralph's Kings Port Division layout as both pulpwood and bulkhead flatcars. 
The cars have had body mounted Kadee #5 couplers, metal wheels added and track very nicely. I heavily weathered the cars to obscure their lettering and bright colors. Car routing for these cars has been problematic as we send the empties north instead of south which is blatantly contrary to the AAR car service rules. 

After discussions with PC Ralph we decided to repaint the cars and letter them for the Maine Central. Using a photo of an ex D&H, MEC pulpwood car #7718 from 1990. The cars have been rattle can painted Apple Red and await decals.

However when shopping for MEC Pulpwood car decals I found Highball Graphics set F-124 which had photos of the MEC cars in 1965 that were delivered in green and had yellow lettering. Off to the big box store I went!

The cars have been repainted for the second time and are awaiting decals.
PC Ralph inspects the new MEC 1400 and1425 and notes the addition of an ACI label.
The 1425 and 1400 are back in service and look much better with the green paint and MEC decals. Both cars were sprayed with Testor's Dullcote to tone down the bright green and protect the decals.
The MEC bulkhead cars are at North Side Yard loaded with PCCM lumber loads from Half Moon Lumber awaiting pick up by the Long Island RR.
This project came out so nice these MEC cars will be seeing non PCCM layout time!
Here are the MEC and an EBRR bulkhead in non PCCM action. 
The three bulkhead flats are placed in the Gervais Pipe and Fitting siding fulfilling an empty car request.

Final Thoughts and Comments
I really like how the Maine Central (MEC) cars turned out. The color and decals do the car justice and they look much better to me as they earn PCCM and non PCCM revenue.

I continue mulling what to do with the Turtle Creek flatcars and they remain a work in progress. With the auto racks removed they could see service as TCC cars but I'd prefer a different road name.

Thanks for reading!!!
See you soon!!!
 

Saturday, October 21, 2023

More Purgatory Box Rescues Part 1

 Greetings All,

More Purgatory Box Rescues Part 1

Purgatory: the condition, process, or place of purification or temporary punishment in which, according to medieval Christian and Roman Catholic belief, the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made ready for heaven. Purgatory (Latin: purgatorium; from purgare, “to purge”) has come to refer as well to a wide range of historical and modern conceptions of postmortem suffering short of everlasting damnation.

Over the years my so called purgatory box has been a resting place for rolling stock and motive power that no longer meet the needs or standards of the layout as my modeling has improved and become more focused. 

The rolling stock and motive power definitely lie in a state of grace and provided many freight cars over the years that have been repainted, upgraded and given a new life. I recently dug deep under the layout to uncover some more rolling stock that has been in the purgatory box for too long. Lets take a look:

PRR Coal Hopper and Gondola Get New Owner
A Model Power PRR coal hopper with a glued in load that I made and a PRR gondola see the florescent light for the first time in a very long time.

The hopper car has body mounted knuckle couplers and metal wheelsets installed. The gondola has knuckle couplers installed but retained its plastic wheels. 
The ex PRR coal hopper is now KP&W #202 and is ready for service. The 202 joins KP&W #233 and #234 in the KP&W coal hopper 200 series fleet.
The KP&W gets an additional gondola added to its fleet. Note both cars now have Kadee #5 couplers and the gondola has received metal wheels. The 2102 joins KP&W gondola #2140 in my fleet.
1:87 PC Ralph inspects the new KP&W freight cars.
KP&W #2102 sits in North Side Yard awaiting interchange with the LIRR and movement to Mid Island Steel with a load of steel coils from Kings Port Steel.
Later that week KP&W #2102 is back in North Side Yard awaiting movement to Terminal Yard with a load of scrap steel from Gershow Recycling for Kings Port Steel.
On another day a five car block of gondolas with scrap steel for Kings Port Steel that includes KP&W #2102 are ready to move from North Side Yard to Terminal Yard.
Empty KP&W coal hopper #202 rolls past RA Tower enroute to Terminal Yard.
The KP&W 202 gets loaded at Hudson Coal.
Atlantic Pacific Railroad Boxcars Makeover
A pair of Atlantic Pacific Railroad boxcars get a facelift during this decal-palooza. Both of these cars have been languishing in their boxes since newer and better looking APRR models were painted, lettered and added to the fleet.

AP combo door boxcar #16035 was painted when 1:1 Sir Neal first received the custom made Atlantic Pacific Railroad decals. The experimental green looked alright for awhile. The car is an AHM product that had been upgraded with additional weight, body mounted Kadee #5s, replacement stirrups and metal wheelsets.
AP double door boxcar #82794 was painted and lettered when 1:1 Sir Neal settled on orange as the APRR's official color. This is an Accurail product that has metal wheels and body mounted Kadee #5 couplers and a broken stirrup.
The AP shells have been rattle can painted the new APRR corporate orange.
Are you mocking me?! With a plethora of decals to work with I'm mocking up and pimping out the AP boxcars.
AP #5035 has been released from the Patti-O Paint Shop and is looking sharp in Terminal Yard. The 5035 has also received all new stirrups made by Tichy.
AP #4160 is now ready for assignment. The 4160 is in pool service in Empire City as the decal adjacent to the reporting marks indicates the car is to be forwarded when empty to the EBRR at North Side Yard.
1:87 Sir Neal checks out and hopefully approves of the newest APRR rolling stock that will ply the rails of the NYCTL.
The AP 5035 and 4160 get the once over from the RA Tower operator.
The newly painted AP boxcars are ready to be moved to PC Richard for loading.
On another day the AP 4160 and 5035 are spotted for loading at Superior Furniture in Empire City.
The AP 4160 and 5035 now loaded with furniture are moved to North Side Yard for their next movements.
Chesapeake & Ohio 40' REA boxcar #225
This Roundhouse shell timeshares a frame with other Roundhouse 40' track cleaning boxcars. The lettering is barely discernible and it hasn't seen much if any track time in recent years. 

