P.C.C.M. 64 / NYCTL Part 2

Greetings All,

Welcome back to the 64th Penn Central Car Movements series! 

We continue our four layout virtual op today with the NYCTL dispatching freight cars to

 Sir Neal's APRR, 

PC Ralph's  KPD 

and Brian's (ATJOE1972) RCR layouts.

We pick up the action with 1/87th scale PC Ralph slowly notching up the throttle on this three Alco consist smoothly pulling out the slack on EBRR Train EB-2 leaving North Side Yard for the Penn Central's Terminal Yard.

EB-2 crossing the Empire City viaduct. 

EB-2 rolls over the High Line towards Bedford Tower with 1/87th scale PC Ralph playing shave and a haircut on the horns for the many rail fans who have gathered at the Empire City rail fan pavilion to catch the Alco units in action. 

EB-2 passing Bedford Tower and Station meeting the BP-12 with hot cars for the Ford Plant as another crowd of Alco fans look on getting a shave and haircut serenade.

1/87th scale PC Ralph brings EB-2 into Terminal Yard as the PC guys gather to check out the trio of Alcos.

The rock star treatment temporarily comes to an end for the Alcos and 1/87th scale PC Ralph after the Alcos were cut from the train and headed into the Engine Terminal with nary a glance.

The big show over, the Yard Job gets to work on switching the cars from EB-2 with another Alco, an ex NYC RS-1. Three APRR 57' reefers going to C&P Restaurant Supply via the APRR Rock Ridge Yard are shoved into the APRR block of outbound PC Train NG-3. 

These four empty newly painted and clean 40' boxcars from the APRR and EBRR get pulled for local PC Train BT-27. They'll be loaded at Heilemann Brewery in Bedford NY in a future PCCM. Penn Central Tidbit#1*: Despite the fact that freight traffic was growing in the area served by the PC the railroad actually reduced the number of freight cars it owned by 35,000 prior to the collapse. 

Four KP&W Evans coil coaches for Kings Port Steel are shoved into the KPD Block of Train NG-3.

Empty 40' boxcar BAR #5226 is shoved into the local BT-27 block for a future PCCM load. Penn Central Tidbit #2*: Because of the chronic shortage of freight cars the PC borrowed more cars from other RRs than other railroad and had a per diem debit balance in excess of $160 million dollars in 1968 and $168 million in 1969. 

Now back to our regularly scheduled virtual op; Three NYC 50' double door boxcars loaded with toys from the Ideal Toy Co for Battaglia Brothers Whse in Kings Port NY are shoved into the KPD block of train NG-3. 

The PRR boxcar loaded with bulk hardware from American Hardware Supply for Barton Mfg in Denver CO via the RCR is coupled to the NG-3 caboose and will be pulled off the train at Selkirk for forwarding to Elkhart and beyond. 

The NYC Pacemaker boxcar loaded with burlap bags for Agway and NYC Early Bird boxcar loaded gears for Laroche Cycle get shoved into the KPD Block.  

The Yard Job puts the finishing touches on the KPD block by blocking the cars that will go on to Williams Yard towards the rear and those that will run out of West Mill to their consignees at the front trying to keep West Mill yardmaster Cappy Foster happy.

The Yard Job makes the final preparations for Train NG-3 setting the Rock Ridge Yard block as Block #1.

The power is called for NG-3. Penn Central Tidbit #3: Often power short for a variety of reasons the PC often had to lease, borrow or 'steal' locomotives to power it's trains. APRR GP38-2 is on a power by the hour short term lease to the PC.

The four EMDs have coupled on to block #1, completed their terminal air test and are pulling block #1 out of Track 6.

Block#1 ending at AP 86027 is shoved back to couple up to block #2, the West Mill block, that starts with KP&W 50335 .

NG-3 is underway and heading thru Bedford NY.

NG-3 rolls thru Bedford NY

NG-3 gets the highball from 1/87th scale John B as it passes Bedford Tower.

NG-3 rolls across the High Line. Next stop Selkirk!

That wraps up the NYCTL's outbound portion of PCCM 64. We'll crank up the PCCM 64 Inbound portions starting next weekend.

