P.C.C.M. 67D / Coal Operations / NYCTL Part 2

Greetings All,

Welcome to the Penn Central Car Movements #67D

NYCTL Part 2!!

Today we'll continue to focus on coal operations at Hudson Coal, Terminal Yard, the Empire Power Authority Power Plant and conclude with the dispatch of a Coal Extra with loaded hoppers for PC Ralph's Kings Port Division and Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR.

Train CJ-2 heads out of Terminal Yard behind a trio of GP7s.

CJ-2 has stopped here so the brakeman can open the switch to Hudson Coal. Once the signal is given the engines will shove back. 

CJ-2 is pulling the loads from Hudson Coal that includes a block for RMO Electric in Rock Ridge NJ served by the A.P.R.R. 

The last of the loaded hoppers are pulled out.

The CJ-2 engines and empties cross over to the mainline for their shove move back to Hudson Coal.

The shove move is underway as the engines pass Bedford Tower.

Another fifteen empties are spotted at Hudson Coal as the loading cycle continues.

The CJ-2 engines have coupled up to the loaded hoppers on the Bedford secondary and prepare to head back to Terminal Yard.

Not so fast!! CJ-2 is held for an outbound train with a pair of GP38s sandwiching a GP9. Some iconic PC power on display below?  Indeed!

While CJ-2 is out taking care of business the Empire Power Authority switcher is pulling a block of empties to the two track coal hopper yard.

The EPA crew has cut from the empties and positions a block of loads for delivery back to the Empire Power Authority Plant. 

After a runaround move the EPA crew couples to the empties to shove them into the coal hopper yard.

The EPA crew couples up to their block of loaded coal hoppers. 

The EPA engines with loaded coal hoppers in tow. 

The loaded hoppers get shoved into the unloading track.

Meanwhile CJ-2 patiently waits for another outbound freight train behind an F7A-F7B-F7A combo to clear the line to Terminal Yard. 

CJ-2 finally gets a green signal and starts out for Terminal Yard.

CJ-2 rolls across the weigh in motion scales as it passes the yard job engines. 

The trio of GP7s from CJ-2 return to the engine terminal.

With 1/87th scale Kar Knocker done with his inspection the Yard Job gets to work on the loaded hoppers from CJ-2 as it builds an outbound Coal Extra. 

The Yard Job couples up to the loaded CJ-1 coal hoppers to add to the CJ-2 coal hoppers in the background. These loaded hoppers will make up our outbound coal train. 

PC 9999 tacks on the ex PRR focal orange caboose.

New 1/87th scale Metro Division Sup't I.D. Shore tells hostler Wet Willie he wants all the big Power Pool B* Alcos on the coal extra.

The engines are coupled on, 1/87th scale Kar Knocker has released the train and a very happy Alco Joe has been called for Extra 6309.

Extra 6309 leaving thru the Terminal Yard tunnel.

Extra 6309, five Alcos strong, rumbles thru Bedford NY past a steel products train.

 6309 gets the green signal as it approaches Bedford Tower.

 Next stop Selkirk!!!!

That wraps up the NYCTL's portion of P.C.C.M. 67.

*Power Pool B: PC engines assigned to mineral (coal & ore) train service. Power Pool A (preferred symbol train service) and Pool B are managed interchangeably to accommodate the hills and valleys of traffic flow. Source: PC Bi Annual Page 21-22.

Be sure to follow the action on 

PC Ralph's Kings Port Division and

Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR!

Thanks for reading and watching!!

See ya soon!!

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!!!