Welcome to my Blog. The scope of this blog is to record the trials and tribulations of building and maintaining an HO scale layout, the trains and all of the ancillary projects that go with it. In 2017 New York Central subsidiary short line Empire Belt Railroad came into existence. The New York Central / Penn Central and Empire Belt are now the major railroads featured.
New York Central Alcos
NYC RS32 #2040 leads a trio of R32s hauling Train NY-4
Empire City Station continues to enjoy the hustle and bustle of rail passenger travel as the Holiday rush is in full swing. Here are some scenes from the Thanksgiving Day passenger trains calling at the station.
An Alco PA1 brings EL Train #8, The Atlantic Express, into Empire City Station with a headend TOFC car of stored mail.
Train #8 takes on REA shipments as a NYC switcher stands by to switch the train's headend.
A newly painted E7A brings B&O Train #12, the Metropolitan Special into Empire City.
A pair of Alco PA1s hustle NYC Train #19, the Lake Shore Limited, into Empire City Station.
Another pair of Alco PA1s bring B&O Train #4, the Diplomat into the station.
It's an Alco-haulics day in Empire City as a PA1-PB1 combo bring PRR Train #29, the Broadway Limited towards Empire City Station.
Another PA1 comes into Empire City with PRR Train #22, the Manhattan Limited.
Fairbanks-Morse Erie Builts pinch hit on PRR Train #48, The General.
Versatile GP7s have brought NYC Train # 81, The Genesee, into Empire City Station
EMD E8A Demonstrator powers B&O Train #525, The Marylander.
NYC Train #916, the Berkshire Hills Express heads towards Empire City Station to pickup passengers going to resorts in the Berkshires.
Enjoy the trains!!!
New York Central Passenger Trains at Empire City Station will be posted on Thursday as the NYCTL trainmen take their annual Holiday railfanning trip to the station.
Follow along and enjoy our annual one weekend virtual Holiday Coal Op. Empty coal hoppers from PC Ralph' Kings Port Division and Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR will be coming into Terminal Yard for loading at nearby Hudson Coal with the loaded hoppers promptly dispatched back to the KPD and APRR. We hope!
The Holiday Coal op is now in day three. If you have not already I recommend checking the action on the Kings Port Division and Atlantic Pacific RR to get up to speed for today's NYCTL installment.
We open up with Extra 4348 bringing a train of empty hoppers from the Kings Port Division past Bedford Tower.
Extra 4348 makes its way into Terminal Yard
The FP7s will be fueled, get sand and be ready for an outbound train later today.
Meanwhile over at Bedford Station the NYCTL trainmen prepare to hand out Holiday gifts and turkeys to the assembled masses.
Back in Terminal Yard the PC U23Cs are back and are working on the empties brought in by Extra 4348.
The 6710 & 6719 put together todays Coal Job trains to be loaded at nearby Hudson Coal.
The ex NYC caboose from Extra 4348 is shoved into the caboose track.
The GP7s are called for the first coal job of the day, Train CJ-1.
The Coal Job departs Terminal Yard.
The trio of GP7s bring the empties past the switch into Hudson Coal and prepare to back up and pull out the loaded hoppers.
The loaded hoppers start getting pulled.
The last of the loaded hoppers are pulled out.
The GP7s put all 4,500 HP to use making the long pull of of Hudson Coal.
The Coal Job makes the long pull.
The Coal Job holds on the Bedford Secondary to wait for the Mount Crumpet Comet to depart the station and clear the mainline.
The Mount Crumpet Comet departs Bedford Station and Extra 3175 follows.
GP40 3175 has cut from the hopper train and is in the engine terminal for sand and fuel.
With the mainline finally clear the Coal Job shoves the empties towards Hudson Coal for loading.
The empties are spotted.
The Coal Job is back together and holds again on the secondary.
Here's the reason for the hold. Penn Central Train Extra 4369 departs Terminal Yard and will take the mainline thru Bedford NY.
Extra 4369 rolls past Bedford Tower on its way to the Kings Port Division.
The Coal Job arrives back in Terminal Yard.
A short time later the second Coal Job of the op, Train CJ-3, departs Terminal Yard for Hudson Coal.
Several hours later the CJ-3 Coal Job has a string of loaded hoppers from Hudson Coal and is ready to head back to Terminal Yard.
But not so fast!!!
The CJ-3 has returned to the yard and the yard job assembles another outbound coal extra.
Extra 3175 conducts a terminal air test and prepares for departure.
Extra 3175 rumbles thru Bedford NY.
Extra 3175 rolls past Bedford Tower as it heads towards the Atlantic Pacific RR.
That wraps up the Holiday Coal Op on the NYCTL. Be sure to catch the rest of the action on PC Ralph's Kings Port Division and Sir Neal's Atlantic Pacific RR.
Here's a short video compilation of our Holiday Coal Op with some special effects.
