Thursday, June 12, 2025

A Special Blog Post

Welcome to a special blog post about my railroad. This post is to honor two guys who invited me into their virtual op world going back to PCCM #26 in 2017 - Sir John and PC Ralph!!

Sir John and I go back to a forum where we met called trainlife.com. Back then it was strictly a website where you can post images and make comments. Over the years they added a manufacturing side and eventually was shut down. The manufacturing business, ExactRail, was sold to Scaletrains.

Sir John and I did meet in NYC when he was either visiting NY or still lived in NY (sorry Sir John, my memory fails me), and then again at the 2012 National Train Show in Atlanta as I flew down for the show. We did meet up with another member from the trainlife.com site on that Friday night at a local bar...

PC Ralph was introduced to me thru Sir John when I was invited in this virtual model railroad operating world, which are known as Penn Central Car Movements. PC Ralph sent me a number of Kings Port & Western Railroad (KP&W) that we can interchange between our two railroad. Sir John also sent PC Ralph some APRR cars that I've seen on his layout as well as John and Ralph have like cars on their layouts.

Over the years, Sir John started painting freight cars for himself and I asked if he would do some for me. The first set of freight cars he did were the Scaletrains.com 'Kit Classics' RBL box cars. We kind of went crazy with them as we bought these cars on more than one occasion! From there, John and his 'Patti-O Paint Shop' went all out in painting cars not only for my APRR and his Empire Belt Railroad (EBRR), but added some cars in Penn Central and TP&W, all of which are used in our virtual op sessions. 

I decided to break out all of my APRR, EBRR and KP&W freight cars, with the exception of one freight car that is MIA. If I were to show all of the cars that John did for me, I would need more room on the upper level of my layout!!

So, without further delay, some videos of my freight cars!!

First up is a consist of EBRR freight cars powered by Sir John's EB 8163 and trusty caboose...


Next up, we're going to showcase the freight cars that Sir John painted for my APRR, thanks in part to the diligent work of his Patti-O Paint shop. This first video shows off all of the APRR RBL box cars. I think I gathered all of them from both levels of the railroad...


We continue with the next set of freight cars that the Patti-O Paint Shop did for my railroad...


Here's the last of the APRR freight cars. I may have missed one here. I'll call the Empire City PD to help in the locating of the freight car...


PC Ralph is another great painter, as you will see in this last video...


PC Ralph and I have plenty of freight cars that we interchange with each other including freight cars from the Penn Central, B&M, NYC and a host of others...

This concludes all of the private freight cars that are on my railroad...

A big shout out and THANK YOU to both PC Ralph and of course, Sir John who made all of this possible!!

Have a great weekend guys!!





Sunday, June 1, 2025

PCCM #111 Part 6 On The A.P.R.R. - The AP Crew Delivers!!

 Welcome back!!


Today's locals as follows:

RE-2 - Ideal Auto Parts AP GP40 #400 Engineer - 1:87 Mark
RS-5 - Three Amigos Warehouse AP GP38-2 # 303 - Engineer 1:87 Jim
RN-10 Shapeless Steel / C&P Restaurant Supply AP GP38-2 #307 Engineer 1:87 Norman

Yard Crew - 1:87 NJ John / Yardmaster
AP MP15 #106/107 1:87 Engineer Kai
AP SW1500 #100 1:87 Engineer Dan
AP SW7 #110 1:87 Engineer JP

The assignments are given out and first train to go is RE-2 for Ideal Auto Parts...


Kai pulls the 2 box cars from Quality Fabrications on the KPD for Ideal...


Mark picks up his 2 cars and of course, his caboose...!



Meanwhile, Jim will grab train RS-5 with appliances from Peerless Appliances where they will be stored at Three Amigos Warehouse...


Kai has his cars ready to move out...



A caboose is added...


Jim stops at CP South for final orders...


Now we'll see who heads out first...


Well, the coin toss went to Jim and he departs the yard...


Jim holds on the main as there's traffic coming his way and he needs to access the West Harold Secondary...


Jim awaits the train passing him...


Now Jim can take the secondary track...


Mark get the signal to head out...


Meanwhile, Jim runs around to the rear of the train so he can shove the 5 box cars on Three Amigos siding track 1...


Let's watch Jim in action...


Jim will now head back to the yard caboose lite...


Jim's held up again as another train has priority! Poor guy can't catch a break today!!




We turn our attention over to Ideal Auto Parts and we see that Mark dropped the caboose...


...And shoves the KP&W cars on to the Ideal siding...


Mark picks up his caboose and will head back to Rock Ridge yard...


Back over at the yard, Norman is getting ready to depart for Shapeless Steel and C&P Restaurant Supply...


Kai pulls the train off A/D track 'B'...


The cars on the west ladder pick up the caboose. Take a look at that sharp looking TP&W box car...!


The train is assembled and ready to go out...


Kai gets his locos out of the way...


Norman takes over...


...And awaits the signal to depart...


Norman has the signal and heads out! His first stop is Shapeless Steel...


Let's watch Norman on the move...


Norman has to shove these 4 gondolas on to Shapeless Steel track 1 so he runs around the train...


Norman shoves the car at Shapeless Steel...


Next move is to shove the 6 box cars from Schaefer and Consolidated Grocery on to C&P track 2...




Norman spots all 6 cars...


AP 307 has finished the delivery and calls out for a diversion and heads out to the Richmond Hill Engine Terminal for maintenance. Hopefully the engine is okay...


AP 303 heads back to Rock Ridge yard caboose lite...


A quick check in with the CP South tower operator...


And he's back in the yard after a long day...


Let's hear what the Yardmaster has to say...


It's a wrap! More action continues on 

Thanks for reading!!