P.C.C.M. 67C / Coal Operations / NYCTL Part 1

Greetings All,

Welcome to Penn Central Car Movements series #67!!

Dubbed as the "Call for Coal" by 1:1 Sir Neal this P.C.C.M. is a three layout virtual op focusing on coal traffic on and between 
Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR
PC Ralph's Kings Port Division, 

and my NYCTL.

The action starts on Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR with empty coal hoppers being pulled from R.M.O. Electric in Rock Ridge NJ. 

 

The empties were forwarded to West Mill via Weehawken in AP Train Extra 302.

At Weehawken after a change of crew and power PC Train Extra 1805 arrived at West Mill with the empty hoppers on PC Ralph's Kings Port Division.

With more empties added Extra 1805 departed for Selkirk where the empties were put into PC Train Extra 6303 heading for Terminal Yard and loading at Hudson Coal.

We pick up the action on the NYCTL with Extra 6303 going from Selkirk to Terminal Yard rolling thru Empire City with a long train of empty coal hoppers from the APRR, KPD and points west.

Extra 6303 leads the five unit Alco consist past Bedford Tower as 1/87th scale towerman John B gives a roll by inspection.

Extra 6303 rolls thru Bedford NY and arrives at Terminal Yard

Extra 6303's five engines wind their way thru Terminal Yard after cutting off from the empty hoppers. The practice of adding extra engines to ensure a hot mainline stays open is on full display today. 

With engine 6309 now leading, the Mingo Five* head into the engine terminal.

1/87th scale Kar Knocker has blue flagged the train for inspection after the yard job pulled off the Extra 6303 caboose.

While the inbound empties get inspected the Yard Job sets up a pair of focal orange cabooses on the two track temporary hopper yard. 

The empty hoppers from Extra 6303 have passed inspection and are being blocked into two trains for delivery to nearby Hudson Coal. The Pier 16 switchers are spotting a cut of loaded coal hoppers for the Empire Power Authority as coal hopper traffic here is constant.

A short time later a Coal Job train, CJ-1, pulls out the first empty hopper train of the day.  

 CJ-1 heads out of the Terminal Yard tunnel.

 CJ-1 passing Hudson Coal.

 CJ-1 starts pulling the loads from Hudson Coal.

Six loaded hoppers for Kings Port Steel in Kingsport NY are the last of the loaded hoppers pulled.

CJ-1s three GP7s are pulling hard thru Bedford with both empties and loads.

CJ-1 has left the loads on the Bedford secondary track and is now shoving the empties back towards Hudson Coal on the mainline.

Fifteen empties are spotted for loading.

 CJ-1 is back together and heading back to Terminal Yard. 
 CJ-1 climbs the grade towards Terminal Yard.

The CJ-1 engines have been cut off and idle on the engine terminal lead. After the loads have been weighed and the train inspected the Yard Job shoves the loaded hoppers back to the two track coal yard.

The Coal Job engines couple onto the next set of empty hoppers making up train CJ-2. To the left the E.P.A. switcher is shoving a block of six empty hoppers that will be exchanged for loads.

We'll cut it here for today with train CJ-2 starting its run.

We'll pick it back up early tomorrow with train CJ-2, the E.P.A. switcher and the dispatch of an outbound coal extra for Selkirk with loads for both the Kings Port Division and the Atlantic Pacific RR. 


*Mingo Five: Nickname given this engine consist by the Terminal Yard engine terminal personnel (me). The PC maintenance based these five Alcos along with other Alcos at Conway Yard for Mingo Junction ore service. Special thanks to 1:1 Sir Neal and John Bruce for their contributions in making the Mingo Five consist possible. Thanks guys!!

Thanks for reading & watching!!!

See ya bright & early tomorrow!!! 

A Tale Of Two Geeps

Greetings all,

EMD Chief Engineer Richard Dilworth is quoted as stating one of his design objectives for what became EMDs line of General Purpose (GP) road-switchers, popularly called "Geeps" was to make a locomotive so ugly that no railroad would want to keep it on the mainline or anywhere near headquarters. The first attempt was the poor selling NW-3. Ten years later the EMD GP7 yielded completely different results, a practical and efficient locomotive that was a mechanical masterpiece and one of EMD's most successful products ever. 

The New York Central purchased 169, Peoria & Eastern(NYC) 14 , Pittsburgh & Lake Erie(NYC) 35 and the Pennsy 66. The 284 units went to the Penn Central numbered from 5600 to 5959. 

This tale of two Geeps focuses on the adding of two home painted Penn Central GP7s to my fleet. 

Penn Central GP7s 5692 and 5693 are out of the paint shop and getting ready for revenue service. Both units are maintenance based at Elkhart as indicated by the small lettering under the numbers.

 PC 5692 is a stock Athearn BB shell and reflects ex NYC 5692. The NYC received an order of 27 GP7s with dynamic brakes in March and April 1952 numbered 5686 - 5712.

PC 5693 is ex NYC 5693 and is a slightly modified Athearn BB shell. The boiler stack protrusions and horns were removed from the short hood after some paint issues. A thin piece of styrene was added to the short hood and the horns relocated per the NYC.  

 The boys from Elkhart gather in Terminal Yard.

My four home painted Athearn BB GP7s. PC 5699, ex NYC 5699 was added to the roster on December 13, 2018.

PC GP7 #5870 is ex PRR #8570 that was added to the roster on February 27, 2019.

PC GP9 #7412 is ex NYC 6012 and rounds out my home painted EMD high hood fleet.

PC 5693 does the honors leading a six engine consist of iconic PC GP7, GP9 and GP38 engines on the head end of a steel products train crossing the High Line.

