New York Central Train Layout: 2025

Saturday, November 15, 2025

Penn Central Car Movements #114 / Operation Blue Comet Part 2 / Conclusion of Virtual Op

Greetings All,

Welcome Back to Penn Central Car Movements #114

Operation Blue Comet

PCCM 114, a three layout special operation focusing on Blue Comet Presentations, a custom model railroad building company founded by 1:1 scale Steve Neubaum continues today with PCCM traffic from Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific Railroad, Ralph's Kings Port Division and other locations throughout the USA being delivered to Blue Comet Presentations two manufacturing locations and Blue Comet display layouts being shipped around the nation.

The action starts with a string of PCCM TOFC traffic heading to Blue Comet Presentations at All-City Storage in Bedford Park.

Robert R departs Bedford Park Yard with Train BP-12.

Train BP-12 heads to Terminal Yard.

After cutting off from the BP-12 freight cars Robert R couples onto the freight cars going back to Bedford Park Yard.

Train BP-41 departs Terminal Yard.

Robert R is back in Bedford Park and begins to deliver the PCCM freight traffic to Blue Comet Presentations inside All-City Storage.

The other PCCM freight cars are placed in the yard and will be cycled to Blue Comet for unloading and reloading.

Hey!! What happened to Alco Joe!!! The PCCM freight cars have been loaded with Blue Comet Presentations Display Layouts and he is finally ready to depart Bedford Station.

Alco Joe brings the BT-27 into the Empire City Team Track.

Alco Joe checks in with Sir Neal, PC Ralph and conductor John. The guys try to remember when the last time a local peddler freight ran and used the Empire City team track.

The Bedford Turn is now back in Bedford as Train BT-28.

Alco Joe gets right to work pulling the PC and HRC boxcars loaded with display layouts from Blue Comet Presentations.

The BT-28 makes its moves towards Terminal Yard.

Alco Joe drops his Alco S4 in the engine terminal and shoots the breeze with engine hostler Wet Willie.

Kar Knocker and Big Mike get ready to work the BT-28 consist. There is still a lot to do.

Things are heating up at Empire City Station as the station switcher shoves empty TOFC cars towards the Rail Express Agency Ramp.

PCCM Trailers loaded with Blue Comet Presentations express shipments are arriving at the REA Ramp for inclusion of the next M&E Train arriving at Empire City Station.

Penn Central Mail & Express Train #9 is ready to depart East Bedford Station.

Mail & Express Train #9 departs East Bedford Station for Albany Station with a stop at Empire City Station.

Time to check in with engineer Robert R working the Blue Comet Presentations manufacturing location inside of All-City Storage.

Robert R pulls nine PCCM freight cars from Bedford Park Yard loaded with Blue Comet Presentations display layouts and other model RR items.

Train BP-12 heads to Terminal Yard.

After cutting off from the BP-12 Robert R delivers the 7608 to the engine terminal where Wet Willie will put it in the next train to Selkirk for its 30 day inspection.

Big Mike and Kar Knocker do their thing one more time.

Alco C425s 2434, 2417 and RS11 7608 get the honors to power the all PCCM freight traffic extra with loaded boxcars for Blue Comet and a pair of empty bulkhead flatcars for the MEC.

Extra 2434 departs Terminal Yard for Selkirk.

Next Stop Selkirk!!! Put it in the books!!!

This closes out Part 1 on the NYCTL. Be sure to catch all the PCCM action on PC Ralph's Kings Port Division and Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific Railroad.

Special Thank You

A special thank you to Steve Neubaum for the idea behind this special PCCM op. Steve is truly a model railroading ambassador and his Blue Comet Presentations Display Layouts bring smiles to people of all ages who see them in action. Doing this on a grand scale as a one man operation is a labor of love that is evident in his finished products. Well done Steve!!!

A special thank you also goes out to Sir Neal and PC Ralph for their enthusiastic response and support for Operation Blue Comet.

Thanks for reading and watching!!!

See you soon!!!

Friday, November 14, 2025

Penn Central Car Movements #114 / Operation Blue Comet Part 1

Greetings All,

Welcome to Penn Central Car Movements #114

Operation Blue Comet

PCCM 114 will be a three layout special operation focusing on Blue Comet Presentations, custom model railroad building company founded by 1:1 scale Steve Neubaum with 1:87 scale Steve's Blue Comet Presentations acquiring additional space at Neubaum's Coffee & Tea Importers to facilitate the rehabilitation of used older trains and the manufacture of the display layouts.

Blue Comet Presentations has also moved into the third floor of the All City Storage Warehouse for additional space to restore rolling stock and manufacture the custom model railroad display layouts.

Donated trains and other items will be traveling from Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific Railroad, Ralph's Kings Port Division and other locations throughout the USA via both freight trains and a Mail & Express Train which is believed to be a PCCM first.

M&E Train 16 has come down from Albany Station with mail & express shipments from the APRR & KPD consigned to Blue Comet Presentations.

Train 16 arrives in Empire City Station. The PCCM TOFC traffic for the Railway Express Agency gets pulled off and delivered to the REA TOFC Ramp.

The Station Switcher will work the TOFC traffic to get the trailers unloaded and moving to Blue Comet Presentations.

Train 16 is ready to depart Empire City Station.

Train 16 heads to East Bedford Station.

A short time later Penn Central Extra 2417 from Selkirk is rolling over the High Line with LCL and full car load PCCM traffic for Blue Comet Presentations.

Extra 2417 proceeds towards Terminal Yard.

Extra 2417 arrives in Terminal Yard.