Be sure to follow the action on 

Sir Neal's APRR, 

PC Ralph's KPD

and Brian's RCR layouts!!

Penn Central Tidbits 1 and 2 from the Joseph R. Daughen & Peter Binzen book ''Wreck of the Penn Central'' page 214.

Thanks for reading!!
See ya soon!!!

P.C.C.C.M. 64 / NYCTL Part 1

Greetings All,

Welcome to our 64th Penn Central Car Movements Series!

This will be a four layout virtual op with the NYCTL interchanging freight cars with Sir Neal's APRR, PC Ralph's KPD and Brian's (ATJOE1972) RCR layouts.

The action on the NYCTL this series will be mostly concentrated in the three rail yards which actually mimics the 1:1 Penn Central. I'll be throwing in some PC tidbits as we go.

We open the action with the boys at Bedford Park Yard firing up their Alco S-2 switcher. Penn Central Tidbit #1*: When the PC opened for business it was a ''yard heavy'' railroad burdened by an overabundance of terminals.

Their first assignment is at American Hardware to pull this PRR boxcar loaded with bulk hardware that will go to Barton Mfg in Denver, CO via Brian's RCR layout. Penn Central Tidbit #2*: The Penn Central operated proportionally far more trains made up of individual carloads than any other railroad.

The BPY switch crew's next assignment is to pull two AP and one PRR 86' empty boxcars from the Ford Plant that will be heading to IDEAL Auto Parts in Rock Ridge NJ on Sir Neal's APRR.

The BPY crew claims their caboose. They will depart the Bedford Park Yard limits as Train BP-12. Penn Central Tidbit #3*: Serving Auto Plants of Detroit was hectic and expensive for the PC with the need for right away cars or shutdown cars. Often a crew would have to dig a car out of an arriving train, from a yard track or await it's repair in a shop and then speed it to an auto plant.

1/87th scale Bedford Tower operator John B gives BP-12 a wave as they pass the tower heading towards Terminal Yard.

The Alco S2 is cruising along with BP-12 heading thru Bedford.

Much to my surprise the switcher easily hauled the four boxcars and caboose up the grade to Terminal Yard.

BP-12 has arrived at Terminal Yard.

The Terminal Yard crew wastes no time in pulling the empty 86' boxcars and loaded 40' boxcar from BP-12. 

They will be added to the seven empty PCCM cars that were left in Terminal Yard at the end of PCCM 63.

Next we turn our attention to the Empire Belt RR's North Side Yard. North Side Yard at the end of PCCM 63 had eleven cars ready for departure on track #3 and four cars ready for delivery to Empire City Industries on track #1. 

Fast forward to PCCM 64 the EBRR Alco FAs have returned from a short term lease to be used as transfer train power. The EBRR trainmen are planning their car movements with 1/87th scale senior engineer Sir Neal running the Morning Industrial Job with Conductor John. 1/87th scale PC Ralph gets the Alco consist for the EB-2 transfer run to Terminal Yard. Lucky...

1/87th scale Sir Neal is at the throttle of the EBRR GP9m shoving east on the industrial track with conductor John protecting the move from his caboose platform. 

The MIJ is at Ralph's Grocery Warehouse pulling a trio of APRR 57' Reefers loaded with packaged food products for C&P Restaurant Supply in Rock Ridge NJ. The Pizza Land restaurant kit was a gift from our late friend Engineer Ed who was a huge fan of  all things trains, virtual ops, riding his motorcycle and good pizza.

With the AP reefers out of the way three similar looking EBRR 57' reefers loaded with food from C&P Restaurant Supply are spotted at Ralph's Grocery Warehouse.

Next move is to spot PC gondola #288673 at Gervais Pipe for it's next PCCM load.

The morning industrial switch work is done and the MIJ is back at North Side Yard. The guys make their plan to add the three loaded AP 57' reefers to the EB-2 transfer train going to Terminal Yard.

The three loaded AP 57' reefers are added to the rear of transfer train EB-2.