In addition to the 284 GP7s the Penn Central rostered 464 GP9s and 493 GP38s. Iconic engines indeed!

Special thanks to John Bruce and Sir Neal for their contributions to my GP7 and GP9 fleet. Thanks guys!

Decals by Microscale and K4.

Thanks for reading!!!

See Ya Soon!!! 

Two Motive Power Projects

Greetings All,

A pair of recently completed Penn Central motive power projects to report today. 

First up is newly painted and lettered Penn Central GP9 #7412. This engine is an older AHM model from Yugoslavia that came to the project box courtesy of my pal 1:1 Sir Neal. This is the first PC painted GP9 added to my roster. The PC had over 500 on their roster!

The engine will enter service as a non powered unit with the motor and gears from the truck towers removed. Kadee #5 couplers are attached to the top of talgo mounted coupler box to meet the Kadee height gauge.

The newly painted GP9 rides between GP7 5870 and 5699  that I painted in earlier projects. Both of the GP7 shells came to the project box courtesy of friend and fellow modeler John Bruce.

A close up of the non dynamic brake equipped ex NYC GP9. The small lettering under the 7412 indicates this engine was maintenance based at Avon Yard in Indianapolis. Research into the AHM model AFTER I completed the project revealed the model was in fact a GP18! A what?

The 7412 is introduced as a GP9 to the NYCTL trainmen. Even though some of the guys might note the minor differences there is a 1/87th scale gentleman's agreement not to point them out.  

Project #2 is Penn Central F7B #3469 that is maintenance based at Collinwood Yard in Cleveland. The used model is a powered Bachmann Plus unit that came with Kadee Coupler Conversion kit #452 installed for closer coupling.

The powered 3469 joins non powered Athearn BB PC F7B #4156 on the roster. The passenger equipped 4156 has found a home being drawbar connected to FP7 #4348 and coupled to GP38 #7675. 

The 3469 made its debut in PCCM 65 in the Extra 228 consist. 

The Penn Central used their B units with both cab units and hood units and the 3469 runs nicely with these Spectrum GP30s.

The 3469 with Bachmann Plus F7A #1862 and a pair of non powered ex pancake motored Bachmann F7As. These four plus the 4156 & 4348 above make up my PC painted cab unit fleet. I think.
The new units together on a revenue train.

The 3469 and 7412 in the middle of a five engine consist.

A short video of the five unit consist

The Penn Central lettering and PC heralds used in the above projects are from K-4 Decals. The numbers for 3469 and the maintenance locations are from Microscale decal set #87-84

Thanks for reading!!

See Ya Soon!!

P.C.C.M. 66/ NYCTL Part 5 / Put it In The Books!.

Greetings All,

Welcome back for my final P.C.C.M. 66 installment!

Today we'll finish getting our inbound freight cars from

Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR and 

PC Ralph's Kings Port Division

to their respective destinations.

A little operational twist starts today for the Empire Belt RR crew. In order to increase efficiency and decrease dwell time the Penn Central has stopped blocking cars at Terminal Yard for the Empire City industries ending a years long unspoken agreement between the two railroads. 

The crew for Train EC-1 (Terminal Yard to Empire City) readies for departure as 1/87th scale Big Mike and Robert R return to the yard caboose lite.

EC-1 rolls thru Bedford NY passing a six engine power move.

EC-1 gets a highball at Bedford Tower from 1/87th scale John B.

EC-1 comes thru the west side of Empire City.

EC-1 arrives at North Side Yard where they will drop off their freight cars for the Empire Belt RR to make the final deliveries.

EC-1 heads back to Terminal Yard caboose lite.

The 1/87th scale trainmen sans Senior Engineer Sir Neal have coupled up their motive power and get ready to deliver the last of the P.C.C.M. 66 freight cars. 1/87th scale PC Ralph makes the decision to sort the cars as they go since there are only seven. 

1/87th scale PC Ralph brings the EBRRs Afternoon Industrial Job onto the industrial running track.

The A.I.J drops their cabooses on the east side

Now at Neal's Lumber & Hardware 1/87th scale conductor John and the brakeman are working to get the EBRR boxcar delivered.

With the EBRR boxcar of paneling from Mike's Lumber spotted at Neal's Lumber & Hardware 1/87th scale PC Ralph shoves east to the Gervais Pipe / Ralph's Grocery Warehouse siding.

The A.I.J. couples up to EBRR gon #509823 loaded with pipe for Shapeless Steel in Rock Ridge NJ and shoves back towards Ralph's Grocery Warehouse.

HRC RBL#913001 and PC boxcar #160502loaded with Freihofer's cookies are spotted at Ralphs Grocery Warehouse.

The A.I.J. returns to Neal's Lumber & Hardware to spot EL boxcar #73510 loaded with bagged cement from Boom's Ready Mix.

The shuffling moves continue as this 40' Early Bird boxcar loaded with kitchen gadgets from REVCO is spotted at Ralph's Grocery Warehouse. Empire City folks love their REVCO turnip twaddlers!

The east side work done 1/87th scale PC Ralph brings A.I.J. west.

A NYC Pacemaker boxcar loaded with sewing parts and wire twisters from Quality Fabrications is spotted at Moore & Company.

PC boxcar #360158 loaded with Zenith console televisions is spotted at Superior Furniture.

Last but not least the A.I.J. drops one of their cabooses on the west side storage track.

The A.I.J. heads for home as it crosses the over the High Line.

The Afternoon Industrial Job returns to North Side Yard and that wraps up the NYCTL's Inbound portion of P.C.C.M. 66.

Be sure to follow the inbound action on 

Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR,

PC Ralph's Kings Port Division and
Brian's Ralston Creek RR!

Thanks for reading!!
See ya soon!!