Some Easy Layout Upgrades

Greetings All,

I recently added what I think are easy layout upgrades to the N.Y.C.T.L. Everything seen below was extremely inexpensive and easily added. My kind of projects!

My goal was to lighten the layout color wise. The roads and parking areas being black poster board which was fine but I wanted to better define some areas using a lighter natural color and brighten the overall look of the layout while enhancing some scenes. Another goal was to keep the mess and layout disruption to a minimum. So over the course of a few days using some common materials that I had laying around I worked on the following areas;

A BEFORE look at this layout corner 

AFTER

This industry received a new 'cement' parking lot, a fence and a bit more shrubbery. 32' trailers look right at home as the get loaded. The 'cement' contrasts nicely with the paved road. And best of all the 'cement' is a piece of card stock from a gift box. Expansion joints are made using a pencil and piece of strip wood to keep the lines uniform and straight.

A new railing was installed to keep the 1/87th scale pedestrians and vehicles from falling over onto the tracks in case of an accident. Spray painted strip wood attached with Aileens Tacky Glue.    

Some new trees were added at Prestage Gear and Red Wing Milling. Trees are made from the 'Sedum' plant using an old Life Like box of grass and green spray paint. 

Red Wing Milling also received a new 'cement' lot for it's truck traffic. This card stock is a bit darker than the one in the top photo but I like the look of it especially with the expansion joints penciled on.

A couple of 'sedum' trees for Main street at Cargill. This whole area has finally started to come together.

A 'sedum' tree and some Woodland Scenics tree kits accent the backyards of these buildings.

A fence was added on the West Side at Moore & Company. The fence is made from some small hobby poles / dowels that came in a bag from Michael's and leftover fiberglass window screen.

A close up of the fence shows some intended wear and tear and the shrubbery pushing out and through it at the bottom. 

Another card stock 'cement' parking area with some wood cubes, a figure and a Pabst Blue Ribbon truck

I really like the color variation between the street and parking area 

Another 'cement' parking area behind the theater. Again a bit more subdued color to the scene. 

Empire City Caterpillar with a new 'cement' parking lot and smaller loading ramp

Superior Furniture with one of two newly added 'cement' lots

The Hohman Ave side of Superior Furniture with a new 'cement' parking area to accommodate the heavy trucks going in and out of this location

So there it is. Some visual upgrades that were easy on the wallet.

Thanks for Reading!!!

P.C.C.M. 19B

Greetings All,

Continued coverage of Installment 19 of the Penn Central Car Movement series between the New York Central Train Layout and the Kings Port Division. http://kingsportdivision.blogspot.com/

1/87th scale PC Ralph is working as a brakeman on an overtime extra out of Terminal Yard. PC Ralph is riding the new shoving platform (NYC 506787) at Hudson Coal. The Extra will switch out the loads for the empties in the background. Two of the loads, the PC cars in the front, will be going to Kings Port Steel.

1/87th scale conductor John R and PC Ralph talk over their next moves as the final string of loads rolls out

Next stop is Berk Enterprises where the crew will pick up EL 40' boxcar 73510 which is consigned to Woodstock Hills All Natural Soda in Kings Port NY. 1/87th scale brakeman PC Ralph tells the conductor that we should couple the EL car ahead of the PC hoppers to save time later  

1/87th scale brakeman PC Ralph is in the clear as the head end of the Extra will back onto the siding to couple up to the EL car

PC Ralph uses the shoving platform they liberated from Terminal Yard to ride out of the siding after shoving several cars back into place. 

The Extra rolls thru the West Side reverse curve. Note the the EL boxcar is coupled to the two PC hoppers. All three are going to Kings Port. Good Idea 1/87th scale PC Ralph!

Hohman Ave tower operator 1/87th scale Larry D. gives a wave to the train crew.

1/87th scale Engineer Ed reclaims the switching platform from the Extra which we
now learn was in the able hands of 1/87th scale Sir Neal

The switching plan is put into place. The earlier idea by 1/87th scale PC Ralph
will greatly speed up the moves necessary to build train BF-1 which is due out shortly. 

The switching is done. The extra crew and yard crew are ready to go off duty.