Originally purchased for use as a headend and track cleaning car in a passenger train I decided it was time for a repaint and new lettering job.
The former C&O REA 40' boxcar is pulled from the shop.
The newly painted and lettered P&E bulk mail storage boxcar is now ready for service.  
The P&E silver boxcar makes its first revenue run and polishes the tracks it rolls thru Empire City.
The newly painted and lettered car fits in very nicely on the headend of a great steel fleet passenger train.
40' Stock Cars
The below cars are from Bachmann and were originally in green and yellow C&NW and blue NP paint. The cars had been converted to body mounted knuckle couplers have metal wheelsets already installed. 
1:87 Sir Neal inspects the newly painted AP 2758 and 2760 that join the previously painted AP 2794 and 2735. The four cars have been cleaned with plywood added to their sides and no longer haul livestock.
The four repurposed AP boxcars are now in The Empire Belt RRs North Side Yard awaiting their next move. As RRs no longer moved much livestock these old cars have found new uses to earn revenue. 
Researching for alternate uses for modified stock cars I came across several possibilities that include bricks, cinder blocks and other cement and fired clay products. Grain, hay and straw were also mentioned as loads for these cars. 
A four car block of bricks from Port Owen Brick heads to Gotham Builders Supply in Laurel Hill (Queens) NY in LIRR Train MA-4.

We'll close this out here for this week and follow up with a part 2 down the road that will include the repainting and lettering of these two PCCM Southern Railway Pulpwood cars.

Thanks for reading!!!
See you soon!!!

Sunday, October 15, 2023

Penn Central Car Movements #101 Part 6 / Conclusion of Virtual Operations

 Greetings All,

Welcome Back to Penn Central Car Movements #101!!!

Our three layout virtual op with my NYCTL interchanging freight traffic with Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR and PC Ralph's Kings Port Division concludes today with the Empire Belt delivering the PCCM freight and interchanging PCCM freight cars with the Long Island RR.

The action starts with senior engineer Sir Neal organizing the PCCM and non PCCM freight cars in North Side Yard.  
The yard is set up and PC Ralph gets today's switch list for the Empire City industries.
The Belt Job has departed North Side Yard and crosses onto the Belt Line.
The Belt Job starts working the eastside industries placing three PCCM cars on the Ralph's Grocery Warehouse siding. The two APRR boxcars are loaded with paper products from Marcal in Rock Ridge NJ.
PC boxcar 229046 is loaded with bagged flour from Blue Ribbon Flour in Kings Port, NY.
Three empty EBRR gondolas and one empty PC gondola get spotted at Gervais Pipe & Fitting for their next PCCM loads.
Now working Neal's Lumber and Hardware the Belt Job delivers P&E boxcar 3638 loaded with bricks from Port Owen Brick and PC boxcar 77047 loaded with bagged rock from Hedberg Aggregates.
The work on the eastside is done and the Belt Job heads west.
The Belt Job starts working the westside industrial complex by picking up empty EBRR boxcar 358160 from the storage track.
Empty EBRR boxcar 358160 gets spotted at Reliable Machine for its next PCCM load.
The Belt Job continues working the westside delivering PC boxcar 104478 loaded with 55 gallon drums from ACCO in Mayfield, NY to Drywell Inks.
Empty NYC boxcar 80775 is spotted at Moore & Company for its next PCCM load.
EBRR boxcars 416035 and 416079 loaded with plumbing supplies from American Hardware in Rock Ridge NJ are placed on the storage track pending movement to Neal's Lumber & Hardware once the two PCCM cars placed there earlier are unloaded.
With the switching work done the Belt Job prepares to head back to North Side Yard.
The Belt Job heads back to North Side Yard.
The Belt Job is back at North Side Yard but will hold on the Belt Line and wait for LIRR Train to arrive and depart creating yard space. 
Long Island RR Train MA-3 heads thru Bedford, NY enroute to North Side Yard.
LIRR Train MA-3 arrives in North Side Yard.
LIRR engineer Jimmy Alco checks in with the EBRR trainmen and prepares to get outbound train MA-4 together.
LIRR Train MA-4 departs North Side Yard.
The MA-4 heads to Fresh Pond Yard.
Put it in the Books!!!!
This concludes the NYCTL's portion of the PCCM virtual operations.

Be sure to catch all of the PCCM 101 action on Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR and PC Ralph's Kings Port Division.

Compilation of todays train videos.

Thanks for reading and watching!!!
See you soon!!!