NY-NJ Ops #2 / Part 3 / Dispatch of Outbound Train

 Greetings All,

Welcome Back To NY-NJ Ops #2!!

Our second virtual op with my layout interchanging freight traffic with Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific Railroad continues today with more train movements and a surprise guest to get our outbound train of NY-NJ traffic moving towards Rock Ridge Yard.

We start off the day with Alco Joe reporting to the engine terminal to pickup the power for today's Bedford Turn, Trains BT-27/BT-28. Newly renumbered NYC RS32 #2040 (ex NYC #8040) is making its second NY-NJ Ops appearance and its first with the new numbers.

Alco Joe has coupled up the Bedford Turn Alcos to the Bedford Turn freight consist and takes a few minutes to check in with Big Mike and Kar Knocker.

The Bedford Turn, Train BT-27 departs Terminal Yard.

The BT-27 freight consist is left on the mainline as the three Alcos switch onto the Bedford Secondary to work the local industries.

The first stop is at Neubaum's Coffee & Tea Importers to pull a non NY-NJ P&E boxcar with the large "Quicker via Peoria" slogan. Note that Neubaum's is the world headquarters for Blue Comet Presentations.

The next move is at the Hostess/Wonder Bread Plant to pull a group of freight cars including the ACFX bicentennial covered hopper that will be heading to Cargill in Rock Ridge, NJ for its next NY-NJ load.

Further down the long siding conductor Murray signals Alco Joe to a safe and easy coupling at the Key Food siding.

Four APRR RBLs loaded with packaged meals from Key Food are coupled onto the freight cars going back to Terminal Yard in Train BT-28.

Empty APRR boxcars #4182 and #4035 get placed at the Shaefer Brewery siding for their next NY-NJ loads of beer. Conductor Murray gives a friendly wave to the Bedford commuters who are probably not happy that freight cars are blocking both tracks.

The guys are nearing completion of their work as they couple the caboose onto the hind end of the soon to be Train BT-28 before shoving the remaining cars to the industries in the background.

The Bedford industries have been serviced. The three Alcos burble on the secondary track awaiting clearance to use the main and make their runaround move for the return trip to Terminal Yard.

Alco Joe might be waiting for awhile before he can get the BT-28 moving.

After yarding the BT-28 Alco Joe returns the power consist to the engine terminal and thanks engine hostler Wet Willie for putting this all Alco RS32-RS1-RS11 consist together.

Over in Terminal Yard conductor Murray greets Big Mike and Kar Knocker who are waiting to block the BT-28 freight cars into their next trains.

A couple of hours later Big Mike has twenty two cars of outbound NY-NJ freight traffic blocked and set out on departure track 8E. Kar Knocker will walk the train to ensure it is ready to go when the time comes.

Meanwhile we get a real motive power treat as PC Train NH-3 originating at Cedar Hill Yard in New Haven, CT has come thru Oak Point Yard in the Bronx with all ex New Haven power. The NH-3 is passing RA Tower and the Empire City railfans who are chasing the train as it makes its way to Terminal Yard. Can't blame them for this!!!!

Train NH-3 makes its way to Terminal Yard.

The ex New Haven power couples up to the NY-NJ freight cars that will be heading to Maybrook Yard for continued movement to the APRR Rock Ridge Yard.

Train HN-2 departs Terminal Yard.

Next Stop Maybrook!!!

This concludes Part 3 and the outbound portion of NY-NJ Ops #2 on the NYCTL. We'll be back next weekend to resume and finish up this virtual op. Be sure to catch all the action on Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific Railroad!!! 

Final Notes

When creating the NY-NJ Ops with Sir Neal we looked to explore other railroads and train routes to move our virtual ops traffic. One of these was the NH/ex NH large Maybrook Yard in Maybrook, NY. In this op I have given the New Haven or ex New Haven if you will an important role in moving NY-NJ Ops freight traffic across the Hudson River. This is not as far fetched as it seems. The ex NH Poughkeepsie Bridge is 73 miles north of New York City while the ex NYC Alfred H. Smith Bridge is 140 miles north of the Big Apple which could be argued that we are saving both time and money.

Several routes from downstate to Maybrook were available at the time of the merger. Even with a slightly meandering all ex New Haven routing from Empire City to Maybrook via Norwalk, CT, Danbury, CT, then west to the bridge and Maybrook it appears to save mileage. More direct routes from the city by the ex NYC lines to either Brewster, NY or Hopewell Junction, NY where they connected with the NH were also available. 

A Brief History

Prior to the 1969 inclusion of the New Haven RR into the Penn Central the NH's big Maybrook Yard located on the westside of the Hudson River had been a large gateway for western rail traffic to access New England via the NH's Poughkeepsie Bridge over the Hudson River.

Maybrook Yard was supposed to be kept open and operating as a condition of the merger. The sprawling PC aggressively marketed the single railroad approach siphoning freight traffic from the likes of the Erie Lackawanna and others while routing their New England traffic thru Selkirk Yard near Albany, NY and over the Alfred H. Smith Bridge that connected to PC (ex NYC) subsidiary Boston & Albany RR and New England.

Freight traffic thru Maybrook dwindled as a result and the PC basically abandoned the yard. The affected carriers protested but the 1974 Poughkeepsie Bridge fire that put the bridge out of service made the arguments a moot point. The fire happened shortly after the Penn Central abolished the bridge walkers who walked the bridge in between trains to ensure there were no fires or other issues.

Today the Poughkeepsie Bridge is the longest and highest walking bridge in the world. In our early merger years it is still alive and fighting for its life.

Thanks for reading and watching!!!

See you next week!!!