Engine hostler Wet Willie greets the engineer as he ties down the 2417 and 2434 in the engine terminal.

Big Mike and Kar Knocker get together to inspect and classify the Extra 2417 freight consist.

The 2417 PCCM cars for Blue Comet Presentations are blocked for movement. The Hoschton boxcar and the rest of the cars on track 5 will be going to Neubaum's Coffee & Tea Importers in Bedford. The APRR boxcars on track 4 will be going to All City Storage in Bedford Park.

Over in the Pier 16 Area the B&O is testing a new GP30 as it pulls PC boxcar 104474 from Bruce Electric Equipment loaded with wiring and controls for Blue Comet Presentations.

The B&O Transfer delivers the PC boxcar to Terminal Yard.

Over in Terminal Yard we catch the EBRR Belt Job pulling two EBRR boxcars of donated finished PCCM lumber from Neal's Lumber & Hardware for movement to Blue Comet Enterprises.

Empire Belt Train EB-2 heads to Terminal Yard.

The EBRR guys check in with the PC guys as EBRR Train EB-3 gets ready to head back to North Side Yard with two MEC bulkhead flatcars of lumber from Half Moon Lumber for Neal's Lumber & Hardware.

Train EB-3 heads to Empire City.

An REA truck unloads and reloads Express Reefer 1268 with Blue Comet Presentations model railroad display layouts.

REA Express Reefer 1268 heads for Albany Station in an Empire Service Train.

Back at Terminal Yard Alco Joe is called for the Bedford Turn, Trains BT-27 and BT-28.

Train BT-27 heads for Bedford NY with PCCM traffic for Blue Comet Presentations.

Uh oh!! Hobos have hitched a ride in this NYC Pacemaker Car!!!

With the hobo issue resolved the LCL PCCM freight traffic gets unloaded at the station while the HRC and PC boxcars get unloaded at the Blue Comet Presentations freight siding.

We'll cut it here for today as work continues at Bedford Station. Note the KPRS gang had brought a trailer full of donations for Blue Comet. Nice work guys!!!

We'll pick it up tomorrow at Bedford Park Yard with Robert R getting ready to head out to Terminal Yard amidst a sea of tractor trailers from the REA Ramp.

The truck traffic is heavy with freight for the Blue Comet Presentations All City Storage Warehouse manufacturing space. As long as the trucks are traveling by train for most of their journeys the railroad is making a good profit.

This closes out Part 1 on the NYCTL. Be sure to catch all the PCCM action on PC Ralph's Kings Port Division and Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific Railroad.

Thanks for reading and watching!!!

See you tomorrow!!

Monday, November 10, 2025

Happy Birthday United States Marines and Veterans Day Salute

Greetings All,

Happy 250th Birthday United States Marines

and Veterans Day Salute

This week the layout is focused on the 250th birthday of the United States Marine Corps which is today, November 10th, 2025. Trains honoring the USMC birthday and Veterans Day November 11th, 2025 will be run to honor of all of our veterans. Here is a brief look at the early history of the USMC.

November 10th, 1775 the United States Marine Corps is Born.

Captain Samuel Nicholas sets up the first Marine Corps recruiting center at the Tun-Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, PA looking for a few good men.

1776 First Amphibious Assault, Fort Nassau

Five companies of Marines carry out the corps first amphibious assault on foreign soil successfully seizing British stock piles of gun powder and munitions.

CSX ES44 #1776 Honoring Our Veterans does the honors for the USMC on November 10th.

1805 The Leathernecks Arrive, Battle of Derna

The Marines rescue the kidnapped crew of the USS Philadelphia and earn the nickname "leathernecks" for their high collared uniforms that protected them against the pirate swords.

1918 The Ferocity of the Devil Dogs,

Battle of Belleau Wood

Marine forces launch an all out close contact battle against German soldiers and completely shred the defensive counter attack. Surviving German soldiers gave the Marines the name of "devil dogs" due to their relentless fighting spirit.

"Vintage World War I Post Card, The Chicago Daily News War Postals, G. J. Kavanaugh, War Postal Department - American advance, wounded and dying Germans spread along the road, Belleau Wood - France" by France1978 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

The Iwo Jima War Memorial

"USMC Iwo Jima War Memorial at Night, World War II, Veteran Soldiers, American Flag" by Beverly & Pack is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Veterans Day

Originally called Armistice Day in 1919 to commemorate the end of World War I on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleven month, November 11th, 1918 and to honor the veterans who served in this war to end all wars. A congressional act on May 13, 1938 made November 11th a legal holiday.

"NYC Veterans Day Parade" by West Point - The U.S. Military Academy is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

In 1954 the name was changed to Veterans Day to honor all US veterans, not just those from WWI. In the 1970s Veterans Day was moved to the fourth Monday in October to accommodate the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. In 1978 it was moved back to November 11th.

"Marines march in 2011 NYC Veterans Day Parade" by NYCMarines is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

The Army and Navy On The Layout

World War II era ?

Recruiting sign on a Schaefer Brewery building.

Another WWII era sign as seen from Neal's Lumber & Hardware.

Let's not forget the US Navy!!!

Marine Corps Birthday Train

Scale Trains CSXT ES44AH #1776 "Honoring Our Veterans" and CSXT ES44AH #911 "Honoring Our First Responders" lead the USMC birthday train thru Empire City.

USMC Birthday Train

Veterans Day Trains

On the following day ES44AHs led by the CSX 1776 and with other Pride in Service CSX engines will lead a long train thru Empire City with help from a Scale Trains NS Central of Georgia heritage unit #8101 for our Veterans Day Commemoration.