Adding A Layout Interline Connection / The B&O Experiment

 Greetings All,

Adding A Layout Interline Connection

The B&O Experiment

Welcome to yet another model railroading operations post! Today we'll take a look at adding another railroad as an on layout interline connection to the freight train operations, in this case the Baltimore & Ohio RR.

An interline connection is basically a coordinated routing and interchange of rail cars between two or more participating railroads. Currently there is the NYC/PC - Empire Belt RR interline connection with on layout industries being served. 

The second interline connection is between the NYC/PC and Long Island RR that takes place at the EBRRs North Side Yard. This interchange of traffic takes the freight traffic off layout to LIRR served industries. This traffic could go to a staging track if I had one but as the layout has developed the freight cars go to a staging box. 

The third interline connection is between the New Haven RR which runs between the off layout Cedar Hill Yard and NYC/PC Terminal Yard. On January 01, 1969 this became an all PC route.

Over time I've come to enjoy the freight transfer runs between yards and different railroads in the same geographic vicinity and have wanted to add such an operation between Pier 16  and Terminal Yard. In its current set up the both are served by the NYC/PC with the Pier 16 industries and tracks under utilized and only operated as an afterthought.

Enter the Baltimore & Oho RR

"B&O(CSX) GP9's 6428, 5964" by OHFalcon72 is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/?ref=openverse.

A Little B&O History

The B&O holds the distinction of being America's first common carrier railroad 1828-1865. Freight operations included Trailer Train TOFCEE Service, LCL Time Saver Service, car load Sentinel Service, bituminous coal, steel traffic and other traffic between major cities in the Northeast and Midwest.

"6/3/78, Chessie System GP30 6910" by OHFalcon72 is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/?ref=openverse.

The B&O's Chicago operations were handled by the Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad (B&OCT), separate company with all stock held by the B&O. This is where today's story begins.

"Baltimore & Ohio B&O 8403 (SW1) & B&OCTRR 8416 (SW1)" by Gary Lee Todd, Ph.D. is marked with CC0 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/?ref=openverse.

Big City Operations and Interchanges

I've always been a big fan of the busy urban railroading I see in books, magazines and videos. A two part article in the Operations Special Interest Group Dispatcher's Office magazine in 2022 titled "Getting Freight Through Chicago in Less Than a Day" by B&OCT employee Thomas White really caught my eye and was the spark for this idea and experiment. His descriptions of the freight transfers and B&OCT's operations were fascinating to me and something I wanted to try and add to my own model railroad.

B&O Train NE-96 

Mr. White reports that the B&OCT originated B&O Train NE-96,  New England traffic via a route called Central States Dispatch (B&O Cherry Run, WM, RDG, CNJ, L&HR and NH. The NE-96 made it all the way to Maybrook NY. 

Points to Ponder 

Could the B&O NE-96 run thru the New Haven / Penn Central from Maybrook to Terminal Yard with B&O power or a mix of B&O-NH/PC power and a NH/PC crew?

The Penn Central was supposed to keep Maybrook Yard open as a condition of taking control of the New Haven RR but they did not.

The Penn Central solicited away freight traffic from other NE railroads highlighting their single railroad routes. 

The Penn Central bankruptcy brought down the other northeast railroads as the PC no longer had to pay their interline charges.

The Poughkeepsie Bridge burned and was taken out of service.

A Northeast Alphabet Trains plan was presented to government officials on March 20, 1974. The railroads involved were the MEC, B&M, D&H, LV, RDG and B&O. A passenger train carrying railroad officials, consultants and government officials ran between Portland, Maine and Washington, DC behind two D&H ALCO PAs. 

(source: Trains & Railroads of the Past Issue #38, 2nd quarter 2024 page 45)

What if the ICC approved an Alphabet Route for competitive balance between the mid-west and northeast?

What if the Poughkeepsie Bridge was repaired and the NE Alphabet Trains became a reality?

Would the B&O secure an all rail connection to its 16th Street Yard in East Bedford at Pier 16?

 We Already Have the Equipment

Being the father of two sons I entered the model railroading hobby as a way for the three of us to enjoy running trains together. The boys picked their railroads and my youngest son chose the B&O along with other railroads for his fleet. Now a grown man with a family of his own and living in another state his model railroad fleet remains with me. I continue to add B&O pieces when I find them and he has accumulated a good amount of motive power and rolling stock in absentia. 

I dug out most of the B&O freight cars in the B&O fleet.

Note however that the B&O Freight cars almost all have empty waybills. Time to change that!!!

To start the B&O Experiment I assigned this pair of Spectrum H16-44s to Pier 16 which is to become a B&O Property. The former Yard "A" will become the B&O's 16th Street Yard.

A B&O Alco S1 is one of a few B&O switch engines that can be assigned to the Empire Power Authority in the background.

B&O Trains will use the lower level of the layout which theoretically connects the New Haven RR to the NYC just past RA Tower.

The B&O was a big time coal hauler and this mineral traffic can be run in unit trains or combined with other trains that can be delivered to the new B&O 16th Street Yard. The coal can be consigned to the Empire Power Authority Power Plant, for export via Pier 16 or movement to the off layout Long Island R industries and dealers.

On another day three GP35s bring a B&O mixed manifest train past Terminal Yard. Freight traffic can be for the industries served by the B&O's 16th Street Yard, Pier 16 and for interchange with the NYC/PC at Terminal Yard.

The B&O Train arrives at the 16th Street Yard where the train will terminate.

The H16-44s couple up to the caboose.

A string of blue B&O boxcars with new waybills have joined the operations. 

The H16-44s shove the last of the B&O freight cars into 16th Street Yard.

The 16th Street Yard power waits on the right hand lead as the road power enters the engine terminal on the left hand lead.

The B&O road power delivering freight traffic to the 16th Street Yard can layover at the engine terminal.

Additional thoughts and comments

In PCCM 105 the B&O experiment made its debut and worked very well. Having another RR join the operations has so far increased the utilization of all of the Pier 16 and East Bedford industries which is a big plus.

The Pier 16 area and Terminal Yard share the same room which makes interchanging traffic between the two easy, visibly interesting and most importantly enjoyable. Switching activity at Pier 16 and East Bedford that houses the Terminal Warehouse and Cold Storage Complex and Bruce Electric Equipment has increased since the turn over to the B&O.

Will it last? We shall see.

Thanks for reading!!!

See you soon!!!