LV and EL Get into the Ops Cycle

 Greetings All,

The Lehigh Valley and Erie Lackawanna Railroads

Get Into The Operations Cycle

In February, 2020 I explored the possibility of adding additional freight traffic onto the layout using the staging track behind the Pier 16 Grain Silos. This was to be a fictitious 12th Avenue running track connecting the Lehigh Valley 27th Street Yard and the Erie Lackawanna 28th Street Yard the NYC/PC Pier 16 Yard at 16th Street.

During this time I ran a few trains with the LV and EL interchanging freight traffic at the Pier 16 Yard and running NYC/PC transfer trains off layout to the LV and EL waterfront yards via 12th Ave staging track. The back and forth moves to access the Pier 16 Yard became too cumbersome for me to enjoy and the 12th Ave Trains were basically scrapped.

In June, 2024 the B&O took over the Pier 16 yard and it was designated as the B&O 16th Street Yard. This has worked well and continues to be a fun and viable way to interchange traffic between the B&O and the NYC/PC via Terminal Yard.

In March of 2025 with the B&O now firmly in control of the 16th Street Yard I began to run LV and EL transfer trains directly to Terminal Yard which was a lot less convoluted than the previous transfer runs to the NYC/PC Pier 16 Yard. 

LV SW9 #292 brings the first of the new transfer trains onto the layout via the 12th Ave staging track.

The LV Transfer runs to Terminal Yard.

The LV caboose is dropped on track #8 with the LV transfer traffic placed on track #9. The 292 pulls the freight traffic going back to their 27th Street Yard from TY Track #4 which is today's designated interchange track.

The interchange traffic going back to the LV yard is coupled onto the LV caboose.

The SW9 couples onto the traffic for Terminal Yard.

The LV to NYC/PC interchange traffic is shoved into Track #4.

The LV 292 couples onto the train going back to the LV 27th Street Yard via 12th Ave.

Due to congestion at Pier 16 with the B&O Switcher working the Empire Power Authority blocking access to the 12th Ave track the LV will have to wait in TY track #4 for clearance to depart.

Terminal Yard tracks #3 and #4 are double the length of the 12th Ave staging track allowing a maximum of seven cars plus caboose and locomotive(s) at 12th Ave and 14 cars plus caboose and locomotive(s) in the Terminal Yard tracks. This is convenient as the transfers cannot return to 12th Ave until the B&O EPA switch job performs its work if any.

The B&O EPA Switcher takes care of its business taking two empty Hoschton coal hoppers from the EPA towards the 16th Street Yard.

The delivery is made and the B&O S2 heads back to the EPA with two empty covered hoppers to be loaded with flyash.

The S2 uses the 12th Ave staging track for headroom to move the cars in and out of the Empire Power Authority

The covered hoppers are spotted to be loaded with fly ash and the B&O S2 can tie down here out of the way until it's next call to duty. 

With the 12th Ave track now clear the LV transfer train shoves back to 12th Ave and the LV 27th Street Yard.

The Lehigh Valley train is back in the 12th Ave staging track.

The car cards and waybills from the Lehigh Valley are ready for the interchange traffic to be blocked into trains for their next movements across the layout.

Back at 12th Ave the Lehigh Valley car cards and waybills are placed in the 12th Ave box. This serves as a handy reminder that there is a train sitting on the 12th Ave staging track.

Erie Lackawanna Transfer

The Erie Lackawanna makes its 2025 debut with a transfer run from their 28th street Yard to Terminal Yard.

EL Alco S1s 315 and 320 bring the EL train into Terminal Yard. Their 1:1 counterparts actually worked the EL 28th Street Yard in Manhattan.

The EL S1s have worked the interchange traffic and are ready to go back to the EL 28th Street Yard.

The EL heads back to 28th Street.

The EL slides into the 12th Ave staging track.

The car card box that I created years ago and never used until now lets me know the status of the trains using the 12th Ave Track. The LV train is off layout (Staging) in a small box that is their 27th Street Yard. The EL train is currently occupying the 12th Ave track and is ready to head back to Terminal Yard in the next ops cycle.

Final Thoughts and Comments

The revisiting of the LV - EL 12th Ave running track from their 27th Street and 28th Street Yards to Terminal Yard train movements has resulted in some nice easy going operations. Each move when maxed out at seven cars in and out gives me a fourteen car interchange with the LV and the EL.

Thanks for reading and watching!!!

See you soon!!!