Penn Central Car Movements #85 / N.Y.C.T.L. Part 1 / The Outbound Cycle Begins

 Greetings All,

Welcome to Penn Central Car Movements #85!!!

This virtual op will be a three layout affair with my N.Y.C.T.L. interchanging freight cars with PC Ralph's Kings Port Division and Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR. 

It's early in the morning at Bedford Park Yard as engineer Robert R begins his day. The two empty APRR 86'ers and one empty EBRR 50'er need to be returned to the APRR Rock Ridge Yard to be forwarded back to IDEAL Auto Parts for reloading.

The BPY Job pulls PC boxcar #160502 from American Hardware Supply loaded with Bulk Hardware for Peerless Appliance in Mayfield NY which is served by the Kings Port & Western RR via interchange with the Penn Central's Kings Port Division. 

Two empty Evans Coil Coaches get pulled out from the Ford Plant for return to Kings Port Steel.

Robert R pulls the cars from the yard and heads back to the Ford Plant.

Empty APRR 60' and EBRR 86' boxcars get pulled from the Ford Plant. These cars are also going to Rock Ridge Yard for forwarding to IDEAL Auto Parts.

Train BP-12 heads for Terminal Yard

Robert R brings the BP-12 into Terminal Yard

The Alco S-4 glides into the engine terminal for refilling of sand and fuel.

Big Mike pulls the caboose from the BP-12 and Kar Knocker gets ready to blue flag the train and do his thing. 

Big Mike takes this time to head over to the Pier 16 holding tracks to pull out a group of empty auto parts cars.

The empty PRR, NYC and EBRR boxcars are all going to the APRR Rock Ridge Yard to be forwarded to IDEAL Auto Parts.  

Kar Knocker has completed his car knocking and Big Mike is building newly implemented hotshot Train APR-25(Auto Parts Return-25) that will expedite these empties from Terminal Yard to Rock Ridge Yard running thru Selkirk and Weehawken.

Next we catch Big Mike shoving cars going to the Kings Port Division and the Kings Port & Western RR into track #4.

Big Mike is on a roll (not a hard roll!) as he continues working the yard limits industries. Below he is making a long pull from Terminal Warehouse and Cold Storage.

The BAR 57' reefer #11128 and NPM 50' reefer #473 are loaded with frozen food for C&P Restaurant Supply in Rock Ridge NJ. The EL 57' reefer and APRR #58279 will head out in local trains to fulfill some PCCM empty car requests.

The PC Hi Cube boxcar, pulled empty from Terminal Warehouse & Cold Storage, is shoved towards Pier 16 to fulfill an empty request.

The PC Hi Cube #272742 is left here for the Pier 16 Switcher.

A short time later the Pier 16 Switcher couples up to the PC Hi Cube.

PC boxcar #272742 gets spotted at Bruce Electric Equipment for its next PCCM load.

Next we move over to Bedford NY as Jimmy Alco brings a long string of PCCM cars towards Empire City for interchange with the Empire Belt RR at North Side Yard.

The LIRR rolls thru Bedford NY and arrives at North Side Yard in Empire City

We'll cut it here for today with Jimmy Alco checking in at the North Side Yard office.

We'll pick it up tomorrow at North Side Yard and find out why the police have been there guarding P&E boxcar #3638.

Be sure to catch the action on PC Ralph's Kings Port Division and Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR.

Thanks for reading and watching!!!

See ya tomorrow!!!

Proto 2000 GP20 Repairs

 Greetings All,

While recently running my old Life Like Proto 2000 New York Central GP20s I noticed they weren't running that well in consist and heard a thumping noise from one that sounded like a flat wheel but experience tells me that it is a cracked axle gear. 

Here are the units getting shoved into the shop to await repairs on the workbench.  

A few days later the 6107 is on the workbench to investigate the front power truck not providing electricity to the motor. Investigation revealed the wire to have broken inside the insulation. You can see the kink midway between the soldered connection and where the wire goes to the motor thru the weight.

A new wire is soldered in place and the problem is solved.

The 6107 is placed on the ready ready track in the engine terminal.

Next on the bench is the 6109 and the cracked axle gear was quickly found. Cracked axle gears plagued certain Life Like Proto 1000 and 2000 models and I have changed a plethora of them over the years. 

I keep Athearn replacement gears in stock for just such issues. The NMRA HO Standards Gauge works well to set the wheels in gauge when putting the two axles and gear together.

