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.
Sunday, December 24, 2023
Happy Holidays From Empire City!!
Greetings All,
Happy Holidays From Empire City!!!
The Holiday Season is in full swing on the layout with numerous passenger trains, foreign power, freight trains handling the Holiday Traffic.
Today is Christmas Eve!!!
December 21st is the shortest "day".
June, 6th (1944) is considered the "longest day".
December 24th is definitely the "longest night"!!!
Empire City Station is decorated for the Holidays as passenger trains and subway trains are handling record amounts of traffic.
The city is looking quite festive!
Wreaths and Santa give the layout a nice holiday appearance.
The New York Central Lightning Stripe Fleet will handle most of the Holiday traffic this season with special appearances from foreign roads enjoying trackage rights and pool power agreements.
The Baldwin RF16 Sharks have been lugging a lot of freight traffic this season. Renowned for their pulling power they could pull anything including the yard office but at not more than 45 miles per hour.
The NYC had the largest FA-FB fleet. Three of the four unit consist lead a train out of North Side Yard.
New Haven Fairbanks Morse H16-44s are working hard in passenger service hauling long trains with a lot of head end traffic. New Haven tidbit: The sixty locomotives bought by the NH in 1956 , including fifteen H16-44s were dual purpose locomotives.
Fairbanks Morse Erie Builts earned their keep this season as well.
EMD FTs, "the diesel that did it" bring a Pacemaker freight train past RA Tower.
EMDs and BLH lightning stripe cab units are recorded by 1:87 Emery.
The New Haven Quartet was a Holiday favorite this season.
The combined family fleet is on display at North Side Yard with B&O and PRR freight trains hauling priority holiday freight traffic.
More of the combined fleet at Empire City Station. The Lehigh Valley "John Wilkes" and Erie Lackawanna "Lake Cities" call at Empire City Station.
Alco products were definitely showcased this season. NYC RS2s bring a freight train past RA Tower.
A New Haven PA has departed Empire City Station with the "Merchants Limited".
CB&Q F3s are running off some owed power pool miles behind an FM C-Liner.
It's starting to look a bit like New Jersey in Empire City!
Maybe even Pennsylvania!!! The PRR "Blue Ribbon Fleet" dominated this time slot at Empire City Station.
PRR Erie Builts and C-Liners were also prevalent hauling holiday tonnage.
From the west coast comes a Santa Fe freight train behind an A-B-B-A warbonnet set of Alcos. I know the ATSF did not have FAs and FBs but they sure look good on the layout..
Heading back to the west coast is SP Train #3 the Golden State Limited with E7A 6003 doing the honors.
A Santa Fe GP20 adds owed mileage and muscle to a Selkirk bound freight train crossing the EC Viaduct.
From my layout to yours Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year.
If there is a toy or model locomotive that says Christmas more than this I don't know what it is.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!!!!
What a great holiday gift from the NYCTL on Christmas Eve! So many trains running in and around Empire City, so nice I watched them twice (I really did!)! The LV John Wilkes train is one of the train sets in my collection where I'm missing a couple of passenger cars. Nice to see the LIRR passenger train as well. Your fleet of SF engines also caught my eye!
Merry Christmas to you and your family and the NYCTL family as well!
What a great holiday gift from the NYCTL on Christmas Eve! So many trains running in and around Empire City, so nice I watched them twice (I really did!)! The LV John Wilkes train is one of the train sets in my collection where I'm missing a couple of passenger cars. Nice to see the LIRR passenger train as well. Your fleet of SF engines also caught my eye!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you and your family and the NYCTL family as well!
Merry Christmas Sir Neal!!! Thanks for the compliments and glad you enjoyed the presentation!!!
DeleteGreat variety of motive power in this holiday display. Very nice! Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteThank you Robert!!! Happy New Year!!
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