Track Purchasing Issues

Greetings Blog Followers.... Just wanted to add an update to the blog as I have not posted in awhile. The NYC train layout purchasing department has run into a bit of a snag in trying to purchase some Atlas Code 100 flex track. Since beginning the layout I have tried to buy used flex track in good condition to save on costs. I have had great luck until very recently using one of the HO Scale Yahoo Groups that I belong to. The latest "Want to Buy" posting looking for 20 pieces of track was answered by several would be sellers. I chose one seller offering used track in good condition and promptly sent him a money order to cover the agreed upon costs. The day after sending the money order my W.T.B. post was answered by a seller that I have bought most of my track from, more on that in a minute. The would be seller responds back to me that he has received the money order BUT he cannot ship right now because he is having a pre planned operation that was conveniently left out of his prior communications but  he will ship in a few days. The few days pass and another e-mail reports another shipping delay due to operation complications. Not wanting to burden this seller any further during his convalescence I informed him that he could just send back my money order and continue his mending process. He then assured me that my 20 pieces of flex track would be sent within the next two days. On this third would be shipping date I received an e-mail informing me that he did not actually have the quantity of track I had purchased BUT could send me a bunch of smaller pieces to make up the length. Again I requested that my money order be returned to me. Now guess what happened? The money order arrived in the mail. So this part ended OK as I was just out the postage, time and aggravation.

Now about the other seller he had new pieces of track to sell which is at a higher price than the used track I was going to purchase from the original seller.. Well once he had contacted me I replied back, apologized for not contacting him directly and explained that a deal was already in the works. I further informed him that should complications arise (and they surely did) that I would e-mail him back and purchase the track off of him.

So there it is another trip to the Post Office to get the money orders straightened out and I should be getting the track by the beginning of next week. All this to save some money. Would it have been easier to go to the local hobby shop and just purchase the track right there? Yes. Would it have cost me almost double the price I am paying now? Yes. Anyway having dealt with this seller several times I am confident that track laying will begin again next week. Stay tuned....

Refurbished Merchant's Row I

After the completion of the Walther's kit Merchant's Row II it became readily apparent that the much older Merchant's Row would need to be re gentrified. The building suffered from a fire in one it's stores which was a great place to showcase my 1/87 scale fireman and fire apparatus. But after 15 years even the most sluggish volunteer fire company should have had this fire put out and taken up for the firehouse. Another issue facing this building was the learning curve as it was one of the first building kits I had built.  Here are some photos of the refurbished building....

 Dominick's Restaurant now occupies the former burnt out space. Charred bricks are still visible and add some character

 Mama & Papa's luncheonette is open daily for Breakfast and Lunch.

 Lin's Dress Shop is an original occupant in original paint

 Dara's Floral Shop is also an original occupant in original colors. The corner store is awaiting new management and will probably be a discount store

An aerial view shows a new billboard and some of the rooftop details.

FM H16-44s Lead The Way

A New York Central freight train makes it way through the industrial district behind two Fairbanks-Morse H16-44s.  I custom painted these powerful locomotives back in October 2010. This is an older film of the layout and equipment. This area has been pretty much completed and the NYC jade green 50' double door boxcars have been renumbered.

Merchants Row II

Here is the newest building for Empire City. It is a Merchants Row II kit from Walther's. The building features Reyneely's Restaurant, The Hitching Post Tavern, a Beauty Parlor, Mead Drug Store and Robert's books. Painting, assembly, decals and details took about four days. 

Temporary Loading of Express Baggage

As morning comes to Empire City the last of the head end express shipments are ready to get loaded. Both the Railway Express Agency and New York Central have been hustling through the night to load the various East and West bound intercity trains. Track #4 must be clear by 7:00 AM to allow the commuter trains access to all four tracks. At 10:00 AM a baggage and express train will call on track #4 to take on Express shipments and mail. The train will depart at 2:00 PM for Terminal Yard where the east bound and west bound cars will be separated, given new power and sent out on the rails to their respective destinations.

While this is a bit backward it allows the railroad to fulfill it's express obligations until a new Railway Express Building and mail loading facility are built. 

 Railway workers get themselves ready for the final assault on today's express shipments

 Conductor, Engineer and Fireman check their timepieces as they wait for the unloading and loading to commence

 New York Central Pacemaker trucks stand by as a forklift operator waits for the train doors to open. In the background the New Haven Patriot is on track #3 ready to depart for Boston, a New York Central train sits on track #2 and a freight train passes through on track #1 

The forklift operator assures the foreman he will strap the barrel to the pallet and careful when he loads  it into the car.   

Word on the Street, Part II

What a difference a few hours makes. The streets of Empire City have come alive since the earlier post of "Word on the Street part I.

 An ambulance arrives at the request of the police to further assist in this code 10-56 "man down" call

 A CNN news truck "chases" the ambulance call a short distance away

 Both pedestrian and vehicular traffic build as morning progresses 

 Hotel guests are greeted by another sunny day in the big city

 Old friends meet, horns honk, people scurry to an fro. It's just another day in Empire City

 A friendly policeman keeps an eye on the kids waiting for the school bus

 Empire City residents know that Mickey has the freshest fruit in town. 

 The Electric Company is fine tuning the substation to ensure there is enough A/C for everyone today

Only a few spots left in the commuter parking lot as the morning rush hour winds down

Empire City Station Beautification, Part 1

Construction crews are hard at work adjacent the right of way below the Empire City Train Station parking lot access road. Trenches for drainage pipes and electric lines to and from the tunnel adjacent the right of way are being dug in. The Mayor of Empire City has decreed that this area leading from the new bore under Empire City to the newly opened Empire Station be landscaped and beautified as soon as possible. While the whole project is way ahead of schedule with Empire City Station open and operational a full eight months before it's scheduled completion and the parking lots have an 80% availability rate at the beginning of each day the Mayor knows it is an election year and wants to tout this monumental achievement during his campaign.     

 Construction crews are gearing up bright and early

 A NYC SW8 with two gondolas and a shoving caboose is ready to haul the last of the dirt and debris from the tunnel and along the right of way. Commuters are starting to fill up the adjacent parking lots.

 Parked cars and construction equipment sit in the commuter parking lot while heavy equipment digs adjacent the Railroad right of way.

 A view from the street overpass

 Workers working

Construction materials await their call in the commuter parking lot

 Empire City Station has an eclectic fleet this morning. From left to right, Two CB&Q F3s, a NYC E8, a VGN gondola, a Clinchfield caboose and the tail of a New Haven train. The CB&Q locomotives are running off mileage owed as part of the joint NYC & CB&Q motive power pooling agreement. The specially designed and outfitted Clinchfield Caboose was a gift to the railroad from it's creator. 

That's Engineer Sam on the rear step of his custom designed and built Clinchfield Caboose. Sam is busy watching the action as a passenger makes her way down the platform and a NYC Pacemaker truck loads up some express packages into a waiting baggage car.