It continues to be the most wonderful time of the year as Holiday Trackage Rights are extended to the Pennsylvania and New Haven RRs with a slight twist.
Today we're going to break out the small electric motor fleet maintained by the New York Central Layout. The fleet consists of five Pennsylvania RR GG1s and three E33s, two in New Haven and one in PC paint.
I purchased two IHC GG1 Millennium Express train sets about 20 years ago for my boys. The sets came with either PRR 4800 in Brunswick Green or PRR 4910 in Tuscan.
The other three came courtesy of 1:1 Sir Neal when they became surplus on his Atlantic Pacific PRR. Thank you very much Sir Neal!!
Working the Northeast Corridor and Philadelphia to Harrisburg mainline in both passenger and freight service were the legendary PRR GG1s. Built by GE(15) and the PRR Altoona Works(124) a total of 139 were built from 1934 to 1949. The first GG1 entered service in 1935. The last run of a GG1 was in 1983 by New Jersey Transit.
Classic Pennsylvania RR GG1s in Brunswick green get ready to take a "Fleet of Modernism" passenger train to Empire City Station. The lead unit is the 4800 the first GG1 built and the only one with a riveted body hence the name. The models are International Hobby Corp (IHC) Premier Line.
PRR Tuscan GG1s bring PRR Train #153, the Congressional, towards Empire City Station with GG-1 4910 in the lead. The 4910 would eventually become Penn Central and Amtrak #910.
GG-1 4828 an older AHM model departs Terminal Yard with a PRR passenger train in tow.
The 4828s oversized wheel flanges and limited electrical pickup presented problems at grade crossings where the flanges raised the wheel slightly and the locomotive died. The unit was sent to the NYCTL Altoona Works for upgrading.
The main issue I noted was that the locomotive trucks were wired so that one truck picked up the negative and the other truck the positive power. The locomotive truck has been disconnected and the upgrading has begun.
A spare phosphor bronze pick up from a de-motored Bachmann engine will be screwed to the truck between the two wheels on the left. I'll connect it to an original wire of the proper polarity.
Much better!!! All wheel pickup achieved!
Here's the AHM GG1 drive train. Extra weight was added by a prior owner. Note the springs used for drive shafts.
Here is an IHC Premier series power plant. Reminds me of a Lionel train with two motors above the trucks. Note the pantograph is wired so it can be powered by track or catenary.
In summer 2021 I added two New Haven EF-4 electric motors to compliment PC E-33 #4605 which has been on the roster for about ten years. The models are from the Bachmann Spectrum line.
Local railfans checkout the New Haven class EF-4 locomotive #300 at the New York Central Layout engine terminal. The motors were built by GE for the Virginian RR in 1955 as class EL-C and the first successful production locomotive to use ignitron rectifier technology.
EF-4 #306s pantograph reaches high for a catenary that's not there!! The NH bought the Virginian RRs eleven EL-Cs and one slug as a parts source in 1963 and classed them as EF-4s.
In 1969 with the inclusion of the New Haven into the Penn Central the EF-4s were reclassified at E-33s (Electric 3,300 HP) Ex NH #305 is now PC E-33 #4605. After the merger the E-33 fleet was moved from the electrified lines of the New Haven to the electrified lines of the PRR to protect the freight schedules on the NE Corridor and the Philadelphia to Harrisburg mainline.
Today the premerger New Haven EF-4s will be protecting the freight schedules on the NYCTL mainline. It's the most wonderful time of the year!!!
Here are the Electric Motors enjoying their Holiday Trackage Rights on another snowy day in Empire City.
A special thanks to 1:1 Sir Neal for his generosity!!!
It's my favorite time of the year to railfan the layout. In part one we'll take a look at the Erie Lackawanna, Baltimore & Ohio, Chicago Burlington & Quincy, the pre merger Pennsylvania Railroad and host RR New York Central.
Our first train is an Erie Lackawanna freight powered by an F7A-F7B-PB-F7A. An Alco PB!! Yup...Sharp eyes will catch the non powered Athearn Alco PB in the number three position. The powered F units are Bachmann Plus models.
A B&O F7A-B-B-A consist from Bachmann Plus bring a mail and express train towards Empire City Station.
A New York Central passenger train has taken on mail and express packages on track #2 while a pair of Alco RS2s burble away on track #1. The NYC passenger cars are Athearn BB models and the NYC enjoys year round trackage rights!
Proto 1000 CB&Q F3As bring a freight train thru Empire City using trackage rights negotiated by ATJOE1972.
Pennsylvania RR Proto 1000 Fairbanks Morse C-Liners haul a hotshot Mail and Express Train thru Empire City. The PRR had sixteen FM CFA16-4s and eight CFB16-4s on their roster.
NYC RS2s from Proto 1000 prepare to depart with an express boxcar train.
See the trains traveling around the layout in this short video.