Some of the cracked gears are used at Prestage Tool & Gear. Waste not want not!

Both the 6109 and 6107 are now back in service.

The 6107 and 6109 get the call for a merchandise train out of Terminal Yard.

The GP20s haul the train out of Terminal Yard and thru Bedford NY 

The wire issue in the 6107 has also reared its ugly head in some of my Life Like Proto 2000 E8 units over the years. In the past I've had crushed wires at the tops of the weights that caused sporadic running issues. Earlier this year I pulled out four E8s and three had either broken wires within the insulation or wires that came loose from soldered truck connections.

As noted above certain Life Like Proto 1000 and 2000 units were plagued with cracked axle gears. As my engine fleet and skill level have grown I've gone from replacing just the cracked gears in a specific unit to replacing them all at the first sign of  gear trouble. The cracked gear in the 6109 was an original Life Like gear. 

Modelers considering buying the original Life Like P-1000 and P-2000 whether still new or on the used market should inquire if the gears have already been replaced or be prepared to replace them. The GP20s, GP9s, FAs, FBs, and RS2s in my fleet have all needed gear replacement.

Here is a four unit NYC FA-FB-FB-FA project from 2015 where I  replaced all 16 axle gears. These units have had no issues since. 

https://newyorkcentrallayout.blogspot.com/2015/02/fa1-fb1-fb1-fa1-project-part-1.html

Thanks for reading!!!

See ya soon!!! 

 

Coal Train Op Video Compilations

 Greetings All,

A couple of PCCM 84 coal train op compilation videos set to music for your viewing and listening pleasure.

Outbound Compilation

Inbound Compilation

Penn Central Car Movements #85 scheduled to start on Friday July 23rd

Thanks for watching!!!

See ya soon!!!

Penn Central Car Movements #84 / N.Y.C.T.L. Part 2 / Empty Hoppers Return

 Greetings All,

Welcome back to Penn Central Car Movements #84!!!

Our coal op concludes today with the empty coal hoppers from Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR and PC Ralph's Kings Port Division  cycling back for reloading at Hudson Coal.

Our first inbound train, Extra 8150, with 24 empties from the Kings Port Division passes Bedford Tower as it heads for Terminal Yard.

Extra 8150 has arrived at Terminal Yard and gets a visual inspection by Kar Knocker as it passes over the scale.

See Extra 8150 make its way thru Bedford to Terminal Yard.

The 8150 and B unit 3469 head into the engine terminal thru wye.

The 8150 and 3469 ease into the sand rack.

Extra 3175 with twelve empties from the Atlantic Pacific RR follows Extra 8150 thru Bedford.

Extra 3175 rolls to a stop on the Bedford Secondary.

Extra 3175 gets the empty hopper train treatment before getting clearance to head into Terminal Yard.

Extra 3175 arrives (finally) at Terminal Yard and heads over the scale as Kar Knocker admires the rare orange C paint scheme.

GP40 3175 heads into the engine terminal thru the wye.

The 3175 joins the 8150 and 3469 at the sand rack.

Kar Knocker with Big Mike running the Yard Job do their familiar routine with Big Mike pulling off the empty hopper trains cabooses for Kar Knocker to blue flag and inspect the train.

A short time later Big Mike gets busy building a pair of empty local hopper trains for delivery to Hudson Coal as we keep our coal cycle going.

There's plenty of empties now in the yard and Big Mike has them well organized. Engine hostler Wet Willie has coupled on a trio of Alco Centuries and Alco Joe (rightfully so) gets the call for the last NYCTL Coal Job of this virtual op, Train CJ-1.

Train CJ-1 leaves Terminal Yard for Hudson Coal

Loads get pulled out at Hudson Coal.

The loaded hoppers are setout on the Bedford Secondary.

Alco Joe shoves the empties down the main towards Hudson Coal.

The empties are spotted for loading and the coal cycle continues.

The CJ-1 is back together on the Bedford Secondary.

Alco Joe heads for home.

The CJ-1 is back at Terminal Yard and Kar Knocker is out to inspect the trains as it rolls across the scale.

Alco Joe drops his power in the engine terminal and that concludes our three layout virtual op. Put it in the books!

Be sure to catch the action on PC Ralph's Kings Port Division and Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR.

Thanks for reading and watching!!!

See ya soon!!!