EB-2 has coupled up to its caboose and after an air test will proceed to the Penn Central's Terminal Yard.

We'll cut it here for today with 1/87th scale PC Ralph easing out the slack as he notches up the Alcos for their run to Terminal Yard.

We'll close it out tomorrow highlighting the Penn Central's Terminal Yard switch crew, adding in a few more Penn Central tidbits and the dispatch of our outbound train.   

Be sure to follow the action on 

Sir Neal's APRR, 

PC Ralph's KPD 

and Brian's RCR layouts!!

*Penn Central Tidbits 1&2 from the Joseph R Daughen & Peter Binzen book ''Wreck of the Penn Central" page 210.

* Penn Central Tidbit #3 from the Peter E. Lynch book 

"Penn Central Railroad Color History" page 104.

Thanks for reading!!!

See ya tomorrow!!

New Gons & Loads

Greetings All,

A six car joint NYCTL / APRR Patti O Paint Shop Project is in the books giving each railroad three new 50' gons with a variety of loads.

1:1 Sir Neal sent down five Athearn Blue Box 50' gondolas to be stripped, painted and lettered two for the APRR and one for the EBRR. I added a Lima gon I had on my roster to the project so that each layout would end up with three similar cars for virtual ops use.

The five BB gons have been disassembled and their parts sorted and separated. Note that Sir Neal sent the gons down with Kadee whisker couplers and P-2000 metal wheels which were a huge plus for this project. The underframes, weights and trucks will be sprayed flat black with a rattle can and the wheel faces brush painted flat black.

Old plastic wheels in the trucks keep the axle holes clean. This old tile works great as the wheels don't roll over the ridges when being sprayed.

APRR 8279, a Lima product from my roster, is the only non Athearn BB product in this project and will stay on the NYCTL. 

APRR 8294, an Athearn BB gon, is ready for it's next PCCM load.

EBRR 5283, also an Athearn BB gon, is also ready for it's next PCCM load. The gons will spend half their time empty so I weathered the insides with some rattle can spray paints that included Dupli-Color red primer purchased at local auto parts store.

Both the APRR and EBRR will get a set of three gons that will run as a block. Loads will originate at Gervais Pipe in the background and be shipped to various APRR consignees.

The new gons come around the west side curve. Blog reader Jade Fog had suggested weathering the inside of the car in a prior gon post. I took the advice and like the way these cars have turned out.

On to the Loads!

When discussing the project with 1:1 Sir Neal it was decided that the gons would carry pipe loads from Gervais Pipe on the NYCTL to Shapeless Steel, Cargill and Tropicana on the APRR in separate moves and return empty to Gervais Pipe after delivering their loads to one of the aforementioned industries.

Looking to make pipe loads that would look good in the car and also give the impression that they are suitable for food service I bought three packages of small dowels from a craft store. 

Using Elmer's Glue and some toothpicks as spacers I glued a row of dowels to a piece of cardstock and weighed it down as it dried. Next I glued two tooth pick pieces across the dowels and the another row of dowels on top repeating the procedure for a total of four rows of pipe per load. Two hobby stick pieces were added to the bottom for additional height.

Each gon can carry two pipe loads. Here are six of the loads getting ready for a PCCM shipment from Gervais Pipe & Fitting in Empire City NY. The loads were painted rattle can aluminum and wrapped with Chart Pak tape. 

Here's how the three project gons would look fully loaded at Terminal Yard ready for shipment to the APRR's Rock Ridge Yard. For the record each pipe load consists of 4 rows of 11 pipes for a total of 44 pipes.

With the pipe loads complete I wanted to surprise Sir Neal with some nice scrap loads and came across these cast resin loads on ebay offered by seller danpik.

Here they are painted with rattle can red primer and oversprayed with flat black.

The scrap loads are loaded! I left them with the rusty look so they would stand out in the black gons.

Of course this project has led to me revisiting my own gondola fleet. I'll cover that in a future post.

We'll be starting a four layout PCCM 64 virtual op this weekend. Look for these cars to make their PCCM debut

next week in the inbound portion.

Thanks for reading!!!
See ya soon!!!