The crews gather at a local watering hole for some well deserved cold adult beverages.
Both crews acknowledge 1/87th scale PC Ralph's time saving work on the extra and
his currency will be no good tonight but his glass will always be full. 

Trainmen and tower men meet up to enjoy some camaraderie, trade insults and tell tales of their great switching work today.

Meanwhile Train BF-1 (Empire City to East St Louis) has just departed Terminal Yard with a 19 car block for West Mill on the Kings Port Division 

BF-1 rolls across the High Line en-route to it's first stop at Selkirk

Block #1 going to East St Louis

Block #2 going to West Mill in train VWM-8 after being switched out at Selkirk

BF-1 Stretching to Bedford Station

A short video of P.C.C.M. 19 on the N.Y.C.T.L.

P.C.C.M.19

Greetings All,

P.C.C.M. #19 has begun!

The 19th installment of the Penn Central Car Movements between the New York Central Train Layout and the Kings Port Division  http://kingsportdivision.blogspot.com/ is now under way. Below are some highlights of the P.C.C.M. 19's opening movements;

Dockworkers at Reliable Machine Works in Empire City load NYC 50' boxcar 80779 with motors and machine parts that will head to Peerless Appliance in Mayfield NY on the Kings Port Division.

PC 77047 is loaded with wood shipping crates at Neal's Lumber and Hardware. The load is consigned to Woodstock Hills All Natural Soda in Kings Port NY

Two covered hoppers loaded with grain at Cargill will make their to Empire grain in West Mill NY

A North Side Yard to Terminal Yard transfer run leaves N.S. Yard behind a  pair of GP20s while an RS1 leads a Terminal Yard to North Side transfer. Hohman Ave tower operator 1/87th scale Larry D. has the train movements under control as he gives the high sign to both engineers. 

The RS1 has placed it's train on track 1 at North Side Yard, set the brakes and uncoupled. Here the engine couples onto the caboose for the trip back to Terminal Yard

The GP20s return to North Side Yard caboose light. I know what you're thinking. Why didn't the GP20s bring the freights cars from the RS1 back from Terminal Yard instead of having two separate locomotives run light from each location. Good question. The answer is 1/87th scale union agreements. North Side Yard and Empire City proper are both controlled by the wholly owner subsidiary Empire Belt Railroad. So freight is transported in and light movements go out of the railroads respective yards. 

The GP20s, leased to the Empire belt, get right to work, pulling the loaded

 PC boxcar from Neal's Lumber & Hardware.

Next the E.B. train crew grabs the two loaded covered hoppers from Cargill

PC 229036 id loaded with pipe fitting for the Hudson Valley Agricultural Cooperative which will be forwarded to the Kings Port Division

The E.B. crew is building the next outbound Terminal Yard transfer run. 

Time to pick up the NYC 80779 from Reliable Machine Works

Tacking the caboose and NYC 80779 to the rear of the Terminal Yard transfer

Before leaving Empire City the Empire Belt train crew will switch Ralph's Grocery Warehouse exchanging empty reefers for loaded reefers.

A Ralph's Grocery Warehouse employee goes off duty with his boombox blasting.

Reefers for Ralph's!

The Empire Belt train crew is now ready to depart North Side Yard

But first a Long Island Railroad train drops off a set of cars for interchange with the EB/ PC

This is a daily train into and out of North Side Yard. 1/87th scale union agreements allow for the movement of freight by the LIRR into and out of North Side Yard. 

Today however the LIRR will return caboose light to Fresh Pond NY

The Bedford Park Turn from Terminal Yard to Bedford Park turns on the West Side reverse curve. 

This will allow the B.P.T. easier access into Bedford Park Yard and industries.

With it's switching done the Bedford Park Turn heads back to Terminal Yard

Meanwhile at Terminal Yard on track 9 two T.O.F.C. flatcars destined for 

Williams Yard on the Kings Port Division are ready for pick up 

And the Terminal Yard transfer from North Side Yard has arrived on track 5. 

Next installment we'll put the finishing touches on the N.Y.C.T.L.'s portion of the P.C.C.M. 19 series and send the train towards the Kings Port Division

Thanks for reading