HO Scale NS engines and my layout.

[David Collins]

Image 1 (post 2): The first order of business is to shuffle the cars for BPT-15 and get them in order. The crew puts the phosphate car on BY2 and the sand hopper on BY1 (BY is Bangor Yard and the number is the yard track).

Image 2: BPT-15 then sets out the northern division cars (Bangor and Bartonsville) cars on BY2 after hooking up the sand hopper and phosphate hopper in order.

Image 3: After acquiring track authority on the dark territory that is the Portland Secondary, the BPT-15 diverges onto the Secondary off of their own trackage to start their work.

[David Collins]

Image 1 (post 3): After cutting the power off from their dropoffs, BPT-15 passes the Portland industrial switch and the conductor manually throws it.

Image 2: The two locomotives back in to pickup the empty phosphate hopper.

Image 3: the two locomotives pull the car out.

[David Collins]

Image 1 (post 4): Note how the train did NOT set-out the drop off. That is because the locomotives need to pull into the transloads’ track when switching the sand transload. In order to switch the facility, the locomotives pull back in after setting out the pickup, the conductor throws the swich for the sand transload, and then the crew picks up the cars.

Image 2: After the BPT-15 grabs the sand cars, they pull past the sand transload switch, set it to normal, back onto the mainline, and perform a run around move on the Portland Secondary’s only siding in order to set out the drop-off.

Image 3: With the crew now on the other side of the train, and after a quick reshuffling of the cars (done off camera to eliminate added posts), the single sand hopper is set-out.

[David Collins]

Image 1 (post 5): The crew then pulls the remaining balance of their train back to the siding, and do yet another run around move.

Image 2: After getting back on the train, another quick reshuffle is done, and the loaded phosphate hopper is spotted at the transload.

Image 3: After getting back on their train, BPT-15 shoves their pickups to Bangor Yard.

[David Collins]

Image 1 (post 6): After setting the pick ups off with the Northern division cars (worked by another local), the BPT-15 crew moves the locomotives to the west of the yard, for BS-15 to take over and switch the Bangor industries (Bangor Paper and Blarney Castle oil).

That will come later in the next post in a few weeks.

[David Collins]

Cresson Steel has closed their west location in Morristown, PA and has started routing all of their traffic to their east location since their new two track yard has opened up. A stamping company receiving steel coils has taken it’s place, receiving 1-2 cars per switch. The cars either being gondolas or coil cars loaded with steel coils.

[KVERBERK]

looking good David!

[David Collins]

To add some *insert sparkle emoji here* excitement *insert another sparkle emoji here* to operations, I added two extra CSX yard jobs to the list of locals operated on the layout.

This new job, Y105, goes on duty as NS HP-15, (more on that in a minute) is doing their work around Morriston and Martin’s Creek*. Y105 is the new dedicated Philipsburg west side switcher…which switches appree plastics and a (yet to be named) recycling company, their cars go to the CSX interchange.

Then, for the second change, Y224 (second shift Philipsburg yard switcher) now switches industries inside the yard limits (the ADM refinery and a yet to be named automotive stamping company) right before Y105 does its work*…similar to the Y197/297 and Y106 jobs in Grand Rapids (where I got this inspiration to make these changes)

*when there are multiple people operating the layout

Now, some other operational changes. CSAO N-07 (former sub ID CSX C799) is now NS HP-15. A pure NS job, no longer conrail. I’ve recently learned that NS’ multi letter prefix ID’s on locals are used to delineate yard jobs/industry switchers. HP-15 works Mosaic (phosphate distributor) in Martin’s Creek and Cresson Steel (Morriston)

If you’ve been keeping up with previous posts, you may have noticed a discrepancy. N-07 used to work Appree Plastics in Philipsburg. That is now covered by CSX Y105, the west side switcher mentioned earlier. The new recycling company’s lead is being installed right now, but for operations sake when I run it. I just leave the cars (boxcars) along side the Appree Plastics cars on that spur lead until they’re ready to be picked up the next day.

[KVERBERK]

I think operations is my favorite part of model railroading. Looks like you've put a lot of thought into the layout. It would be fun to operate.